Doom: The Dark Ages has a new official trailer, and at this point id Software and Bethesda are just holding me down and pouring Doom lore over my head

Doom: The Dark Ages is a quasi-religious, science fiction inferno aiming to confront the rampant brutality of the morally indifferent Doom franchise after thirty years of chaos – or something along those lines; I just witnessed its latest trailer brimming with rich lore, and now my mind is racing.

“The creators believed a force as formidable as the Slayer,” a narrator explains about Doom’s main character, “requires direction.” We observe as the knightly Slayer – adorned with a medieval-style silver helm instead of his typical military green attire – is captured and shackled in arcs of lightning.

However, when a Diablo 4 demon monarch aspires to amplify his might in Hell, the Slayers’ guardians summon an enigmatic Bishop Creed to “release the Slayer.” This moment sets the stage for explosive alien annihilation with terrifying weaponry or tearing their limbs apart using a flail.

“I can never reign as sovereign,” the demon snarls at you, “as long as you remain the only one they fear.”

From this trailer alone, Doom: The Dark Ages seems poised to deliver an exhilarating experience reminiscent of Game of Thrones in space, seamlessly intertwining with the skull-crushing, grim atmosphere familiar in previous Doom installments.

However, as someone who delights in zipping across maps like a wolf while tuned into Nine Inch Nails, I feel slightly apprehensive about The Dark Ages’ apparent plethora of cinematic sequences.

id Software’s studio head, Marty Stratton, shares with Edge magazine that the studio is now emphasizing lore due to fans’ deep investment in the narrative. Additionally, they have “data revealing that in Doom Eternal, a substantial percentage of gamers enjoy watching the cutscenes.”

Upon reflection, I suppose I also pay attention to Doom cutscenes too. I’m simply multitasking while listening to Nine Inch Nails and savoring a hamburger.

Doom director asserts The Dark Ages can be completed without firing a weapon, but “the game is not necessarily designed for that.”

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She has previously worked as a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, and has contributed freelance articles about horror and the representation of women in gaming for platforms like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she’s not engrossed in gaming news, you can often find her expanding her doll collection while binge-watching the Saw series from one to eleven.