Celebrating the Franchise’s Melee Weapon Legacy in “The Dark Ages”

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Alright, so there’s this game, Doom: The Dark Ages, and man, they’ve been shaking things up quite a bit. They’ve tweaked the formula—lots of weapons, speedy combat arenas—but it’s not all roses, you know? Some folks are torn over this new parry thing they’ve added. It’s kind of a love-hate situation. Personally, I find it keeps you on your toes. Anyway, there’s still plenty of mayhem with both familiar demons and some fresh, gnarly foes.

Now, let’s chat about where it’s set—Argent D’Nur. It’s got this whole medieval vibe, which, honestly, fits like my favorite old sweatshirt. Those battlegrounds? Totally makes you feel like you’re in the thick of a gritty, hellish war. Weapon-wise, they didn’t shy away from the good ol’ medieval gear—lots of melee weapons to swing around. If you’re into close-up combat, you’re in for a treat.

Thinking back to the history of Doom, you’ve always had these big honking guns—rocket launchers, plasma rifles, the legendary BFG, right? But melee stuff’s been there too, almost as a cult favorite. Back in the day, if ammo was scarce, fists came out swinging. And the chainsaw! An absolute classic for when things got real close and personal.

Now, power-ups were a thing too. Remember the Berserk power-up? Made your punches feel like sledgehammers. In more recent games, they leaned into melee with stuff like Eternal’s Blood Punch. The Dark Ages, well, they cranked it up even further. But, a bit of a bummer—those intense Glory Kills? They’re kinda MIA in Dark Ages. Instead, you get the Shield Saw. You can charge into a demon crowd, saw revving, clearing paths. It’s wild, trust me.

Oh, and here’s a twist—the melee weapons lineup adds so much depth! You start with a Shield Saw, then there’s this Power Gauntlet. Keep leveling up, and you get access to stuff like a Flail and the Dreadmace. Each piece has its own upgrade paths, so you get to decide what’s your style. That kind of player power, it’s just classic Doom with a twist.

Talking about the Shield Saw some more—it’s versatile! You can even throw it to stun foes, super handy when some demon’s got their armor all heated up. And don’t get me started on the runes system. It spices up the parry/dodge game. So you’ve got melee options galore, really pushing players to think about their combat style. It’s like a nod to all the crazy melee moments Doom’s given us over the years.

I’m drifting here, but Doom: The Dark Ages really feels like a fangirl’s dream wrapped in a legend, and it doesn’t let the melee heritage slip away. Pretty rad, honestly.