Since the 2016 release of Doom, the classic first-person shooter series has had a wild resurgence. Glory kills brought some Mortal Kombat-like gruesome finishers to the game, but there's much more that people have loved about the newer Doom games. The pure power of the Doomslayer in these games feels like you are in control of a super-powered tank and that looks to continue with Doom: The Dark Ages.

In Doom: The Dark Ages, we get to go back in time with the Doomslayer. This prequel to both Doom and Doom Eternal is going to bring plenty of new challenges for players, but that's not all. Here are the things in Doom: The Dark Ages that will take Doom to new heights for both new and returning players.

1 No Multiplayer Distractions

In contrast to the two previous games, Doom: The Dark Ages is only a single player game, and it's for the best. It might seem a little odd to start a list like this with a feature that is actually being removed from the previous games. Doom and Doom Eternal took very different approaches to their multiplayer modes. The 2016 game had a pretty standard arena shooter multiplayer setup, which was fun, but did not push the industry forward by any means. Doom Eternal tried something more original with Battle Mode, a 1v2 duel between the Doomslayer and two demons, but that was quite divisive at best with players.

With Doom: The Dark Ages, there are no multiplayer distractions for either players or the developers. On the player side, you know where your focus is going the entire time. No need to worry about battle passes, microtransactions, or any kind of competitive mode. For the development team, they can put their all into the story, level design, and weapons. You can expect a bigger, better experience with that focus.

2 Parrying Gives the Doomslayer More Combat Potential

The shield saw is one of the biggest additions to the Doomslayer’s arsenal in The Dark Ages. Of course, you can throw it at enemies and retrieve it, but it’s the "stand and fight" defensive capabilities that will be new for the series. Traditionally, this series likes to live by the adage, “The best defense is a good offense.” That usually means grabbing a bigger gun and blowing away enemies, while strafing to avoid incoming damage.

With the shield saw in play, not only can you block attacks, but you can time your deflects right to stun enemies and send certain projectiles back at their sender. Parry an enemy at the right time, and you will have a short opening to follow up with a debilitating attack either from your chosen firearm or melee weapon. It’s a simple addition to the first-person shooter that will make combat deeper, test your reflexes, and let players get even more out of their arsenal.

3 Rip and Tear With New Weapons

We already mentioned the saw shield above, but there are quite a few more weapons that you will get your hands on in Doom: The Dark Ages. Of course, some classics make their return in the super shotgun and plasma rifle, but what about the new toys? The weapon that keeps taking our attention is the skull crusher, which you might have guessed from its name, grinds skulls down into smaller pieces and fires those pellets out in a wide arc in front of you.

As of this writing, we don’t know every single gun that appears in the game, but there is plenty that has our interest. There’s one that shoots out electric bursts that arc between enemies in the vicinity, a rail spike for pinning demons against walls, and you can’t have a Doom game without the BFG appearing at some point, right? Throw in the new melee options like the flail, electric gauntlet, and spiked mace, and you are carrying around some serious demon punishment material.

All weapons we have seen in Doom: The Dark Ages

4 Medieval Times Allows for All New Demons

Doom: The Dark Ages taking place in medieval times allows for a new twist on the many demons you’ll be ripping and tearing. Of course, we have seen some classic enemy types show their ugly faces in early gameplay looks, but there also seems to be plenty of new additions as well. Examples include a towering creature with bat-like wings, some heavily-armored freaks, and a tandem of a horned beast and rider called the pinky rider. Even the returning enemies seem to have gotten a bit of a rework, with revenants appearing to be spirits that attack you with energy blasts.

One thing that always keeps people coming back to the Doom games is the infusion of new threats. We can’t wait to see what new demons, both regular and gigantic sized, that we will be able to take on in The Dark ages.

All demons we have seen in Doom: The Dark Ages

5 You Pilot a Giant Mech!

Of all the ways that id Software could further push the power fantasy trip that it gives players was to give us access to a skyscraper-sized mech. When you pilot the Atlan, you will be taking on similarly sized demons as war wages on everywhere around you. The main focus here is melee combat, where you actually try to get a combo chain of attacks going on demons to take them out while also dodging their incoming attacks. It looks a lot like two titans in a boxing match.

So far, we have seen the mech in use for one level, but we would bet that Doom: The Dark Ages is going to utilize that gameplay at least a couple of times before you hit the end credits. There are times where you will see these battles from the ground view, but when inside, you’ll be punching your way to victory and also grabbing a mammoth chaingun to take your tearing expertise to a new level.

6 Call On Your Dragon to Reign Fire on the Demons Below

There was no possible way that id would make a Doom game set in a dark fantasy medieval world and not include a dragon. While we are sure at some point we will be fighting some of these flying lizards, the Doomslayer has his own pet dragon because of course he does. It seems to be cybernetically infused with all kinds of tech to make it a better flyer with jet boosts and plasma blasts.

Probably one of the more interesting aspects about the dragon gameplay we have seen is that at least some of the missions that involve it will have you alternating between on-foot and flying gameplay. For example, in the video above, the player seems to be defending a city from attacking flying ships by destroying them. At one point, they decide to land on that ship. It’s likely that the dragon waits there for you to return to move on to the next one, but if it could fly around and aid us by attacking enemies, that would be amazing.

7 Larger Levels Leave for More War-torn Battlefields

Doom: The Dark Ages is supposed to have the largest levels for the series yet. In an interview with EDGE Magazine, game director Hugo Martin described that this game has kind of a sandbox feel. There will be plenty of options for exploration and tons of ground to cover with battles happening all over the place. While the game is definitely wider, it is not open world. You are still on a pretty set path, but you’re able to break off it pretty regularly if you want to.

The levels themselves are expected to take about an hour of playtime to complete for someone mainlining the quest. Obviously, if you want to find every secret, you’ll be spending quite a bit more time here. Like mentioned with the dragon’s level above, there are different acts to each level that keep the environment and challenges changing as you move through it. Hopefully, that helps the pace stay in a pretty enjoyable zone and doesn’t make the game drag on in certain areas.