DOOM: The Dark Ages director says difficulty sliders will allow you to turn the game into a true “Classic DOOM” experience

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In addition to the standard pre-set challenge levels, DOOM: The Dark Ages allows players to customize the game according to their preferences.

Instead of merely being an accessibility feature, the novel difficulty sliders enable players to adjust game speed, projectile damage, and numerous other aspects, thereby tailoring a unique gaming experience for all users. Although this mechanism has faced criticism from some internet cheats, game director Hugo Martin has defended its incorporation into the game.

DOOM difficulty sliders are for everyone 

In a recently released video, Martin touched upon the criticism towards the implementation of difficulty adjustment features, suggesting they’re meant to make the game simpler. However, the game director clarified that these sliders are intended to let players customize their gaming experience according to their preferences, in case the pre-set options don’t resonate with them.

Martin explained, “When considering choices such as sliders, our policy was always to benefit both beginners and experts. If we’re going to give you control to slow the game, we should also provide a way to quicken it. This policy turned out to be very effective.

Apart from setting the game’s difficulty level to either extremely challenging or effortless, these sliders also enable players to adjust the gameplay pace according to their preference. Martin pointed out that for those seeking a “Classic DOOM” vibe in The Dark Ages, they can decrease projectile speed and increase damage to mimic the classic 3D shoot ’em up feel from back then.

The team commented on the unusual actions displayed by our top workers in the office: ‘It’s not what you’d expect – they don’t just increase everything.’ Instead, they adjust the projectile speed, making it slower initially, and then turning them into potent elements. This is observed particularly with Mikey and Travis.

This significantly improves the 3D aspect of the shmup (shoot ’em up), giving it a bullet hell feel reminiscent of Classic DOOM. In other words, Classic DOOM is essentially a 3D bullet hell game, where you dodge slow-moving bullets that pack quite a punch. These projectiles form the maze and drive the player’s movements.”

“Enhancing the three-dimensional shmup feel, it resembles the bullet hell experience in Classic DOOM. Essentially, Classic DOOM is like a 3D bullet hell game, where you navigate through a maze of bullets that move slowly but pack a powerful punch. This is what creates the challenge and motivates the player to move.

As a fan, I found Martin’s analogy quite apt – adjusting the game’s difficulty using sliders is similar to fine-tuning an equalizer on a radio. While Id Software has thoughtfully provided default difficulty settings, they’ve also given us the freedom to customize our experience by including the slider options for those who prefer that level of control.

Hugo reacts to: “Sliders in DOOM = Too Easy?”

— DOOM (@DOOM) March 19, 2025

To delve deeper into the DOOM lore, explore the rationale behind the prequel’s open-ended conclusion. Please note that it will not wrap up where the 2016 game started, so if you were hoping for that, I apologize for any disappointment.

On May 15, 2025, the game “Doom: The Dark Ages” will launch for play on Xbox Series consoles, PlayStation 5, and personal computers (PC). Additionally, it will be accessible through Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

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2025-03-20 16:40