LogInBased on its review scores and peak concurrent player numbers, the game had debuted worse than its predecessors.
DOOM: The Dark Ages finally arrived last week, and based on its initial reception and performance over the weekend, the long-awaited prequel fell short of its modern-age predecessors, at least as far as Steam is concerned, launching with a lower peak concurrent player count and worse review scores than DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal.
id Software
During its first weekend after launch, typically the point at which video games see their highest number of concurrent players, The Dark Ages peaked at just 31,470 users on Steam – a number lower than DOOM (2016)'s 44K and far below DOOM Eternal's 104K. In terms of player reviews, the new installment also fares slightly worse than the two chapters that came before it, with a positive rating of 86% – a respectable result, no denying that, but still slightly below Eternal's 91% and 2016's 95%.
Beyond Steam, Metacritic is also painting a darker picture for The Dark Ages, with user scores of just 7.1/10 on PC, 5.1 on Xbox Series X, and 5.0 on PlayStation.
While it would be totally unfair to consider DOOM: The Dark Ages a failure at this point, it's also impossible to deny that, in the eyes of many, the prequel failed to live up to the high expectations set by the earlier games.
Those critical of the game explain their negative reactions by pointing to slower and more repetitive gameplay compared to Eternal, the parry mechanic being unexciting, a story that relies too much on cutscenes and feels less DOOM-like, more boring kill animations, a soundtrack considered weaker than that of 2016 and Eternal due to Mick Gordon not being involved, and last but not least, the presence of Denuvo, which, as we all know, is a deal-breaker for many gamers.
The price has also drawn complaints – $70 in the US, which, despite being called an "industry-standard" by AAA studios, some still see as way too high, and a whopping €80 in Europe (around $89), which many found far too expensive for the experience offered.
Here, it's important to point out that the game's price could be a reason why the Steam numbers are so low, since TDA is available on Xbox Game Pass, and this version might be attracting more players simply because it's cheaper than the one on Steam. As always, unless the developers make the sales numbers public, there's no way to know for sure.
id Software
Essentially, the general consensus seems to be that DOOM: The Dark Ages is by no means a bad game – it's a good, even great game – but it simply doesn't measure up to its predecessors, leaving some players with a sour taste in their mouths.
And what do you think about the new DOOM installment, have you tried it yet? What do you think about its gameplay and music? Is it really worse than Eternal and DOOM (2016)? Leave your thoughts down in the comments!
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