Doom: The Dark Agesis just around the corner. The legendary series from Id Software is returning next month, and it promises to bea big departure from the acrobatics and high-speed movement that Eternal spoiled us with.
I’m excited to see how the new design philosophy of ‘stand and fight’ turns the Doom experience into something a bit slower and more strategic. I’m also curious about the cool mecha and the dragon, and how the team is trying to implement more open areas and exploration in a series well-known for its hallways and tight spaces.
However, one of the things that I want to know more about is an aspect that was only briefly touched on during the latest showcase, and I haven’t seen much about it in March’s previews: the difficulty modifiers.
Doom: The Dark Ages will feature a menu with a list of sliders that lets you adjust how the game works. For example, you’re able to change the damage you do, the speed of enemy projectiles, or how generous the parry window is, among other options. You will still have classic difficulty options like Hurt Me Plenty and Nightmare, but these modifiers open a brand new universe when it comes to approachability and learning how to play.
As far as we know, these are all the sliders available in the game: Damage to Player, Damage to Demons, Enemy Projectile Speed, Enemy Aggression, Parry Window, Daze Duration, Game Speed, and Resource Values.
I don’t want to start any discourse about difficulty, the developer’s intention, if you’re a fake gamer for using sliders, or any of the other discussions we have each time FromSoftware launches a game. In fact, I believe what The Dark Ages is about to achieve is something that should eliminate the discussion, period.
Some weeks ago,a short video featuring game director Hugo Martingave us more information about the modifiers. He started by pointing out that this isn’t only a feature to make the game easier: you can make it harder, if that’s what you want. For example, he mentioned some devs that were playing with slower but deadlier projectiles.
It seems like the new shield and parrying will have a major role in this Doom. Parrying is always a tough mechanic to balance, because you may make its window too narrow or too wide, creating either a frustrating experience or an underwhelming one. How many people play hack-and-slash titles and never parry if they can avoid it? In The Dark Ages, by just moving a slider, you’ll be able to learn how to parry at your own pace, creating your own learning curve if that’s what you want.
When you select a difficulty option, you’ll see how the sliders are set in that difficulty. Then you may move them and create your own custom version of Nightmare and such.
Sometimes, when we discuss difficulty and approachability, we leave out how we all have different ways and speeds of learning. Sure, two players with different sets of skills can learn how to overcome the same obstacle, but one might take much longer than the other.
In some cases, one might even drop the game altogether because the parry window is too tight, for example. You try and you try, but you simply can’t react as needed. Sometimes, we just don’t have the reflexes, and we may never will, even if we train. What’s the problem with lowering the difficulty just a bit? Players will still get the satisfaction of achieving something really hard for them, and everyone can decide how they want to play.
As Martin says, this can add replay value since you’ll be more inclined to try to complete the game again if you liked it, and you can make it as difficult as you want. But if you don’t want to have anything to do with these sliders and only play in a pre-set difficulty, remember:You control the buttons you press.
It’s worth saying that this is not new in video games. There are entire genres, such as RPGs, fighting games, and simulators,where these options can be found in one way or another. However, having a game as big and as influential as Doom put this front and center, perhaps encouraging other popular developers to add this to their games, could be a game-changer in the industry.
We will see how this experiment turns out when Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 13 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.
