Summary
Doom: The Dark Ages, thethird and latest of the modern entries in id Software’s demon-slaying series, is a prequel to the 2016 reboot that brings the Slayer back to the time when the Night Sentinel’s world of Argent D’Nur was under siege by hell’s hordes.Doom: The Dark Agestakes its iconic fast-paced frantic formula and slows things down ever so slightly, asking players to, in the words of the developers, “stand and fight” more rather than the focus on running and gunning in the previous two games.
One other notable element this time around is thatDoom: The Dark Ageslacks a multiplayer suite. While it was known beforehand that it would not be including this, with id saying that it wanted to “focus all of our energy on making the best campaign we could,” it still stings a bit for it not to have multiplayer at launch. However, there are two new features inThe Dark Agesthat would make for fantastic multiplayer modes should the studio consider adding ones in the future.
Doom: The Dark Ages' Mech Suit and Cyber Dragon Sections Could be Excellent Multiplayer Experiences
Doom: The Dark Ages Lacking Traditional Multiplayer Opens Up a Door to Add a Fresh Spin on It
Going back to its origins,Doomhas a long history of including and, to a large degree, inventing multiplayer modes. The original couple titles' classic death matches set the stage for countless games to include them afterward, andDoom’s legacy as a multiplayer franchisealongside its single-player action has long been cemented. As such,Doom: The Dark Agesskipping this feature in favor of emphasizing its campaign has understandably left some players disappointed that this portion was cut for the recent entry. And both the mech battles and the dragon-riding levels introduced in the newest entry would provide great opportunities for multiplayer should the developer change its mind.
How Doom: The Dark Ages Could Turn its Atlan Fights and Dragon-Riding Segments Into Their Own Multiplayer Modes
As players tear their way through the demonic forces inDoom: The Dark Ages, the Slayer will sporadically suit up in Atlan armor, essentially a giant mech, to face off against equally massive Titan demons. Towering over Argent D’Nur’s landscapes and smashing buildings to pieces with a single stride as the hulking figures clash makes for a visceral power fantasy and a good change-up from the ground combat. Likewise, the portions where theSlayer mounts an armed and armored cyber-dragonare striking spectacles. But the gameplay for each is kept fairly straightforward, and they feel like they could have been taken further, especially if expanded and re-tuned with a multiplayer focus.
While neither of these sections are strictly quick-time events, they can seem a lot like them due to their simplicity and how swiftly they can be over, which diminishes their impact, if only a little. With a few more touches and added complexity, though, id could give fans something resembling aKaiju vs. Mechfighting game mode, as well as one that might play likeStar WarsSquadronsorStar Fox, with players piloting and dogfighting with dragons in intense and acrobatic aerial combat.
Though, again, id does not currently have any plans formultiplayer forDoom: The Dark Ages, the studio has experimented outside classic death match modes, as inDoom: Eternal’s 2v1 mode. It could later decide to pivot, however, and accommodate making the above two designs into fully-fledged multiplayer experiences. This would allow it the perfect chance to try something new and iterate on prior templates, as well as satisfy those fans who are lamenting theloss of multiplayer components inThe Dark Ages.
