DOOM: The Dark Ages replaced Glory Kills as they got “very, very tedious”, but promises if the new system “wasn’t good it wouldn’t be in the game”

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Similar to how Eternal differed significantly from DOOM 2016, DOOM: The Dark Ages stands out as a markedly distinct shooter experience compared to its forerunner. The forthcoming prequel introduces an elevated enemy count, expands on open environments, and emphasizes a gameplay style reminiscent of Bullet Hell. Most notably, it is set to abolish the series’ widely recognized Glory Kill system.

2016 and onwards, Glory Kills, which involved delivering a satisfying finish to a stunned opponent using a gruesome pre-set animation, had been an essential aspect in previous games. Players could earn a neat health bonus by quickly pressing the melee key after defeating enemies. However, for The Dark Ages game, this feature has been eliminated from the experience.

Why DOOM: The Dark Ages removed Glory Kills

According to Hugo Martin, the game director, the absence of the Glory Kills system in the new prequel is due to a desire to avoid making it too monotonous for players when killing numerous enemies in larger arenas using the melee system.

Martin emphasized to players during a recent developer session that the game focuses on giving players maximum freedom. He explained that there are more enemies appearing on the screen than ever before, and if each enemy requires the player to pause and play a synchronized animation, it becomes extremely repetitive and tiresome.

In DOOM: The Dark Ages, the updated system now supports “multiple enemy eliminations with a single action,” making gameplay more tailored to players. Now, your weapons have the power to momentarily stun multiple enemies, and it’s entirely up to you to decide which melee weapon you prefer to use for annihilating a crowd of trembling adversaries.

Martin shared that over the past decade, the studio has been striving to devise methods for performing numerous glory kills that are gratifying. In DOOM Eternal, they introduced a feature allowing for quicker glory kills to facilitate seamless chaining, yet it didn’t quite achieve the desired effect.

Martin expressed that the game didn’t quite blend well with others he had played. Often, two characters would be standing extremely close together, and when he executed a glory kill in 2016 or Eternal, by the time he switched to the other character, the first one was no longer staggered, creating a sense of disjointedness.

As a fan, I can share that Martin clarified the purpose behind the system: it’s all about eliminating redundancy. You know how the previous two games featured numerous animations based on an enemy’s direction during a Glory Kill? Well, here’s the catch – I found out that 90% of the time, players attack from the front, leading to the repetition of similar animations.

Martin explained, “To put it simply, if an element isn’t enjoyable, it wouldn’t be included in the game. However, our main goal is to offer something fresh and unique for you all. After all, we aim to provide a new experience rather than repeating what has been done before.

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2025-05-01 19:40