Doom: The Dark Ages Feature Scores
Explore all 55 feature scores for Doom: The Dark Ages, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
55 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.013 (24%)
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Positive 3.5-4.421 (38%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.414 (25%)
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Negative 1.5-2.47 (13%)
Pros
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Combat drew the strongest agreement, with most reviewers praising shield-led, melee-heavy gunfights, while a minority felt the defensive shift weakened Doom’s flow.
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Accessibility options were consistently praised, especially difficulty sliders, color customization and tuning tools, with minor caveats around clarity or audio-cue gaps.
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Fun factor was strongly positive overall, even in mixed reviews, with reviewers repeatedly calling the campaign fun, rewarding, or charismatic.
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The shield saw and revised mechanics were often praised as a major new layer, though a few reviewers found the system one-note or overly dependent on the shield.
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Weapon balance was broadly praised for useful, varied weapons, though some reviewers felt guns were simplified or overshadowed by the shield.
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Graphics quality was consistently strong, with reviewers praising models, crisp visuals and cutting-edge presentation.
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Frame rate stability was often praised on tested platforms, with one review reporting unstable PS5 performance.
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Innovation was broadly praised for reinventing Doom’s formula, though some reviewers saw the simplification as a tradeoff.
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Exploration and secrets were commonly praised as rewarding, though some reviewers disliked backtracking or losing the old teleport/backtrack convenience.
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Performance optimization was mostly positive, especially on capable hardware, though some reviews noted high requirements or drops.
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Sound design was generally strong, with praise for heavy feedback and crunchy effects, though one reviewer found effects too soft.
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Soundtrack quality was divided: several reviewers loved the metal score, while others found it less memorable or a downgrade from earlier entries.
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Environmental detail was strongly praised for vistas, lighting and rich scene composition.
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Polish was praised in the two supporting reviews as polished and technically clean.
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Controls were generally praised for responsive shooting and melee feel, though one reviewer criticized slow weapon switching.
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Reviewers found the main loop engaging when the shield, parry and resource flow clicked, but some felt it became simpler or repetitive over time.
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Level design received mixed praise for larger arenas, secrets and vistas, but some reviewers found open spaces flatter, bland or less tightly paced.
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Movement was divisive: several reviewers liked the heavy but mobile feel, while others missed the faster, more acrobatic style of earlier entries.
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Mission variety was praised for wider spaces, linear sections and open objectives that changed pace.
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Onboarding was praised for welcoming new players and easing them into the revised systems.
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Semi-open design was praised for broader spaces, optional content and player choice in objectives.
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Art direction was generally praised for techno-medieval style and fresh locations, though one reviewer found the direction less Doom-like.
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Faithfulness to franchise was mixed: some reviewers felt it still felt like Doom, while others called it the least Doom-like modern entry.
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Enemy variety was generally positive, with many demons and variants noted, though one reviewer found some repetition.
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Lore depth was praised where codex material and broader Doom world-building were assessed directly.
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Immersion was praised in the supporting review for subtle audio and environmental feedback.
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Upgrade systems were mixed: some liked streamlined and useful upgrades, while others wanted more depth or disliked passive-feeling progression.
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Mission design was praised in the supporting review for making the core demon-slaying missions feel exciting.
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The protagonist’s power fantasy was praised in the supporting review as strongly delivered.
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Atmosphere was praised in the supporting review for dark fantasy locations with a Demon’s Souls-like feel.
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Facial animations received a positive single assessment as solid.
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The supporting review found the vehicle controls easy to grasp quickly, reflecting a low-friction learning curve.
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Sandbox freedom was praised for giving players meaningful freedom in larger maps and objective order.
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Puzzle design was lightly covered, with reviewers describing simple exploration puzzles as enjoyable but rarely demanding.
Cons
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Writing quality was mostly criticized for dull cutscenes, cliched dialogue and disjointed storytelling.
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Side character depth was usually criticized, with reviewers calling supporting characters forgettable, unmemorable or impossible to care about.
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Dragon and flying sections were the most repeated weak point, ranging from acceptable spectacle to dull, half-baked or mechanically thin segments.
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Boss design was more negative than positive, with reviewers citing missed opportunities, underwhelming finales and recycled boss ideas despite one positive mention.
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Map and navigation design drew complaints about navigation difficulty, excessive map checking, or secrets already revealed on the map.
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Camera behavior was criticized in the supporting review for a baffling dragon-control scheme.
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Value for money was criticized in the supporting review for the price and perceived lack of content.
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Platforming was judged more limited than earlier modern Doom games in the one review that assessed it.
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Narrative quality was highly divided, ranging from Doom’s strongest story to self-serious, confusing, bland or unnecessary storytelling.
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Tutorial delivery was criticized in the supporting review for interrupting pacing despite gradual mechanic introduction.
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Replay value was mixed, with secrets and challenges helping, but some reviewers doubting long-term appeal or completionist-heavy longevity.
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Mech/vehicle-style sections were mixed to negative overall: some enjoyed the spectacle and scale, but many found them shallow, repetitive or underpowered.
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Menu usability was mixed, with one reviewer criticizing melee switching and another wanting clearer difficulty-slider explanations.
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Animation quality had a mixed single assessment, criticizing reduced or less refined glory-kill animations.
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Haptic feedback integration had a mixed single assessment, with DualSense features noted but controller-speaker output called obnoxious.
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Content variety was split: multiple play styles and set pieces added variety, but gimmicky diversions hurt some reviewers’ impressions.
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Resource balance was split between praise for easier ammo sustain and criticism that ammo pressure became irrelevant.
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Bug frequency was mixed: some saw glitches or falling-through-world problems, while another reported no bugs.
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Crash stability was mixed across platforms and review periods, from flawless stability to dashboard crashes and freezes.
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Pacing was split: some liked the measured rollout and breathless campaign, while others disliked the ending, reduced momentum or open-map slowdown.
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Difficulty balance varied widely by reviewer, with praise for parry generosity and sliders but criticism that the game could feel too easy or unfair.