Does Doom really need a story? (Bethesda)The third entry in the Doom reboot series is out soon but will the controversial changes to its design make it better or worse than its predecessors?Appropriately enough, it seems an eternity since Doom Eternal was released. It has been five years, but it was also one of the last games we attended a preview for before the pandemic came along and, amongst other things, distorted everyones perception of time. It wouldnt have been so bad but Doom: The Dark Ages was only officially announced in June and thered been little in the way of rumours before that.That was a concern, because MachineGames intended Wolfenstein reboot trilogy still hasnt got a final chapter, but thankfully Doom has, even though its technically a prequel. It will be one of the centrepieces of the Xbox Developer Direct on Thursday evening, but we got to see the footage early and take part in a brief online Q&A with developer id Software.The release date, which was meant to be a key reveal has already been leaked (almost certainly by others watching the same preview as us) but while its nice to know that its out relatively soon, on May 15, the most important news is that it looks great and seems to be doing some things significantly different to the original.We didnt get to try it out ourselves but were willing to take it on faith that The Dark Ages plays as well as the previous two games. The 2016 reboot had some of the best first person action of last generation but it did run out of steam well before the end. Doom Eternal was a more substantial experience, that made clear efforts to address the flaws of its predecessor, even if that also wasnt perfect.In terms of combat, it pretty much was though, with both games having the ingenious idea that you gain ammo, health, and other resources from killing enemies. Youre not just fighting the legions of Hell to get to your objective, youre doing it to replenish your ammo, granting purpose and reward to every kill without having to turn the game into a role-player.This is all still the case for The Dark Ages, but developer id Software is keen to emphasise that the feel of the combat has changed in at least some ways. Your main character (known only as Doom Slayer although old school fans will know him better as Doomguy) is now described as an iron tank, with his appearance in Eternal likened instead to a fighter jet.Although the developers deny it, this seems to be a reaction to Eternals extensive platforming sequences. These were rightly criticised for almost being harder than the combat, which was galling given it was never really a part of the original 90s games.There is still jumping in The Dark Ages but Doom Slayer is now purposefully less acrobatic, although not necessarily any slower. The developers describe it as a move from jump and shoot to stand and fight a marketing phrase they manage to squeeze into the conversation multiple times. But from what weve seen (and you have presumably now too, by the time the embargo elapses on this article) were all for it.The change in approach is supported by a major rethink for melee combat, which was only a minor element in the previous games. Now though youve got an iron flail, a spiked mace, and an electrifying gauntlet, each of which seems to generate different resources and/or be more useful against certain enemies.Each weapon has its own combos and upgrades, and theres a new, more flexible, glory kill system of finishing moves. The most versatile new weapon though seems to be the sword shield which is basically Captain Americas shield but with chainsaw blades going round the edge of it. It has just as little regard for the laws of physics as Caps shield when thrown but can also be used close up to fight and parry. The dragon bits look really fun (Bethesda)Naturally, there are also lots of new guns, including a nailgun that fires giant bolts into demons and pins them to the wall. In keeping with the tank aspirations, the developers also revealed that you can now aim by strafing, which is how things used to work in the old 90s games. As fun as the gunplay has been in the last two games its mechanically very different to the originals, but The Dark Ages seems to be an attempt to get things back to the series gameplay roots.Theres plenty of brand new features as well though, with the opportunity to control a 30 storey mech and beat giant demons to death with its metal fists. Theres also the chance to fly a cybernetic dragon, in sequences that seem to be inspired by Panzer Dragoon with the developer claiming that both turn up multiple times and are not just one-off gimmicks.They were a bit vaguer as to whether the game is open world or not but reading between the lines it seems that while some sections will still be linear there will be some that are a Doom sandbox, with lots of hidden secrets and what was described as the largest play-space ever in a Doom game.There was also a reference to dungeon-like mines although that wasnt expanded upon, so whether that means a randomly-generated element were not sure, but there certainly seems to be a lot of side content for those that want it. This is the main bad guy (Bethesda)What there wont be is any multiplayer, but thats fine with us as its an unnecessary distraction nowadays and wasnt even the most memorable part of the old games, back when they coined the term deathmatch.Other elements, like the flamethrower from the previous game, will be removed, with a lot of slightly nervous talk about the action and controls being simplified and there now being fewer strings on the guitar, in terms of how many buttons are used.The developers are clearly worried that fans will accuse the game of being dumbed down, but theres no doubting the originals were very complex for a supposedly straightforward shooter.The devs insist the game isnt any easier and that instead the streamlined controls and systems allow players to do more with the mechanics than was previously possible. Without playing the game, we cant tell if thats true, but id are clearly worried about a backlash from fans.The one thing that does worry us though is the unwarranted new emphasis on plot and more cut scenes than the previous games. More than once the developer compared The Dark Ages to a summer movie blockbuster, with references to a wider cast of characters including a more articulate main villain. But the storytelling in Eternal was one of its weakest elements and doubling down on that seems like a bad idea.More TrendingApart from anything we long ago lost the thread of what was supposed to be going on and the weird sci-fi style plot, with angelic (but not actually) beings and increasingly complex background lore, already strayed too far away from the Satanic imagery and blunt simplicity of the original.According to id Software, the story is now the core pillar of the game, which sounds more like a threat than a promise, but we think theyre just saying that to try and attract people that were put off by the originals emphasis on complex and unusual gunplay. That was the whole appeal for everyone else though, so we can only hope that an equitable balance has been found.From just looking at the game it seems just as fun as ever, with a lot of welcome new elements, but well have to wait until we get a chance to play it before we know whether its brutish charms have been dulled or not. Were optimistic that they havent though and that hopefully this will end up being the best of the trilogy and a hell of a good game in its own right.Formats: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PCPublisher: BethesdaDeveloper: id SoftwareRelease Date: 15th May 2025 This is the giant Atlas mech you get to drive (Bethesda)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy