Doom: The Dark Ages Perfectly Hooks Me with Its Engaging Parry System

Doom Eternal certainly shook things up when it hit the scene, steering away from the tried-and-true formula of its predecessor, Doom 2016. Where once players were conditioned to embrace a relentless ‘run and gun’ style through 13 breathtaking levels of sheer intensity, Eternal opted for a different path in 2020. The brutal, heavy-handed combat gave way to a more agile approach, compelling players to be strategic with limited resources. Mobility became the name of the game with essential moves like double jumps, dashes, and strafing, shifting the dynamics significantly.

This shift in gameplay divided the Doom community. It felt like a deep cut right through the fanbase. Personally, I appreciated Eternal, but the constant jumping between combat and exploration grew wearisome. I love discovering hidden secrets, but first-person shooter platforming is often hit-or-miss, and Eternal had its fair share of misses. This disrupted the rhythmic flow and fluidity that captivated us back in 2016.

Stepping into Doom: The Dark Ages, I felt it drew closer to the essence of Doom 2016 than to Eternal. The combat here encourages standing your ground and fighting rather than the frantic rushing about. The standout new feature? A shield—a ripsaw-tweaked aegis strapped to your right arm that transforms the gameplay in significant ways.

The shield lets you absorb the blows and projectiles from weaker enemies, keeping you free to focus on those wreaking havoc from a distance. With a shield bash that locks onto foes, rushing you into action, it brings to mind the Devil Bringer from Devil May Cry—a high compliment indeed. It creates a basic yet rewarding system: lesser enemies top up your health, ammo, and armor, while the tougher adversaries are your real challenge.

Navigating the battleground feels akin to playing chess, with the power and strategy of a rook—bold, powerful, unwavering. While in 2016 you might have been a knight, nimble and lethal, and a bishop in Eternal, restricted and agile, Dark Ages casts you as a rook. Unyielding, acting like the Daniel Craig of the gaming board, ready to headbutt anything standing in your way.

When it’s time to engage in battle, your choices are clear: shooting, guarding, or unleashing melee attacks. In Dark Ages, melee is a formidable tool but comes with a limited number of charges, pushing you to strategically use the shield to replenish them. In a typical skirmish, you might crash into a crowd, absorb their attacks, mow down weaker foes to regain melee charges, then take down the bigger threats with a decisive smash.

Taking on shielded enemies adds another layer of strategy. Direct gunfire won’t work, so you heat them with projectiles and then ram them with your shield for a dramatic explosion, effectively shattering their defenses with a smart tactical move.

Taking down heavily armored foes also gives you armor, letting you dive into the next encounter with less hesitation about your shield dances. Crushing foes with your mace replenishes ammo, while headshots rejuvenate health—sound familiar? Unlike Eternal, though, the game doesn’t force you into a rigid series of actions.

Occasionally, I found myself on the defensive because I wasn’t paying attention to my dwindling health. However, recovering feels empowering thanks to the game’s crowning mechanic: the parry.

Ah, the parry. I’ve sung the praises of a well-timed parry in games like Bloodborne, and seeing it featured in a first-person shooter was a delightful surprise. Dark Ages nails it. Anything painted in green—from a hulked-out minotaur hurling green projectiles to a revenant launching a green-hued attack—can be parried. A quick tap of the shoulder button initiates a parry, with customizable timing for those needing a bit more leniency.

Parrying is essential to the game and encourages you to embrace the melee chaos, positioning yourself like a rook. Successfully reflecting damage increases your own power, infusing your efforts with an electrifying boost.

I found myself eager to bait green attacks, drawing enemies in and setting up prime parrying opportunities just to feel the thrill. It gives you agency and lets you decide your path, unlike Doom Eternal’s dictated sequence of events.

This turns combat into a strategic blend of aggression and tactics, where each passing second counts. Even when pressured into a tight spot, it feels exhilarating. The age-old adage ‘the best defense is a good offense’ never rang truer.

Doom: The Dark Ages marks a triumphant return to the roots of the series. As the Doom Slayer, you embody power and menace. Each death feels earned, with foes falling apart like slow-cooked meat, while landing from a jump carries satisfying weight—the very essence of the character’s powerful aura.

After just a short four-hour playthrough, my mild curiosity morphed into eager anticipation for Doom: The Dark Ages, now topping my must-play list for 2025.

The game is set to release on May 15. You’ll find it on Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Series, with a launch on PlayStation 5, too.