Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations

Дата публикации: 10-07-2026 11:00:00

Let me begin by making a few things clear. Doom: The Dark Ages' first and only expansion, Revelations, has a few growing pains. There are a handful of quality-of-life and seemingly bugs that hugely impact how this portion of the game operates, namely revolving around how core inputs aren't registered and how it's left up to the player to bind the various new moves (and even existing ones) to relevant buttons, at least for the Xbox Series X/S edition of the expansion. While this has caused me immense frustration and led to a few confusing scenarios where you have to both learn the new mechanics and figure out the best way to bind them so they don't clash with other inputs, I will concede a little on this front for the simple reason that id Software was recently gutted by the Xbox layoffs and may have felt this impact in-line with Revelations launch.
Revelations, for the most part, plays as smoothly and looks just as good as the base The Dark Ages, but there are these almost astounding problems in place too, issues I've never really come across before when reviewing a game. In fact, I'd argue these issues are so frustrating and counter-intuitive at times, it wouldn't surprise me to hear many players abandoning Revelations until a fix comes through. Essentially, if you have been keeping a keen eye on the expansion, just beware that it's a tad rough around the edges from an optimisation and a quality-of-life perspective as it stands.
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However, this aside, Revelations is also much of what id Software promised it would be. It's a very broad and ambitious expansion that adds tons of new story (including really key parts to the Slayer's narrative), improves on key mechanics by tapping into Doom Eternal inspiration, and all while continuing to serve up the series' signature ripping and tearing action. It's impressive for a whole host of reasons, with id Software's evident talent at level design and fluid action gameplay standing out once again, even if it's a little wonky in places now because of the new mechanics and features.
For the most part, we're referring to the Chain Spear and how this changes The Dark Ages formula. While standing and fighting was the premise originally, utilising the defensive Shield Saw to its full potential, the design is now more akin to Eternal by asking players to evade and use verticality to their advantage. Essentially, the Chain Spear is a melee weapon that can stab, slice, and slam enemies using an array of attack techniques, while also still being able to parry green projectiles back at threats and while using the Meat Hook grapple to move around levels faster, ultimately breaking the reliance on action on a horizontal plane. For what it's worth, the variety of new mechanics and features being offered with the Chain Spear make Revelations almost feel like a new Doom experience, but it's still The Dark Ages at its heart, and it doesn't quite shake the feeling of the Shield Saw being the better option for combat when action breaks out. You can swap between the Chain Spear and Shield Saw at will, so it's up to you in the grand scheme of things, but it's just worth noting while the Chain Spear provides a lot of options, Revelations almost feels better to play when the Shield Saw is in the Slayer's hands.
I think the reason for this is solely down to the fact Revelations is a much more complex experience compared to the base game due to the Chain Spear. There are a lot of additional mechanics to master related to this weapon, both in a combat and movement sense, and unlike The Dark Ages, where new features are steadily introduced, in Revelations you basically get gifted this powerful weapon from the outset and are then guided through quick tutorials before being thrown into tough battles somewhat similar to the encounters in the final phases of the base game. Long story short, Revelations can sometimes feel as though it's trying to do too much at once.
Granted, we are talking about an id Software-developed experience and this means the gameplay is incredibly well put together and rather intentionally designed. It's chaotic and hard to master, without question, and many will likely just default to the Shield Saw, but if you do attempt to understand the Chain Spear, you'll become familiar with perhaps the most mechanically-broad and powerful tool a Doom game has ever offered.
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Beyond this, you'll be glad to know Revelations delivers once again on a level design standpoint, with varied and interesting chapters where there are plenty of secrets to hunt and environmental puzzles to solve using the new and returning mechanics. Id Software titles have always been gameplay-first and that's no more evident than in this expansion, which gives the player tons of agency and control.
The new enemies are also a treat to fight, even if there are only a few actually fresh variants to contend with. However, I'm not a massive fan of how some of the mechanical depth has been removed from weapons and the Slayer suit. I understand there is a narrative reason for such a decision but there are mechanics I came to rely on in the base game that do not apply for much of Revelations and it can feel like a bit of a regression in that sense on the gameplay front.
Otherwise, the idea of structuring the expansion into various phases is also a rather peculiar one in my books, as I'd rather be able to complete each level in its entirety as I go without needing to constantly return down the line when I've acquired the relevant 'endgame' key. It adds plenty of replayability and depth without question, but I do also think some of the focus is lost when you're constantly limited when working through levels a first time simply because you don't have the Master Key yet, and such. I can't help but feel it would have flowed a bit better if endgame opportunities were only presented after the 'base game' element of the expansion concluded, and not constantly teasing you with areas you need to return to later like a somewhat ineffective Metroidvania. And it is a little bit ineffective, as Revelations doesn't happen in one massive level where you are expected to retrace your steps but in separate levels you will need to replay down the line with the right items in hand. It just doesn't quite have a smooth flow in my books in this sense.
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Still, for an expansion you can snag for £17.99, you get a whole lot of bang for your buck with Revelations. There's a ton of story to unpack and heaps and heaps of additional lore to hunt too, the gunplay and gameplay is truly excellent and top of the line, the visuals and impression of the experience is of the highest quality, and ultimately it all comes together to make for a satisfying and enjoyable expansion of the Doom: The Dark Ages formula. The id Tech team continue to prove to be wizards at their craft, and the engine a technological marvel too, which is what makes the recent Xbox layoffs all the more challenging to stomach.

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