In an unexpected twist, my recent hands-on demo with id Software's *Doom: The Dark Ages* brought to mind memories of *Halo 3*. Midway through the demo, I found myself astride a cyborg dragon, unleashing a barrage of machine gun fire on a demonic battle barge. After obliterating the vessel's defensive turrets, I landed my beast atop the ship and stormed its lower decks, transforming the crew into a gruesome mess. Moments later, I burst through the hull, leaping back onto my dragon to continue my relentless assault on Hell's machines.

This sequence echoed Master Chief's iconic assault on the Covenant's scarab tanks in *Halo 3*. While the vehicles have changed—from the Hornet to a holographic-winged dragon and from a laser-firing mech to an occult flying boat—the essence remains: a thrilling aerial assault followed by a dynamic boarding action. Interestingly, *The Dark Ages* drew further parallels to *Halo* throughout the demo. Although the core combat retains the unmistakable intensity of *Doom*, the campaign's design reflects a late-2000s shooter vibe, complete with elaborate cutscenes and a focus on gameplay novelty.

Over two and a half hours, I navigated through four levels of *Doom: The Dark Ages*. The opening level mirrored the tightly paced, meticulously designed environments of *Doom (2016)* and its sequel. However, subsequent levels introduced significant deviations: piloting a colossal mech, flying the aforementioned dragon, and exploring expansive battlefields with hidden secrets and formidable minibosses. This shift departs from *Doom*'s traditional focus on mechanical purity, aligning more with games like *Halo*, *Call of Duty*, and even older James Bond titles such as *Nightfire*, which are known for their scripted setpieces and novel mechanics.

This direction marks a fascinating pivot for the *Doom* series, especially considering its previous rejection of such elements. The cancelled *Doom 4* had veered towards a *Call of Duty*-like experience with a modern military aesthetic, heavy on characters, cinematic storytelling, and scripted events. Ultimately, id Software abandoned these ideas for the more focused *Doom (2016)*. Yet, here they are again in *The Dark Ages*, set to release in 2025.

The campaign's brisk pace is punctuated by new gameplay ideas that echo *Call of Duty*'s most notable novelties. My demo began with an extended cutscene introducing the realm of Argent D'Nur, the opulent Maykrs, and the Night Sentinels—the knightly comrades of the Doom Slayer. Depicted as a terrifying legend, the Doom Slayer embodies a nuclear-level threat. This cinematic approach, reminiscent of *Halo*, continues into the levels, with NPC Night Sentinels scattered across the environment, akin to UNSC Marines. Though they don't fight alongside you in the demoed levels, their presence fosters a sense of being part of a larger force, much like Master Chief.

While I appreciate the subtle storytelling of previous *Doom* games, *The Dark Ages* introduces a more pronounced character narrative. However, the cutscenes are used sparingly to set up missions, ensuring they don't disrupt *Doom*'s signature intense gameplay flow.

The demo's later sections introduced further deviations. Following a shotgun-centric opening mission, I found myself piloting a Pacific Rim-like Atlan mech, battling demonic kaiju. Subsequent levels had me soaring on the cybernetic dragon, taking down battle barges and gun emplacements. These tightly scripted sequences evoke *Call of Duty*'s novelties, like the AC-130 gunship mission in *Modern Warfare* or the dogfighting in *Infinite Warfare*. The mech battles offer a slow and heavy perspective, while the dragon sequences are fast and agile, shifting to a wide-angle third-person camera that feels far removed from classic *Doom*.

Variety in gameplay is a hallmark of many acclaimed FPS campaigns, from *Half-Life 2* to *Titanfall 2*. *Halo*'s enduring appeal partly stems from its mix of vehicular and on-foot sequences. However, I remain uncertain about this approach's suitability for *Doom*. *The Dark Ages* retains the complex and demanding core combat of *Doom Eternal*, requiring constant attention to weave together shots, shield tosses, parries, and brutal melee combos. In contrast, the mech and dragon sequences feel mechanically limited and almost on-rails, resembling quick-time events more than the dynamic gameplay *Doom* is known for.

In *Call of Duty*, switching to a tank or gunship feels natural because the mechanical complexity remains consistent. In *The Dark Ages*, the disparity between gameplay styles is stark, akin to comparing a novice guitar student to Eddie Van Halen. Despite the allure of mech battles, I found myself longing to return to the ground-based combat with a double-barrelled shotgun.

The final hour of my playthrough introduced a level called "Siege," which refocused on id Software's exceptional gunplay but expanded the level design into a vast, open battlefield. The objective to destroy five Gore Portals echoed *Call of Duty*'s multi-objective missions, yet the expansive environment reminded me of *Halo*'s contrast between tight interiors and grand exteriors. This level forced me to rethink weapon ranges, use charge attacks to cover vast distances, and deploy the shield against artillery from massive tank cannons.

Expanding *Doom*'s playspace risks losing focus, as I found myself backtracking through empty pathways, which can disrupt the game's pace. Integrating the dragon into this level, akin to *Halo*'s Banshee, could enhance the experience, allowing players to fly across the battlefield and engage in dynamic miniboss battles.

*The Dark Ages* resurrects and reinterprets ideas that were once deemed unsuitable for *Doom*. The cancelled *Doom 4* reportedly featured scripted set pieces and vehicle scenes, similar to what we see in the Atlan and dragon sections of *The Dark Ages*. Marty Stratton of id Software confirmed in a 2016 interview that *Doom 4* was more cinematic and story-driven, akin to *Call of Duty*, but those elements were scrapped. Their reintroduction in *The Dark Ages*—with its boarding action setpieces, lush cinematics, expansive character roster, and significant lore reveals—raises intriguing questions about their fit within the *Doom* universe.

At its core, *The Dark Ages* remains true to *Doom*'s intense, gun-in-hand combat. Nothing in the demo suggested this would change, and my experience reaffirmed that this aspect is a fantastic reinvention of *Doom*'s essence. Yet, id Software's new ideas, while ambitious, sometimes feel mechanically thin. Whether these additions will enrich or detract from the campaign remains to be seen. As I eagerly anticipate the full release on May 15th, my curiosity is piqued: Will *Doom: The Dark Ages* be a compelling late-2000s FPS campaign or a disjointed one?