Post-launch DLC expansions can have an interesting effect on the game they are attached to. Sometimes, they can make a flawed game go through a redemption arc, much like how Phantom Liberty rejuvenated Cyberpunk 2077. In other cases, a lackluster DLC can illuminate the worst flaws of a great game, causing the reputation of the original to plummet significantly. When the Revelations expansion was announced for DOOM: The Dark Ages, I wasn’t too sure which category it fell into.
While I adored The Dark Ages at launch, I found myself lacking a reason to replay it, compared to my frequent playthroughs of both Doom Eternal and Doom (2016). The gameplay and story were absolutely fantastic, but the levels weren’t memorable or interesting enough to make trying to find every collectible or 100% the game an enticing prospect. Deep down, I was hoping that Revelations would remind me of why I initially fell in love with The Dark Ages in the first place, though I was also worried about whether it would sour my opinion of the base game. After playing it for myself, I am pleased to say that Revelations is a fantastic expansion that further demonstrates why DOOM: The Dark Ages may be the best of the new Doom trilogy.
A Search for Truth
Revelations picks up right where The Dark Ages leaves off, with the Doom Slayer continuing his war against the demons alongside the Night Sentinels. This time around, the Slayer is going after the Hell Council overseeing Hell’s armies. However, the Khan Maykr is concocting her own scheme, using one of the Night Sentinels’ own soldiers to undermine the support that the Slayer has earned. Her machinations, alongside the demons managing to get the drop on him, result in the Doom Slayer being sent to Purgatory. In order to escape, he must form an alliance with a mysterious figure known as the Architect, reassemble his armor, and finally come to terms with the darkest parts of his past.
Revelations capitalizes on the greatest strengths of The Dark Ages‘ narrative. The cinematic cutscenes and emphasis on lore have all remained intact, and there are plenty of codex entries to find, alongside plenty of callbacks to other Doom games in every cutscene. Where Revelations differs is in its focus. Rather than primarily revolving around the Night Sentinels, the expansion chooses to provide a deeper look into the Slayer’s mindset. As much as I love the supporting cast, I believe that DOOM is at its best when it allows the Slayer to stand out as a stoic, almost ronin-esque figure. Despite him not speaking a line of dialogue, there are plenty of times where you get to directly see his thoughts through just his facial expressions alone.
Part of the intrigue here comes from seeing a Slayer that is actually vulnerable for once. The inciting incident that led to him being outmatched by Hell is due to a traumatic event from his past still haunting him. As he fights through Purgatory, he’s asked to confront these moments from his past head-on, and finally lay his old demons to rest. This translates to short sequences where you experience his memories from back when he was the Doom Marine fighting human Insurgents. It is a fantastic change of pace that both functions as a reverie between levels and a way to call back to classic Doom. Further, the payoff of these sections recontextualizes every Doom game released thus far, even back to the originals in the 90s.
Of course, even if the focus is on the Slayer and his journey, he is not the only character that gets time to shine. There are a few small cutscenes where we get to see the activities of King Novik, the Khan Maykr, Commander Valen, and his son, Marok. The core of this expansion is all about unraveling revelations, as the name implies. This isn’t just about uncovering revelations in the Slayer’s past, but also about exposing the truth of the Khan Maykr’s lies. It’s a great concept that, thanks to the focus on the Slayer’s development, excels in its execution.
Here, we start to see where the story may be going long-term. Initially, there were many people, myself included, who were under the impression that DOOM: The Dark Ages would cover the events chronicled in the Slayer’s Testament in Doom (2016). Now, it is plain to see that everything in The Dark Ages marks where his legend began, developing him so that he can become the human capable of making even demons afraid. I think my long-term concerns with The Dark Ages‘ narrative came from my initial assumptions that it would be a one-off prequel before the story progresses past Eternal. Now I realize that there are plenty more engaging stories to tell with this era.
The entire The Dark Ages story helped to provide key context for the legend of the Slayer, even if we have yet to see those events depicted in their entirety. Further, Revelations in particular develops the Slayer and his supporting cast, and managed to create an engaging story from both. Now, I can’t wait to see where the story goes next, as we finally get to see the legendary feats of the Doom Slayer. Granted, a great narrative is far from the biggest expectation fans have from a new Doom release. The number one reason people play new entries in the franchise is because of the gameplay. Thankfully, Revelations manages to make an already great foundation even better, resulting in arguably the best gameplay loop of the modern Doom games so far.
Hell Frozen Over
DOOM: The Dark Ages‘ gameplay premise revolved around the mantra of “stand and fight.” Rather than the fast-paced gameplay of prior entries, this new release instead makes the Doom Slayer operate like a tank, with parry abilities, melee attacks, and slow lumbering movements. While I absolutely adored this shift, many were disappointed at the change. So when it came time for an expansion, I figured it would have a similar level of new additions as Doom Eternal‘s The Ancient Gods DLC. I was wrong—instead, the gameplay changes went above and beyond anything that I could’ve ever imagined.
The biggest new feature that completely reinvents The Dark Ages‘ gameplay loop is the spear. Throwing the spear allows it to operate like the meathook from Doom Eternal, allowing you to quickly grapple to and around demons. You can orbit them as you unleash a steady onslaught of damage, or use it as a simple grappling hook to bridge the gap between you and the enemy. You can also upgrade it so that you can use it to deal a slam attack, as a throwing spear, or for a stabbing attack. More importantly, it takes the place of the shield and gives you a dodge ability instead of a parry.
As much as I loved the new style in The Dark Ages, I was so happy to be back with the Eternal style of fast-paced movement. It certainly helps that it is exhilarating to use the spear, as its utility in combat made it a no-brainer replacement for the shield. However, if you do prefer the shield, you’ll be happy to hear that early on in the DLC, you get the option to switch between the shield and spear at will. Regardless of which you choose, combat feels better than ever before, and I was constantly engaged with every single encounter thanks to the new spear addition.
Granted, there were a few parts of the level and enemy design that I found frustrating. For one, while the levels look absolutely gorgeous, some of the pacing is a bit off. There will be times when your adrenaline will be at an all-time high due to the combat, but it will quickly come crashing down due to the arbitrary inclusion of puzzles or sections where you need to find “one blue key and one red key” to progress. I understand that the latter is a core part of Doom‘s identity, but the frequency of this trope got quickly exhausting considering that there are only three major levels in the game, each of which requires you to get two colored keys.
The difficulty in The Dark Ages was manageable to a point where I felt comfortable upping the ante to Ultra Violence, so the harder difficulty of Revelations was something I expected going in. For the most part, I was more than okay with the change. Yet, there were two specific situations where it started to veer into unfair territory. The first is with the Archevilles. These enemies have always been exhausting, but here, they zip around the environment, summoning shields, enemies, and projectiles at such a constant frequency that it started to give me a migraine at points. Secondly, the penultimate boss fight had a few attacks that had no telegraphs whatsoever. It’s hard to say whether the latter is a bug or a feature, but either way, the levels and enemies did occasionally detract from the otherwise great gameplay.
Where Revelations won me back over was with the sizeable Endgame content. Unlike every other Doom game so far, there’s more to the post-game than simply finding all the collectibles you missed. Here, you are encouraged to revisit levels with the newly discovered Master Key, and piece together the “Astral Boss Key” through brand new combat encounters. Not only do they give you a piece of a boss key, but they also help to upgrade your armor in ways exclusive to the post-game. My favorite new sequences, though, are easily the remakes of classic Doom levels.
These are more than just nostalgic throwbacks, as they also offer a thrilling reward if you play through them all that any classic Doom fan will get a kick out of. These sequences, alongside the rest of the expansion, further shine because of the soundtrack by Finishing Move. Simply put, they have created a brilliant soundtrack that combines the heavy metal anthems of previous entries with unique melodies and instruments unlike any I’ve heard before in the series. I was constantly bopping my head to the music while killing demons, which is the highest compliment I can give a Doom soundtrack. Finishing Move has sold me on their work on Doom, and I hope they are attached to the franchise for a long time.
Overall, the gameplay of Revelations is sublime. The issues with level design and certain enemies pale in comparison to the great new features, sizeable post-game, and incredible soundtrack. Above all, it has made me want to replay and try to collect everything in both the base game and DLC at a later point. In the end, I don’t think I could’ve asked for anything better, and I am still continuously impressed by the quality id Software brings to every new entry in the Doom franchise.
A New War Looms
Modern Doom has been the gift that keeps on giving for over ten years now. Ever since Doom (2016), I’ve been captivated by each new addition to the series, consistently hooked by both its gameplay and narrative in equal measure. Even though I loved The Dark Ages at first, it didn’t fill me with an overwhelming desire to instantly replay it as the other entries did. As a result, I feared that perhaps my initial love of the game was a fluke, and that the DLC would demonstrate its issues. Revelations, though, is an absolute triumph, and another slam dunk from id Software.
Everything about this expansion surprised me. The narrative that opted to focus more on a grounded story that puts the Slayer into the spotlight was a great change of pace from the ensemble cast of the base game. The lore is still engaging, and the mix of callbacks and new touches made me so excited to see where the story goes next. Plus, the gameplay is some of the best in the series, as it combines the “stand and fight” approach of the base game with the fast-paced action of prior entries. It certainly helps that it features an unbelievably good soundtrack and a hefty post-game.
This definitely isn’t a perfect expansion, though. The level design is a bit lackluster and falls into the same tropes of “find two keys in order to progress” across all three major levels. Additionally, some enemies can be an absolute pain to fight, primarily because of attack patterns that are either obnoxious to outmaneuver or lacking in telegraphs. Even still, these issues aren’t enough to detract from an absolutely incredible experience that makes DOOM: The Dark Ages even better.
Right now, after recent events, the future of the Doom series is uncertain. What the next entry could be, when it will release, whether there even will be a next entry, all of these questions currently have no answers. However, after both DOOM: The Dark Ages and the Revelations DLC, my faith in id Software has only been renewed. Regardless of whether it’s an adaptation of the Slayer’s Testament or a sequel to Eternal, I will be there day one to see where the Doom Slayer’s story goes next.
Disclaimer: DOOM: The Dark Ages – Revelations was reviewed on a PlayStation 5.
