Doom isnt typically an experience you associate the word large with. Replayable, yes. Rife with secrets, definitely. Rip and tear? Until it is done. But classic Doom, Doom 2, and even Doom 64 are considerably well-paced romps of brutality. Even DOOM (2016) feels easily digestible in that regard its not impossible to finish its story within two evenings and have your feel of demonic deconstruction.DOOM Eternal changed that, which was apparent in how long your average stage (and encounter) could take to complete, depending on your mastery of the mechanics and knowledge of where to go. A higher skill ceiling is nothing to fuss about, but id Software went further by stuffing the title with all the lore and world-building it could muster.You could get by with a glance at the Slayers Testaments in 2016, but Eternal demanded you understand the gravity, the weight of the conflict and its players. Suffice it to say that there is so much going on in the DOOM universe beyond the copious amounts of demonic disembowelment.Both parts of its DLC are their own full-fledged game in terms of content and complexity; everything combined makes for one of the biggest first-person shooter campaigns ever. On average, HowLongToBeat estimates that the entire main story of Eternal and its DLC could take 24 hours to complete. Completionists could easily hit 41 hours if they aim for everything (and you should, since theres a wealth of content and secrets to discover).Why does any of this matter? Because when I tell you that DOOM: The Dark Ages is shaping up to be the biggest, and perhaps even the greatest DOOM yet, its magnitude is apparent.First is the setting. The Dark Ages addresses an essential component of the Slayers story namely, what happened before the events of DOOM (2016). While id Software hasnt confirmed whether well experience every little detail the Doom Marines arrival in Argent Dnur, his joining the Night Sentinels, and eventually becoming the only thing that demons fear it promises that fans will witness the Slayers creation and turns the tide of the war.For some perspective, the battles described in Argent Dnur arent the skirmishes seen in DOOM (2016) or DOOM Eternal. These are full-fledged warzones, where the Sentinels face off against hordes of demons. No, the Slayer isnt suddenly going all Battlefield, but its worth appreciating how much larger the conflicts are, both in scale and importance. Youre controlling a brutal weapon of war, but youre still fighting in the same war, which means levels to your delivery of death.Weve already seen that with the new dragon mount and Atlan mech. id has already confirmed that these arent specific set pieces youll control for brief moments but are fully fleshed out with their own mechanics. Dogfights with demonic forces and landing in structures to clear out foes before jumping back into the fray seem to be the order of the day. As for the Atlan, youll go toe-to-toe with giant demons in kaiju-like battles of a scale unlike any seen thus far. Whether youre a fan of Pacific Rim, Power Rangers or SHOGO: Mobile Armor Division (rest in peace, Monolith), this alone could be worth the price of admission.But thats only the tip of the iceberg. Several weapons like the Shotgun and Super Shotgun return in classic fashion, but almost everything else has been revamped from top-to-bottom. Then you have the new guns like the Skull Crusher, which uses skulls as ammo and grinds them into shards to launch at enemies, outright eviscerating them up close.Meanwhile, the Railspike is perfect for Half-Life fans who miss the crossbow, allowing them to pin enemies into walls and provide some much-needed home dcor for Hell. Then you have the new melee weapons like the flail, mace and gauntlet or the Shield Saw, which allows for parrying and throwing at enemies like a buzzsaw.And while the acrobatics of DOOM Eternal made for some fun times, The Dark Ages is aiming for a heavier, meaner Slayer. One more grounded and powerful, built like a tank (with Frank Millers The Dark Knight cited as an inspiration). Yet it also brings us back to the era of classic Doom with its boots-on-the-ground approach. The action will be unrelentingly furious, though, with even more demons to battle than ever before.But above all else, id Software promises this to be the biggest campaign its ever made by a good bit. Director Hugo Martin said its really long, with an extensive amount of side content to discover. I think its gonna be mostly about secret hunting. If you explore all the secrets and youre a completionist, youre certainly gonna make it a much larger experience for yourself. He also hypes the levels as the largest spaces weve ever made.However, they arent going to be too long, with the team referring to an hour as the sweet spot to ensure they dont overstay their welcome. Even if youre not going out of your way to discover everything, this is a massive campaign delivering tons of variety. One example provided by Martin to EDGE is how you could begin in a dungeon-like space which transitions in the second half of the level into a more open-ended portion.Further sealing the deal is the lack of multiplayer and while that translates to fewer marketing blurbs compared to DOOM (2016) or Eternal, it also means id Software could devote all its attention to the campaign. As executive producer Marty Stratton explained, We know that our campaigns are to a great extent what people come to the modern DOOM games to play, so we decided to put all of our efforts behind that and really create the biggest and best DOOM game weve ever made.Scrapping multiplayer also means the studio can focus on features like the dragon mount and Atlan mech. I dont know about you but those are some pretty nice compromises after everything weve seen thus far.What truly sells this for me is id Software understanding that bigger doesnt automatically equal better. It isnt trying to create these large meandering levels just to drag on the campaign or add as much content as possible to ensure you get your $70 worth. The pacing, the level of polish, the emphasis on story-telling and its importance (especially for such a critical juncture of the Slayers life) the team is focusing on these things to provide the best possible experience for fans.DOOM: The Dark Ages launches on May 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC alongside Game Pass. And as I look back on the series and how far its come with its scale, fidelity, and the sheer amount of secrets and variety of demons to stomp, it really does feel like a culmination of everything thus far. The best of the old and new, but elevated to new heights and begging for players to fully uncover its depths.Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.