Here's What The 'Hands On' Previews Are Saying About DOOM: The Dark Ages

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We've been treated to a series of "hands on" previews for Bethesda's DOOM: The Dark Ages today, which is set for release on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and PS5 in just over a month's time on May 15th.

Taking a quick glance, it's interesting to see just how varied they appear to be - some are saying they've absolutely fallen in love with the new changes, while others are fearful for the full game compared to recent series entries.

Let's take a look at what just some of the "hands on" previews are saying about DOOM: The Dark Ages:

IGN​

It may take place in the dark ages of the Doom timeline, but the Slayer’s latest slaughterfest might well represent the peak of the series’s modern era.

Polygon​

Doom: The Dark Ages’ willingness to try something new is charming, and for a franchise that has been booted and rebooted, it might be necessary. We’ve been to Mars. We’ve been to hell. We’ve been to hell on Earth! I didn’t doubt that id could squeeze another helping of fun from Doom, but I wasn’t really itching to see the Doomguy return to E1M1 for an emotional homecoming. It certainly feels like the freedom to forge a new path is keeping the developers interested in their own work.

TheGamer​

I can expertly dismantle every demon type in Doom Eternal with my eyes closed, but take away my dash and hand me a shield, and it’s an entirely different game - one I’m not sure feels as fun or exciting to play.

Rolling Stone​

Although they had successfully done it before, id Software didn’t need to reinvent Doom; it was already nearly perfect by design. Instead of actually building upon what made Doom and Doom Eternal work, the quick, fluid, kick-ass gameplay, Doom: The Dark Ages is bogged down with needless “innovation” for a game series that has always thrived on simplicity.

Eurogamer​

This is a bold reimagining, a brave departure, and even though I have reservations about some things in The Dark Ages, I do not have reservations about id.

Video Games Chronicle​

Doom: The Dark Ages is so much fun to play. I could really stop there and let you get on with your day, because my feeling on the game is quite simply that. It’s incredibly fun. It’s uncompromised, energetic, brutal, and rewarding. It is everything that I’d hope and expect from a Doom game, pulled off by a team that’s clearly full of confidence.

It's really all over the place, then! It seems the majority of these previews are more positive than negative, but we're not going to get all the answers we're looking for until the full reviews land in May.

FYI, we are planning to review DOOM: The Dark Ages here at Pure Xbox in around a month's time, so be on the lookout for our impressions around then. Here's hoping we find it to be a great evolution rather than a disappointing step back.

What do you make of these previews? Let us know down in the comments section below.