Doom: The Dark Ages «impressed» experts — idTech 8 engine, destruction and RT

Doom: The Dark Ages will be released in a few months, but some people have already evaluated the game’s mechanics and the new idTech 8 engine. And some of the features were really impressive.

The upcoming Doom installment received idTech, which looks gorgeous. Earlier, the engine’s capabilities were shown in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which recently received a port to PS5. In general, Doom: The Dark Ages gameplay is dynamic and destruction technologies add new sensations to the game.

As you know, Doom: The Dark Ages takes us back to the dark medieval times and this change in aesthetics allows «technologies to shine in a new way. No pun intended, but the game actually has standard Ray Tracing – RT reflections (like in Doom Eternal) and RTGI (like in Indiana Jones). Water looks realistic, surfaces reflect light correctly, and global lighting adds atmosphere in large open spaces lit only by fires and the sun.

In addition to RT reflections, the game offers a technology similar to Nanite 3D rendering from Unreal. The feature makes scenes look detailed no matter how far away the objects are. However, the loading is hardly noticeable. Although it doesn’t work very well for grass and leaves, the overall look is much more stable. But still Wccftech believes that the successor to Doom could be one of the most «visually impressive games» to be released this year.

As for the gameplay features, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that id Software added a Crysis-like destruction system to The Dark Ages, which was not present in the previous two installments. The destruction looks more fun: wooden structures fly to pieces when you pass through them. Also, parts of objects can break further into smaller fragments. In addition, during battles, a huge robot can trample the city under its feet.

Moving on to the combat system, it is worth mentioning that Doom Eternal forced you to count cooldowns and watch animations of kills. But The Dark Ages returns to the classic speed. Small enemies die from one or two shots, without forced finishes. But if these «small insects» are getting to you — just break through them without stopping every few seconds.

Another important change is the number of enemies. At the beginning of one of the levels, there were more than 30 of them at once, and then more arrived. It’s hard to imagine how idTech 8 manages this while maintaining RT graphics, destruction physics, and a smooth frame rate. However, so far, it has worked, although the issue of implementation on consoles remains.

Reviewers also liked the battle shield, which can be used to parry attacks or cause explosions in a crowd of demons. At certain points, it is a bit like Returnal — some attacks can be repelled directly during the battle.

What else is interesting?

• The levels vary greatly: there are classic corridor sections, giant cities that can be destroyed, dragon missions where you can fly, and large open locations with bonus tasks.
• The speed of the game can be customized: in the menu, you can adjust the pace, enemy aggression, number of particles, and other parameters.
• Almost instant downloads: the game works so fast that loading screens seem superfluous.

Although the game is impressive in general, there are a few nuances. For example, the soundtrack is not as exciting as in the previous installments. And there is no way to turn on the classic sight in the center of the screen. Although this is a small thing, some people may not like it.

To summarize, we have to admit that Doom: The Dark Ages looks like the most technologically advanced part of the series, and it’s closer to the classic Doom than Eternal. The battles are faster, the destruction is more spectacular, and the gameplay feels fresh. We will see how successful the whole game will be in May on major platforms and in Game Pass. In Steam pre-order of the game is open for 2449₴.

Source: Eurogamer