DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations Review – Rip, Tear & Chain Spear

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations Review

The epic conclusion to DOOM: The Dark Ages is finally upon us in the form of Revelations. If you have not yet completed DOOM: The Dark Ages, stop reading this review and go finish it first. Revelations is a direct follow-up to The Dark Ages. If you haven’t finished The Dark Ages, you’ll be pretty confused with both the gameplay and the story. Heck, I finished The Dark Ages last year, and even I was a bit lost with the story – so much so, I needed to watch a story refresher on YouTube. Fortunately, there’s also a brief story refresher at the start of the game. For a game about killing hell’s legions, it’s quite surprising how much story and lore is crammed into these last few DOOM games. If you’re all up-to-speed on DOOM: The Dark Ages, then come along for this journey into Revelations.

More Work to be Done

As mentioned, Revelations is a direct follow-up to DOOM: The Dark Ages. We see the various factions established in The Dark Ages still at odds with each other. The Khan Maykr is still attempting to pull the strings of the Night Sentinels of Argent D’Nur. Since the Doom Slayer has chosen not to side with the Khan Maykr, she has appointed Marok, the son of Valen, to do her bidding. The Doom Slayer realizes there is still more work to be done, so he returns to Hell to approach Hell’s High Council. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned and we find the Doom Slayer sent to purgatory. And this is where Revelations truly begins.

Trial By Fire

As soon as the opening cinematics finish, Revelations drops players headfirst into the fire. If you, like me, haven’t played The Dark Ages since it launched last year, you might find yourself fumbling around the controller. The hordes of demons are relentless from the get go. I found myself scanning through all the in-game tutorials to try and refresh myself on all the different combat techniques. This isn’t your old school run-and-gun. DOOM has become quite the complicated beast.

Of course, this trial by fire from the start is also a great opportunity to figure out if the difficulty is tuned to your skill level, or if you require the use of any of the many difficulty modifiers or accessibility options. id Software did a brilliant job at ensuring the game is accessible to players of all skill levels, and this continues in Revelations. Props to id Software for making a game for damn near everyone to enjoy. Of course, that’s not to say the game will be a walk in the park, you’ll still need to learn and adapt to be successful.

New Way to Kill

From the start of Revelations, you’ll have access to all the weapons you earned in The Dark Ages. You’ll also start with the shield. Then your shield will be replaced with the new Chain Spear. Eventually, you’ll get your shield back, and you’ll be able to swap between the two on the fly. The Chain Spear provides enhanced mobility and new ways to kill.

One awesome new ability with the Chain Spear is the ability to dodge incoming attacks. The dodge ability also allows to to lunge forward when platforming, allowing you to make otherwise inaccessible areas accessible. The downside to this is when you’re using your shield, it’s easy to forget that it doesn’t have the same dodge ability. This becomes a hassle in both combat and during certain platforming sections. There were more than a few times during platforming sections when I went to lunge jump, only to realize I was holding my shield, forcing me to re-do the platforming section.

The Chain Spear is upgradable, with new moves and new perks. While everyone might have their own playstyle, in fact, some might opt to use the shield for the bulk of the game’s combat. If you do opt to use the Chain Spear, I can’t stress how important it is to unlock the Tormentor ability and master it. This will make battles with bosses much less challenging.

Content Rich 

Revelations is only about 6 levels deep. The levels are quite big and offer a lot of variety. However, each level includes a number of areas completely inaccessible until after you complete the DLC. Once Revelations has been completed, you’ll enter End Game and gain access to the Master Key.  The Master Key is how you’ll unlock new areas in each level, accessible from the game’s primary hub. Remember those classic DOOM levels they hinted at in the trailers? They’re only accessible during End Game. End Game comes with additional rewards, so it’s definitely worth diving into.

Revelations, like the previous modern DOOM games, is filled with lore. Included in the lore is a reference to the classic DOOM novels from the 90s, which was an unexpected surprise. There are plenty of collectibles to unlock in the form of DOOM character toys, and new skins for both the Doom Slayer and his arsenal.

The same cast of enemies from The Dark Ages make a return appearance in Revelations, with a few new faces and new variants. Also making the return to DOOM is the Archvile, the notorious DOOM villain that can spawn new enemies. He’s still as annoying as ever. Aside from the Chain Spear, the only new weapon is a secret weapon that you can use during certain flashback moments and unlock permanently during End Game. A bit of a bummer that we don’t see more firearms, but the secret weapon is a ton of fun!

The Final Rip & Tear?

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations is a brilliant expansion to an already amazing DOOM game. The levels are cleverly designed, the combat is brutal but fair, and the soundtrack is still on point. There is plenty of lore here to sink your teeth into, and references that hardcore DOOM fans will absolutely love. It’s hard to say where the DOOM franchise will go from here, but Revelations leaves the door wide open for more games in The Dark Ages era. We also get a glimpse at the Doom Slayer before he becomes the Doom Slayer, which would also be an awesome story to flesh out into a full game. If you’ve already played DOOM: The Dark Ages, there is plenty of reasons to dive into Revelations.

The Revelations expansion is only available to players who own the Premium Edition of DOOM: The Dark Ages. This includes those who buy the Premium upgrade if they previously enjoyed The Dark Ages via Xbox Game Pass. Revelations is not available as a standalone product. Rip & Tear.

***DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations DLC review key provided by the publisher.***