Compare Doom: The Dark Ages vs Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Accessibility options receive strong praise, including difficulty sliders, speed tuning, parry timing, remapping, UI scaling, colors, and other customization.

Reviewers described the sequel as more understandable and more accessible, with lore and design changes that reduce friction for more players.

Enemy AI was a rare weak spot, with one review saying it was not especially sharp even as combat remained playful.

Shooting precision is supported by reviewers who describe the gunplay as tight and satisfying, especially alongside melee and shield systems.

Aiming drew a small caveat because one reviewer wanted gyroscopic aiming despite the stronger focus on ranged weapons.

Animation quality is generally positive in glory kills and cutscenes, but one reviewer flags dragon animation weight as off.

Animation and motion capture were praised as elite, with reviewers pointing to fantastic performance capture and some of the best motion work they had seen.

Art direction is praised for distinctive medieval/dark-fantasy identity, though at least one critic finds the shift less Doom-like.

Atmosphere is praised for moody color, dark fantasy scenery, and distinctive hellish/medieval tone.

The atmosphere was consistently praised for haunting landscapes, calm-chaos contrast, and strange moments that made the world linger.

Boss design is mixed: shielded leaders and bosses add structure, but some reviewers call them missed opportunities or overly derivative.

Boss fights were broadly improved and visually striking, though several reviewers said they could be simple, optional, or less challenging than expected.

Bug frequency is mixed: several reviewers encountered glitches or unclear damage/deaths, while another reported no bugs.

Character arcs landed unevenly: some reviewers warmed to the cast and late-game moments, while others felt arcs happened away from Sam.

Checkpoint design is mixed, with reviewers noting checkpoints can help but also citing restart/checkpoint irritation.

Co-op experience is absent, with one reviewer specifically lamenting the lack of co-op or multiplayer.

Combat receives the broadest praise: most reviewers find the parry-heavy, close-quarters fighting satisfying, powerful, and fresh, with a minority missing the older acrobatic style.

Combat was widely seen as improved, snappier, and more flexible, though a few reviewers found it clunky, overemphasized, or easier to avoid.

The community layer was a highlight, with reviewers praising the sense of shared infrastructure and collaborative help across the world.

Content variety is strong in the campaign’s weapons, chapters, secrets, and set pieces, even if some nonstandard sections are less loved.

Weather, hazards, floods, earthquakes, fires, and other systems made the world and deliveries feel more varied and reactive.

Controls are described as responsive and easy to execute once learned, with several reviewers calling out smooth feel even in demanding encounters.

Controls were generally praised as refined and smoother, including PC input options and better feel compared with the first game.

The core loop is repeatedly described as shield, melee, shooting, and resource recovery working together, though some reviewers feel it becomes more prescriptive than Eternal.

The delivery loop remained central but was described as tighter, more addictive, and more player-friendly across several reviews.

Crash stability is mixed, with at least two reviews reporting hard crashes or dashboard crashes.

Dialogue quality is weakly supported and criticized in the evidence as lacking meaningful reveals or character building.

Dialogue drew a mild caveat from one reviewer who found some cutscenes too long, even while praising the cast overall.

Difficulty balance is highly customizable, with generous parries and sliders praised for accessibility but criticized by some as making challenge too easy to dilute.

Difficulty was mixed: reviewers noted optional harder settings and late-game challenge, but many felt vehicles, weapons, or BT changes made parts too easy.

Vehicles were one of the biggest improvements, arriving earlier and handling better, though some reviewers felt they trivialized traversal.

Resource balance is praised in at least one review for reducing ammo frustration through melee replenishment and frequent drops.

Many reviewers found the final hours, sincere human stories, and emotional stakes powerful, while one review felt comparatively unmoved.

Enemy variety is well supported, with reviewers citing familiar demons, redesigns, returning obscure foes, and new enemy types.

Enemy variety was praised for making combat more engaging, especially with better-equipped bandits, BT variants, and Ghost Mechs.

Environmental detail is strong, with reviewers noting vivid gore, neon, secrets, and large detailed spaces.

The Australia and Mexico environments were repeatedly praised for variety, vistas, textures, weather, and visual detail.

Exploration and secret hunting are repeatedly valued, though some reviewers note open areas can slow momentum or make secrets feel too obvious.

Exploration was praised for making the next horizon feel exciting and for encouraging movement through a striking world.

Facial animations are mentioned positively in one review as solid, alongside strong character models.

Facial capture and character work were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the faces and cutscene direction exceptional.

Faithfulness to franchise is generally positive: despite changes, reviewers often say the core Doom identity remains intact.

Reviewers agreed the sequel keeps Death Stranding’s identity but debated whether the stronger Metal Gear-style action sands away some original friction.

Fast travel through the Magellan and key waypoints was useful, though some reviewers noted scoring tradeoffs or occasional restrictions.

Dragon flight is the most mixed vehicle-related element, praised by a few for smooth controls but often criticized as shallow, rigid, or repetitive.

Frame rate stability is repeatedly praised across PC, PS5, and Xbox impressions, with several reports of stable or high framerates.

Performance notes were positive, with reviewers citing 60fps on PS5 and high, steady PC frame rates.

Fun factor is high overall, with many reviewers calling the game a blast, fun, or grin-inducing despite caveats.

Despite its strangeness and length, reviewers often found the sequel more fun, more gripping, or never boring.

Reviewers consistently point to the Shield Saw, parries, melee, and grounded combat as the defining mechanical changes, generally praising their depth and fit.

The mechanics were broadly praised as a major sequel upgrade, with richer delivery tools, stronger systems, and more approachable play.

Graphics quality receives strong praise across reviews, with repeated admiration for id Tech 8 visuals, crisp image quality, and impressive scenery.

Visuals were one of the strongest consensus points, with repeated praise for stunning landscapes, fidelity, faces, and next-gen presentation.

One reviewer specifically noted that the game can be played at a relaxed pace without needing to grind it out.

Handheld play suitability is poor in the cited evidence, with PCMag noting the game does not run on Steam Deck.

The PC review found Steam Deck and handheld play workable, though at a fairly low resolution on Steam Deck.

Haptic feedback integration is present on PS5, but reviewers describe it as limited or partly obnoxious rather than transformative.

DualSense haptics were singled out as excellent, bringing surfaces, weather, gear, and action details into the controller.

HUD clarity is supported by clear threat indicators, enemy outlines, and customizable visual feedback.

Immersion is supported by detailed sound design and environmental presentation that make the world feel absorbing.

Immersion was praised through the world’s quiet storytelling and lingering human moments.

Innovation is repeatedly noted through the shield, grounded combat, accessibility, and broader reinvention of Doom’s formula.

The learning curve is moderate: reviewers note the new style takes adjustment but becomes manageable once players acclimate.

Level design splits reviewers between praise for expansive, secret-filled spaces and criticism that some large maps become flat or repetitive.

The new continent was praised for a far greater variety of locations and terrain challenges.

Load times are supported by one review that calls them extremely quick.

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

Lore depth is appreciated by reviewers who value codex detail and expanded Doom-universe backstory.

The Corpus lore tracker was noted as a helpful way to manage the sequel’s dense terminology and story context.

Map and navigation design is mixed, with praise for the automap and objective ping but criticism over missing map markers.

Route planning and the 3D map were praised as important, clearer tools for planning long deliveries.

Menu usability is mixed, with reviewers appreciating customization but criticizing unclear sliders or awkward melee switching.

Menus were viewed as improved overall, though at least one reviewer still found inventory and menu handling fiddly.

Mission design was praised for moreish delivery structure and some fun, weird orders, though the core remains delivery-focused.

Mission variety is generally praised for new enemies, weapons, set pieces, and open-zone objectives, though vehicle missions weaken the mix for some.

Reviewers praised more varied cargo conditions, hazards, objectives, and mission setups that kept deliveries fresher.

Movement is divisive: reviewers agree it is slower and more grounded, with some loving the tank-like heft and others missing Eternal’s freeform mobility.

Movement on foot was described as smoother, more responsive, and still satisfyingly weighty when hiking mattered.

Multiplayer design is essentially absent, and multiple reviewers explicitly note there is no multiplayer mode.

The asynchronous multiplayer remained a signature strength, praised for paths, structures, likes, and indirect collaboration.

Narrative quality is one of the most divisive areas; a few reviewers like the cinematic lore, but many find the story weak, self-serious, or forgettable.

Narrative response was mixed-positive: many reviewers praised the story and themes, while others found it opaque, messy, or oddly paced.

Onboarding is viewed positively where reviewers note newcomer-friendly design and early chapters that ease players into the altered combat loop.

The sequel was seen as more welcoming and quicker to grab players, especially compared with the first game’s slow start.

One review encountered servers going down before launch, making this the only direct stability caveat in the review set.

Semi-open design earns mostly positive attention for expanding combat spaces and optional objectives, though it does not work equally well for every critic.

One mixed review still called it a strong open-world sandbox checklist game, even while missing the first game’s sparer approach.

Originality is strongly supported by praise for the Shield Saw as a standout modern weapon concept.

Originality remained a strength, with one review calling the sequel exciting and original despite its imperfections.

Pacing is uneven across reviews: some find the chapters well-paced, while others dislike the extended ending, cutscenes, or repetitive stretches.

Pacing was one of the most divided attributes: many reviews praised improvements, while others criticized slow burns, filler, or poorly paced story delivery.

Performance optimization is generally strong, with several reviewers reporting smooth PC or console performance, though ray tracing demands are noted.

Performance was strongly praised on PS5 Pro and PC, with several reviewers reporting flawless or dreamlike optimization.

Platform-specific feature support includes DualSense adaptive triggers and controller-speaker support, though the implementation is mixed.

PC and controller support were praised for deep options, upscaling support, and broad input compatibility.

Platforming is considered reduced or less central than in Eternal, which some reviewers accept while others see as a loss.

Polish is uneven: some reviewers call the game polished, while others cite bugs, missing glory-kill feel, or streamlined systems.

Polish was frequently praised through streamlined tasks, quality-of-life upgrades, tighter design, and a more focused sequel structure.

Progression centers on upgrading health, armor, guns, shield, and melee tools, with Kotaku describing it as streamlined and useful.

Progression was praised for APAS, RPG-like upgrades, freely swapped perks, and systems that reward how players approach deliveries.

The protagonist remains appealing as a powerful vehicle for badassery, even when the surrounding story underwhelms reviewers.

Sam drew a mixed note from one review that still found him emotionally hard to connect with despite more range.

Puzzle design is generally simple and functional, with shield-based environmental interactions adding light variety rather than deep puzzle challenge.

Quest design was mixed, with some reviewers finding filler or insufficient challenge despite the stronger overall delivery structure.

Replay value depends heavily on completionism; some praise secrets and challenges, while others doubt they will replay after finishing.

Replay value was split between extensive remaining missions and one reviewer saying they would not replay from scratch.

Sandbox freedom is mixed: some praise objective freedom, while others reject the marketing idea that the game is a true combat sandbox.

One reviewer praised the sandbox for giving players broad choice across traversal, combat, and stealth.

Side character depth is a concern, with at least one reviewer finding the supporting cast unmemorable.

Side characters were a major strength for several reviewers, though some felt the new cast was underused or less forceful.

Skill-tree depth is limited but present through melee and shield/weapon upgrades; reviewers describe it as useful but not especially elaborate.

The APAS and skill systems were described as useful and flexible without being overly bloated.

Social features were praised for ziplines, shared structures, likes, and infrastructure that made helping others satisfying.

Sound design is a clear strength, with reviewers praising weighty weapons, impacts, deflections, and visceral audio feedback.

Sound design was praised as immaculate or immersive, including 3D audio, voice work, and soundscape details.

Soundtrack quality is mixed: many enjoy the heavy metal score, but several miss Mick Gordon or find the music less memorable.

The soundtrack was strongly praised for licensed music, original tracks, and emotional placement during key moments.

Stealth was broadly improved through more tools, better combat integration, and added tactical options, though not always as deep as Metal Gear.

Upgrade systems are widely mentioned, usually as meaningful rewards for exploration, though some reviewers find upgrades too passive or simplified.

The upgrade system was praised because unlocked tools felt useful and rewarding during deliveries.

User interface design is supported through UI/HUD scaling and customization options mentioned in accessibility discussion.

UI and UX were praised in one review for making objectives clearer and loadout handling smoother.

Value for money is mixed, ranging from Editors’ Choice praise and worthwhile highs to criticism of price, lack of modes, or sale/free recommendations.

Value was supported by the long runtime and substantial post-credits content, with the caveat that it asks for a major time commitment.

The vehicle roster of mech and dragon sections adds spectacle and variety, but most reviewers find these sections shallower than core combat.

Visual effects are praised through vistas, skyboxes, and dramatic city or battlefield imagery.

Voice acting and performances were widely praised, especially Troy Baker and the broader ensemble cast.

Weapon balance is broad and divisive: many praise flexible weapon usefulness, while others find some guns less distinctive or unnecessary.

Weapon balance was mixed, with reviewers noting a large arsenal but also saying it could overpower enemies or trivialize friction.

World-building was praised for being unique, expanded, bizarre, and richly thought out, though sometimes delivered through dense exposition.

World interactivity is strongest around the Shield Saw, which reviewers cite as a tool for navigation, switches, walls, and combat interactions.

World interactivity was praised through player-built structures that improve both the user’s route and other players’ journeys.

Writing quality draws repeated criticism for cheesy, incoherent, or overbearing storytelling, even from reviews that enjoy the gameplay.

Writing quality landed mostly positive but not unanimous, with praise for Kojima’s charm and story highs alongside some criticism of nonsense or opacity.