{"id":694396,"date":"2026-07-16T07:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/694396\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:30:12","slug":"doom-the-dark-ages-revelations-review-the-best-dlc-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/694396\/","title":{"rendered":"Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations review \u2013 the best DLC of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Doom:
\n\t\tDoom: The Dark Ages | Revelations \u2013 Doom is slaying (Bethesda)<\/p>\n

The developers were laid off the same week the expansion was released, but this new DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages<\/a> is exceptional.<\/p>\n

Reviews can sometimes be a sombre affair, if it\u2019s a game that was hotly anticipated but didn\u2019t turn out well, or it\u2019s obvious the developer put in a lot of work, that didn\u2019t reach its full potential in the final product. But we don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever been quite so depressed as when writing this review for Doom: The Dark Ages | Revelations \u2013 one of the best DLC expansions we\u2019ve ever played.<\/p>\n

The reason, as you\u2019ve probably already guessed, is that developer id Software was badly affected<\/a> by the latest round of Microsoft layoffs<\/a>. There\u2019s been some attempt to downplay the effects, to make it seems as if they can continue to make new games and game engines, but the fact is over 130 people were laid off, with reports suggesting that includes the \u2018majority\u2019<\/a> of those who worked on Revelations.<\/p>\n

We can only imagine how that feels, especially as the DLC is being released with almost no fanfare and, ironically, we would\u2019ve forgot it was even coming out if it wasn\u2019t for the layoffs themselves. Unfortunately, that means this may be the last Doom for a very long time, but at least the developers can be satisfied it\u2019s going out on a high.<\/p>\n

The modern trilogy of Doom games, starting with the 2016 reboot<\/a>, has been a highly frustrating affair, because if it wasn\u2019t for a couple of glaring issues they\u2019d be cast iron classics of the first person shooter genre. Even with their problems they\u2019re still the best pure action, arena style shooters of the modern era, with a cadence and tactility to the combat that is unlike anything else being made today\u2026 while still being reminiscent of the original Doom titles from the 90s.<\/p>\n

Repetition has been a problem, and staggeringly bad storytelling, but we\u2019ve previously considered 2020\u2019s Doom Eternal<\/a> to be the best of the trio. Although Eternal\u2019s frustrating platform sections were a chore, its combat was the most complex and tactical. And while last year\u2019s Doom: The Dark Ages largely removed the platforming it simplified the action \u2013 not to the point of ruination but it was a shallower experience overall.<\/p>\n

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The perfect modern Doom would be a game that removed all the negatives and elevated the positives and, rather surprisingly, that game is Revelations. Which is a bit of a relief given the future prospects for the series.<\/p>\n

Things start off fairly ordinarily, for an expansion pack, and while we\u2019d love to tell you what is going on in terms of the story, we haven\u2019t understood a word of it since at least Eternal. Whereas the plot of the original games was no more complicated than fight demons with a shotgun the new trilogy is a bewildering mess of intensely uninteresting lore, that turns Doomguy into a chosen one and introduces evil interdimensional angels and space Vikings.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

We wouldn\u2019t mind but the whole thing is taken incredibly seriously, despite the absurdity of what\u2019s going on and the outrageously over-the-top nature of the action. Thankfully, the latter is all that matters and the plot remains nothing but a background irritation. Although, in the first of a series of things it does better than the parent game, at least it\u2019s more obviously a prequel this time.<\/p>\n

The basics of Revelations are, naturally, the same as The Dark Ages, but while we\u2019d forgotten a lot of the controls, when we first started the expansion up, they came back surprisingly quickly, given how unusual they are \u2013 as you collect different resources from defeated enemy, including health, armour, and ammo.<\/p>\n

As well as being notably easier on the default difficulty, The Dark Ages made the main character slower and less agile than before, with a big focus on using a Captain America style shield to deflect projectiles and fling as a weapon. The big new idea for Revelations is the Chain Spear weapon, which is even more fun to play with.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Doom:
\n\t\tThe spear is a beautiful thing (Bethesda)<\/p>\n

The spear doesn\u2019t become a ranged weapon until you upgrade it and at first its main purpose is to increase your mobility, id apparently having decided they went a bit too far in turning you into a walking tank. Not only can you now dash again but the spear can be thrown at enemies or nodes and as you\u2019re dragged towards them \u2013 relatively slowly \u2013 you can yank yourself around to take pot shots at the enemy or use a melee attack.<\/p>\n

An early upgrade allows you to automatically orbit around an opponent, while you can also unlock key moves including a javelin attack, a stab, and a ground pound. Each of these is best suited to certain types of enemies, such as flying or armoured types, thereby bringing back some element of Eternal\u2019s more complex weapon choices.<\/p>\n

Just like the shield, the spear can also be used to deflect projectiles, making it almost the only weapon you need, although once you learn to use it in conjunction with the rest of your armoury (when you first get the spear your shield is broken) you see the variety of your options actually begin to exceed Eternal.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Doom:
\n\t\tDLC that\u2019s better than many whole games (Bethesda)<\/p>\n

That means a proportional decrease in accessibility but that seems perfectly reasonable considering this is an expansion \u2013 and an entirely separate option from the main menu that repeatedly warns you to play the parent game first.<\/p>\n

The level design is also subtly different in Revelations, moving away from The Dark Ages\u2019 giant open world areas into something that is, again, closer to Eternal. They\u2019ve also made it so that secrets no longer appear on your map, so you have to search for them the old-fashioned way.<\/p>\n

There\u2019re proper puzzles too, and while it\u2019s not exactly Portal it is more involved than just collecting coloured keys. The central hub area, that you unlock after a couple of hours, is especially interesting, with a Metroidvania element where unlocking new abilities gives you access to additional areas. The post-game rewards are especially good, including some redesigned maps from the original Doom.<\/p>\n

One of the most consistent complaints aimed at expansions in general, is that they\u2019re never used as an opportunity to react to flaws in the original and in the rare instances where new ideas are introduced, they\u2019re usually just shallow gimmicks. That is not the case with Revelations at all and while a lot of the changes are based around moving the gameplay closer to Eternal it\u2019s by no means copying that game directly, with the superbly versatile Chain Spear being completely unique.<\/p>\n

The whole experience lasts at least six or seven hours, and we suspect most will spend twice that due to both the difficulty and trying to find all the secrets. It\u2019s by far the best time we\u2019ve had with the modern Doom games and if Microsoft had any sense they would release it as a standalone title. But then, if they had any sense, they wouldn\u2019t have laid off all the developers in the first place.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDoom: The Dark Ages | Revelations review summary\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In Short: The best Doom game since the 90s, that successful marries the best parts of Eternal and The Dark Ages to make a ferociously entertaining first person shooter that is one of the year\u2019s best gaming experiences.<\/p>\n

Pros: Fantastic combat that\u2019s satisfyingly different to anything else and a significant evolution from The Dark Ages. The Chain Spear is an all-time best weapon. Lots of content and a great hub world with fun unlockables.<\/p>\n

Cons: Necessarily complex gameplay is no longer as easily accessible as the main game. The storytelling is fascinatingly awful and a tonal mismatch for the gameplay.<\/p>\n

Score: 9\/10<\/p>\n

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X\/S, and PC
Price: \u00a317.99 \u2013 requires Doom: The Dark Ages
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: id Software
Release Date: 7th July 2026
Age Rating: 18<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Protagonist
\n\t\tYou take quite the pounding early on (Bethesda)<\/p>\n

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