Yes, there will be demons to kill, double-barrel shotguns to wield, and a generous amount of ripping and tearing, but there’s something else at play. Almost 10 years after the 2016 reboot reinvigorated the franchise, it’s once again time to try something new. Whether new means better is a different story entirely.

The Dark Ages, in my expected column I’d reference the earlier Doom games — Eternal and the 2016 soft reboot of the franchise. But for the “what I got” column, there’d be an unexpected mix. Those earlier Doom games would still be there,

But a few hours into the 20+ hour campaign, my arsenal had expanded, the ways in which I could dispatch enemies had diversified, and I’d started to better understand and appreciate what Doom: The Dark Ages was and what it wasn’t.