Our next blood-soaked adventure already has the potential to become my favorite entry in the series, but for it to beat the 2016 entry for the top spot, Doom: The Dark Ages needs better pacing than Eternal. We don’t have too long to wait to find out for ourselves either, as we’ll be able to wade through the Doom: The Dark Ages achievements in May when it leaves our list of upcoming Game Pass games.Tom’s take — I really hope Doom: The Dark Ages avoids pacing issuesDoom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15, 2025Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PCGame Pass tiers: Ultimate, PC Game PassWith Doom: The Dark Ages preparing to crawl out of the fires of Hell in May, I’ve been playing through Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal to prepare for the battle ahead. I needed to prime my slaying skills ready to save humanity… again. While both games are phenomenal shooters, Eternal certainly struggles in the pacing department with the countless collectibles slowing down the gameplay we’re there for: blowing holes in demons.With that said, it’s a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, I generally dislike collectible achievements in games that force me to go hunting. While many games offer interesting lore and tidbits about the story, they often have no real gameplay value.On the other hand, id Software has linked the collectibles to its progression system in the awesome shooter series, giving you points to upgrade your suit, weapons, Runes, and perks. That’s a brilliant use of what is usually a mundane aspect of a game because it gives the collectibles real value and more of a reason for you to seek them out.Sadly, that also means that progression is linked to hidden-away upgrades, and for Eternal, those upgrades are needed for the latter portion of the game. Unlike the 2016 game, which focuses on run-and-gun gameplay, Eternal relies on platforming elements. To make the most of the Slayer’s new toolset, the maps are massive compared to its predecessor, offering numerous platforming sections to conquer and task you with jumping, climbing, and swinging.Missions can feel drawn out at times, as a result. This is especially true when searching for upgrades and navigating the huge play spaces, and even more so for completionists wanting to unlock the achievements for finding the secret soundtracks, Toys, Codex pages, and beating the Slayer Gates.That’s not to say I don’t like Eternal — I’ve been having a blast with it. The Meat Hook for the Super Shotgun is a ton of fun to play with, I love checking out the Fortress of Doom (the Slayer’s ship), and I think the platforming works well for mission variety. It’s just the constant need to step away from slaughtering demons that bothers me. With The Dark Ages turning its sights to melee combat and sticking us in the thick of things, I’m hoping the missions are slightly tighter. We know this entry will feature the “largest, most expansive, [and] most epic” campaign we’ve seen in the franchise, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be exploring empty wastelands. With any luck, upgrades will be a little easier to obtain this time around.In our Doom: The Dark Ages preview, creative director Hugo Martin told us that while the maps are larger and filled with more enemies than previous entries, “In many ways, the game is actually faster, but because it’s more grounded and the control scheme is streamlined, it doesn’t become more complex or overwhelming. So, you just rocket through the larger spaces using your shield. It feels like web-slinging, to be honest.” Hopefully, that pinball-like traversal won’t be too interrupted by the need to locate a plethora of upgrades off the beaten path, but we’ll have to wait and see. Thankfully, we don’t have too much longer to wait, as Doom: The Dark Ages launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 15. If it can avoid the pacing troubles, I think it could become my favorite entry, and possibly dethrone Doom (2016) on our list of the best Game Pass games?How have you found Eternal’s pacing? Drop a comment below and let us know!
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