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This is where The Dark Ages<\/em> truly breaks free from expectation. In my final (and longest) section of the demo, I\u2019m placed into id\u2019s take on a sandbox open zone and told to approach it however I\u2019d like. My solitary goal is to close five demon-spewing portals, but how I do it, and what diversions I take, are entirely up to me. Over the course of an hour, I\u2019m repeatedly reminded that I\u2019ve never played a DOOM game like this before.<\/p>\n As you\u2019d hope for, this sandbox sequence is stacked with optional goals \u2013 heavily protected artillery batteries to take out, caches of gold to spend on upgrades, and more. At one point, I\u2019m simply running somewhere, when a cathedral-sized tentacle bursts out of the ground and begins to attack \u2013 this isn\u2019t a scripted moment, or even an objective I\u2019m given, it\u2019s just another surprise hidden along the way.<\/p>\n But the core objectives themselves hold surprises, too. In that first story mission, closing portals was simply a case of clearing an arena, but it\u2019s never quite the same in this case. Some portals transport me to a dungeon, requiring me to solve puzzles in order to find my way to the energy source powering them. Others introduce Leader enemies \u2013 overpowered beasts who are invulnerable to my attacks until I kill enough of their followers, and come with permanent upgrades after your victory. Along the way, I find new guns, augmenting my armory with new options. It\u2019s restlessly, relentlessly inventive, as if id has been waiting for an opportunity to transplant new ideas into the DOOM format.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s the key takeaway from my full session with DOOM:<\/em> The Dark Ages<\/em> \u2013 this feels like a developer brimming with enthusiasm, not just for DOOM itself, but for what DOOM could be<\/em>. I was expecting a new story, new guns, and new demons \u2013 I wasn\u2019t expecting new genres. I cannot wait to find out what else this team has in store.<\/p>\n