DOOM: The Dark Ages director Hugo Martin has revealed that players can actually finish the entire game without making use of any of the guns the game offers. Speaking to PCGamer in its recent issue, Martin said that, while it would be difficult, calling the idea “slightly out of the bounds,” it is possible for players to just use the game’s melee combat system throughout its story.
Martin used a comparison with popular challenge runs of older DOOM titles like DOOM 2016, which some players have been able to finish by using only the starting pistol, and without taking any damage from enemies. He said that using only melee combat in DOOM: The Dark Ages would be a similar level of challenge.
“If people could beat Dark Souls with no damage and pistol-only Nightmare runs on [DOOM 2016],” said Martin, “I’m sure people will figure out how to do it with the shield and the melee, because they’re pretty powerful, but you’d have a hard time, that’s for sure.”
Producer Marty Stratton, however, did warn that using only melee combat throughout DOOM: The Dark Ages wouldn’t necessarily be a fun way to play. He said that the title wasn’t designed with that kind of gameplay in mind.
“The game’s not necessarily built to do that,” said Stratton. “Not like a Dishonored or something where you’re balancing the game for somebody to be able to do that.”
The comparison to Dishonored is an interesting one, since both the original Dishonored, as well as its sequel and DLCs had been designed with the idea of allowing players to figure out their own playing styles. While stealth was rewarded quite a bit, players could also have plenty of fun by using the games’ excellent melee combat systems to carve bloody swathes through enemy defences.
For context, players that enjoy high-difficulty games often find it fun to revisit the game while simultaneously taking on extra challenges. This is especially seen in the fan bases of FromSoftware’s games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, where a popular challenge run is to try and finish the games without levelling up even once.
DOOM 2016 saw similar challenge runs pop up shortly after its original release, with players trying to finish the game without taking any damage, while only using the pistol you start the game with.
In the same interview, Martin had also revealed the DOOM: The Dark Ages equivalent of DOOM Eternal’s Marauder. Dubbed the Agadon Hunter, Martin said that the new enemy would act as a test for players to see how well they have been mastering the game’s various mechanics.
“We take everything that you’ve been doing in the game up to that point,” said Martin, describing the Agadon Hunter. “It’s like it’s exam time, everything else is a quiz. When you get to the boss, it’s the final exam.”
DOOM: The Dark Ages is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 15. The game will be making use of a new gore system, which will be in full display thanks to weapons like the Skullcrusher. For more details on the upcoming shooter, check out our interview with its developers.