Typical, really. I get all excited about sharing details from a preview event for upcoming FPS Doom: The Dark Ages, then it turns out the gameplay reveal video is going public before the embargo anyway. Then the alleged release date allegedly leaks, allegedly. How am I supposed to present myself as a font of knowledge now, Id? Fortunately, we had a roundtable interview afterward with executive producer Marty Stratton and game director Hugo Martin. Sweet, job-justifying details!
Writing up the interview in full would involve typing out the words “awesome”, “slaughter”, “core pillars”, and “iPod” more times than anyone realistically needs to read. Instead, here’s a list of every detail I found interesting that isn’t already covered in the showcase.
As I say, you’re not missing out on much save for Martin analogising the stripped-back design approach as “less strings on the guitar” a few times. That’s not how guitars work, Id. You might know that if you treated Mick Gordon a bit nicer.
- The shield isn’t just used for combat, but also traversal, letting you rocket across arenas and bash lock-on enemies “like a pinball”. It also sounds like this’ll be useful to traverse large spaces. There’s a sprint in the game now, too.
- ‘Faltering’ is a key component of combat – throwing enemies off balance, effectively, but creating openings with your shield and guns. The example given is a fight with a large enemy named a Tyrant. “If you parry it successfully, that sends out a shock wave that will falter all the enemies around you. So it’s kind of like a fight breaks out in the school yard, and the circle forms around the two kids. That’s part of the loop – taking out the lesser enemies so you can make space for yourself to fight the big bad guys.”
- There are no scopes in the game, and “most” of the guns have had their ranges reduced to focus more on mid and close-range combat.
- “Stand and fight” is the new combat philosophy, mirrored in a beefier, heavier main character. “A big, heavy Slayer, iron tank. You know, Slayer year one. You know, Frank Miller’s vision of a Doom Slayer.” They talk about how everyone on the team loved the feel of the Slayer jumping off ledges, which reminded me a bit of the exquisite chunky-lad haptics of Space Marine 2.
- Glory Kills are now unsynced… “10 years now, we’ve been trying to solve the problem of what happens when there are multiple demons staggered at the same time. By the time you play one synced glory kill, you turn to the other one, and he’s already out of his stagger state. By leaning more on the physics part of our engine, we were able to polish that experience.”
- …meaning more fluid executions. “You use your weapons of mass destruction. Multiple enemies are staggered, and because the Glory Kills are unsynced, you can just move through them, taking them out with a variety of melee strikes. We have a pool of melee animations that the engine picks from, and so each one feels different.”
- Creating an “ergonomic” control scheme was a big focus. They’re aiming for a simpler, more intuitive layout.
- There’s no flamethrower. Instead, you’ll regain ammo through melee.
- There are either fewer or no codex story elements. Either way, there’s a bigger focus on keeping lore and worldbuilding within the live action of the game.
- The story is set early in the Slayer’s time with the Sentinels. “He’s kind of scary to them. They don’t really quite know what to make of him, because he doesn’t talk and he’s all powerful…he’s already gone through the Divinity machine. He’s blessed with superhuman speed and power by the makers, and the Sentinels are unsure of him. The makers are scared of him. And obviously hell fears him above anything else”
- It isn’t fully open-world, but “a more expanded, linear experience with a greater emphasis on exploration”. Areas are “mazy”, we’re told. “They fold back in on themselves. You’re constantly unlocking the space. Through exploration, you’re going to be able to make yourself more powerful.
- The dragon features in linear setpieces, but you’ll also “do a good bit of exploring” on dragon-back.
- It’s “strictly campaign” this time around.
“In Doom 2016 you felt like Bruce Lee on a skateboard with a shotgun,” concluded Martin. “This time, you’re going to feel like a silverback on a hoverboard with a giant sledgehammer.”