This game is special.

Over the years I have played hundreds of games with thousands of hours of playtime and I have never been compelled to write a steam review. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is so good it's the first time I've wanted to.

The art style and story are beautiful. The combat is very engaging even considering it's turn-based nature and the music is stunning. Une vie ? t'aimer is my favourite game soundtrack of all time, hands down. I can already tell I will be replaying this game multiple times.

This game really shows what kind of masterpieces can be made outside of large studio corporate oversight. 10/10, GOTY for sure. Amazing.

Overall I'll call this a tenuous recommendation, with the caveat that I don't think it quite lives up to the previous 2 installments (which are both technically sequels to this), but the combat loop itself is worth playing, even if it means waiting for a sale first.

The core gameplay is good, with the introduction of shield and melee mechanics to replace Doom Eternal's flamethrower and glory kills. Thanks to the sound and physics design, you really feel the weight of the Slayer when you move, and each of the weapons as you fire.

The combat on its own is good, but not Doom Eternal good. It's interesting in that most of the weapons seem pretty viable on their own, but there are a couple standouts (chainshot, and the assault rifle secondary mode) that made using many weapons feel kind of unnecessary if not oftentimes useless. It's a pretty big contrast from Doom Eternal's loop that required using all the tools at your disposal frequently, and I never really felt incentivized to mix up my play in Dark Ages the same way I did with Eternal. Whereas Eternal made swapping weapons second-nature, Dark Ages makes swapping weapons almost feel like a chore--you save heaps of time just hurling your shield instead of swapping to the plasma rifle to take out shieldbearers, for example. It's pretty indicative that the core design of the combat was around the new shield mechanics more than anything else, which isn't bad on its own. Like I mentioned, all the weapons feel pretty viable to use, so if you want to just use one over another you really can without feeling much detriment.

Beyond combat, however, the game nearly broached becoming what I would deem a slog, due mostly to how the secrets and maps are set up. The maps themselves all feel enormous, partially due to the inclusion of mech and dragon set pieces demanding additional scale, and also due to a more open-world approach than previous installments had. This has a large drawback, however, in that many of those maps require copious amounts of backtracking for hunting secrets. The last main level alone has you progress about 70% of the way just to find the secrets key, at which point you go back through the entire previous portion of the map to collect the secrets you had to leave behind until finding said key. This kind of thing occurs often in Dark Ages, and has kept me from immediately jumping back in on Nightmare/Ultra Nightmare after finishing my Ultra Violence campaign on my first go-around.

The mech and dragon portions of the game I could do without entirely--they break the pace pretty hard and the combat with each is pretty lackluster and unexciting. If these portions had been cut or even reduced to cinematics the game would have been improved quite a bit, I think. As the saying goes: "To some, perfection is achieved when there is nothing more to add. To others, perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to take away". I think in the case of Dark Ages, more could have been taken away to good effect.

On that note, I will say that the soundtrack is sorely missing Mick Gordon. I can remember having those catchy, driving, synth-metal tracks from Eternal stuck in my head for hours after playing, but I couldn't recite a single riff from Dark Ages if I tried, even after my first campaign over 17 hours. It's an unfortunate blemish for Dark Ages that Id and Gordon's relationship faltered the way it did

For some, the hardest part of playing The Dark Ages will be letting go of Eternal. I see this game as an overcorrection from Eternal. DOOM is one of the most respected franchises ever, and while each entry has its own camp, nearly all of them are beloved by the majority of players. That said, there?s always an inevitable clash between industry trends and player expectations. Sometimes, pushing a franchise forward is necessary. I respect the fact id keeps trying but it's not always as easy to appreciate a work for what it is, though I still appreciate it's fresh.

If you thought Eternal was too "gamified," guess what? Dark Ages is also too gamified just in a different way. Sure, it?s more grounded and rounded across the board. I don?t know why people label this as a "stand and fight" game because, believe me, it?s not. It still has the DOOM run-and-gun mayhem at its core; it?s just not as rhythmically demanding as Eternal, where optimal play required using every weapon in your arsenal while platforming like a madman. I loved Eternal, but Dark Ages is more of an all-rounder. It?s still rhythmic in terms of parrying (the timing window is forgiving, so you?ll get it naturally), but you have more freedom in weapon choice. If you preferred 2016, this might address some of your issues though I doubt the 2016 camp will inherently fully embrace it.

Grenades are gone, replaced by a trusty shield that?s just as eager to chop enemies apart. Melee and close-quarters are better than ever. The weapons are creative enough to keep the flow engaging, and the BFG has been swapped for a BFC (a crossbow, obviously), which fits the theme quite well. I miss the Crucible already, there?s no equivalent here but it is what it is. Unfortunately, glory kills feel downgraded. I get why, but unless you approach enemies from specific angles, you?ll see the same few animations repeatedly. After Eternal?s variety, this left a sour taste.

I finished my Nightmare playthrough in about 18 hours, collecting around 3/4 of the upgrades and secrets. And that?s where my biggest gripe lies. Collectibles aren?t just codexes and toys they?re tied to upgrades, too. This baffles me. We?re drowning in soulslikes and RPGs, open worlds packed with busywork. I do that every month. Now I am doing more of the same in DOOM? I don?t see the necessity. If it were just a few levels, fine but most are sprawling, encouraging free-roaming exploration. At first, I welcomed it, but it got old fast. I lost focus and grew bored, the worst possible outcome in a DOOM game. Regardless, I still appreciate how some missions lets you take them at your own pace and do objectives in any order.

The levels themselves are monotonous and lack dynamism. This is another consequence of stepping back from Eternal, where some accused the game of turning into Mario Galaxy with its platforming. Fine, keeping traversal grounded is certainly a choice but the levels also lack distinction. Most look and play the same, with some elevation but nothing like Eternal?s verticality. You?ll mostly run circles in arenas.

Dark Ages is more accessible than Eternal, which some found demanding. In fact, it might be the most accessible DOOM yet. Achievements are easy to 100%, and Nightmare was rather easy until the final missions, where the game unapologetically spams enemies. The challenge wasn?t playing "Simon Says" with the parry cues but constantly getting hit from off-screen. It?s still tailored for hardcore players but is not an exact ''sweaty palms'' game like 2016 either. Dark Ages itself plays like a mediator between two different DOOM entries.

The mech (Atlan) and dragon sections are disappointingly shallow. The Atlan feels clunky, with little room for mastery?mostly just perfect dodges and button-mashing. The dragon is underwhelming, requiring lock-on attacks and more of the perfect dodges. You can?t park your dragon and freely explore; landing zones are predetermined. The only real interaction is chasing fleeing ships (loot goblins, essentially) to be rewarded by the mission challanges. It?s bland.

If you wanted cinematic presentation in DOOM for whatever reason, you?re in luck. Dark Ages has the most presentation in the series. Funny, considering 2016 initially prided itself on anti-narrative (though even it had unskippable cutscenes). Eternal drowned in convoluted lore dump, while The Dark Ages goes for a straightforward, cinematic approach. It?s easy to follow, and I don?t mind it being there but do I care? Honestly, hard to give a ????.

The Slayer is still the dude. He rips, tears, and makes folk run for their life. But the rest of the cast? Generic military tropes, Sentinel war councils, and bits of outsider-vs.-locals perspective. It was interesting to see how the Slayer earned his place, but the storytelling relies on tired, overused set pieces. I don?t care about Sentinels war plans or whatsoever, just let me shoot something in the face.

The pacing also feels stretched. Unique bosses are unevenly spaced (you fight all in the last 3 chapters), and the only rune, Rage, is introduced late for gimmicky fights. I missed traditional power ups, this type of gameplay could have benefited greatly from them.

The guns still feel punchy, but mastery challenges only reward skins. I didn?t feel compelled to upgrade everything, sticking to one or two favorites. Each weapon has two mods (switchable anytime), and upgrades grant perks like the classic flame flares (armor on hit) for the shotgun its often associated with.

I recently revisited DOOM 3. Love it or hate it, it was a bold departure. Made during an era of industry experimentation, took risks. Newer DOOMs feel more like Painkiller than DOOM 3 in an ironic way. Players clearly love weapon-juggling, fast-paced combat, and arena shooters hence the indie boom of "retro-feel boomer shooters," many of which are even faster than this trilogy. Most aren?t true to DOOM's (or Duke 3D's) roots either, but that?s just how trends go.

I never opened the map until I hit a breaking point. Constantly checking the map isn?t something I associate with DOOM. If you love exploring every corner of given levels, more power to you. But this isn?t my idea of an FPS sandbox. I expect something more calculated and focused; Dark Ages sacrifices that precision of the former two for openness. Still thrilling, but its highs are lower due to design restrictions.

The new remix of the main theme (the one that greets you in the menu) is cool and all, but the rest of the BGM... If you could ask the soundtrack itself, it would agree that it misses Mick Gordon. At some point, Gordon had to move on, but it?s a shame how he departed. I don?t think the new tracks are as memorable as those in the former two. Must be a part of why I got bored. The music has the similar tunes, sure, but is not as vibrant, intense and energetic. Instead it's more flat and obviously far less experimental although some might still find it catchy. The mixing needs some serious help however.

DOOM strangely followed Tomb Raider's path so far, a beloved franchise from '90s making a strong comeback with arguably a great reboot debut, followed by a more divisive sequel and finishes up with a messier entry. That's just how I interpret it. What's next? Another reboot? That I don't know but I do know this: Dark Ages is still a good game. It's just not my type of jam. Each to their own, I don't feel apologetic as I hated both RAGEs hence feel like id sometimes do miss the mark but the ongoing theme here is clear enough. It's what you prefer. To me, Dark Ages will remain the weakest link of the new trio. Maybe it should take a longer break but whatever's next, I want to believe it'll be always good to play more of DOOM. The lack of multiplayer is saddening actually.


[Turn on auto sprint on btw]

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