Viewers of the QuakeCon 2024 broadcast were not left without news on Doom, but festival guests witnessed a gameplay demonstration of Doom: The Dark Ages, the next chapter in the famous shooter series from id Software.
Image source: id Software
Attendees were not allowed to record what was happening (there are no leaks yet either), so those who were not present at QuakeCon 2024 in person will have to make do with eyewitness accounts.
According to blogger DreamcastGuy, who was at the demonstration, they showed about 10 minutes of Doom: The Dark Ages gameplay, which, due to some technical or gameplay (balance) flaws, was not ready to be shown to the general public.
If Doom Eternal was about perpetual motion, Doom: The Dark Ages is all about “stand and fight”: the game focuses on defense (see the saw shield) and parries. Overall, the gameplay is supposedly slower than in Eternal.
What was shown in the demo, judging by according to eyewitness reports on forums:
the interface resembles the first parts – with a ghostly face in the middle; new types of weapons, including a double-barreled plasma rifle – hits not only the target, but also nearby enemies; the saw-shield can be used to jump over an abyss, for example; finishing moves no longer have a unique animation and are activated by melee and ranged attacks; in melee combat, the hero can hit enemies with a flail (restores ammo), a fist (deals area damage) or a mace; the controlled combat robot Atlan and the mechanical dragon will fall under the player’s control more than once; the gameplay in the demo was “pre-alpha”.
Viewers called the demo an extended version of the announcement trailer
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that id Software has organized an exclusive demonstration for QuakeCon visitors. In 2014, festival guests were shown a demo of the future Doom (2016). Then, too, they were pleased not all.
Doom: The Dark Ages is expected to be released in 2025 on PC (SteamMicrosoft Store), PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and straight to Game Pass. The game is a medieval prequel to Doom (2016) and will offer to learn the backstory of the Doom Slayer.
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