The following contains story spoilers forDoom: The Dark Ages.
Forgoing claustrophobic corridors almost wholly,Doom: The Dark Agesboasts level designs that are considerably wider and more open with regard to exploration. Not all chapters have maps with immense landscapes to traverse, but those that do feature a ton of secret areas, gold, rubies, wraithstones, collectible toys, and weapon skins, most of which are locked behind passageways that require a color-coded key or key card. Coupled with pinged challenges required forfull 100% completion of a chapter inDoom: The Dark Ages, looting sprawling maps is a treat.
This formula may have been fulfilling on its own, butDoom: The Dark Agestakes its gameplay two enormous steps further with sparse rock-’em sock-’em Atlan bouts and flights astride an adorable and ferocious Mecha Dragon named Serrat. The former is mildly forgettable while admittedly epic in scale and a welcome respite from run-and-gun-and-parry combat, though the latter is quite distinct in how it broadens a chapter’s depth of exploration and creates a dynamic synergy with ordinary gameplay. If possible, futureDoomgames will hopefully find ways to reprise flying mounts as the gameplay Serrat provides is well worth becoming a new series staple.
Doom: The Dark Ages’ Serrat is a Breath of Fresh Air
Far more than a gimmick, controlling a cyborg dragon and soaring on red Argent energy wings at incredible speeds is a change of pace that immersively bridges regular sections of a level. At its core, Serrat’s gameplay involves flying around a breathtaking vista, firing at turrets while engaging withDark Ages’ color-coded parry/dodge system, and landing the mount on predetermined platforms before proceeding on foot.
There are two chapters/locations where this gameplay is particularly gratifying—Chapter 5’s Holy City of Aratum and Chapter 14’s Spire of Nerathul—as players land Serrat on various platforms and search for well-hidden areas.
The marriage of dragon flight and ordinary maneuverability makes for dynamic gameplay, which is what theDoomseries has prided itself on in its last three installments. If nothing else, a flying mount allows the game’s scale to expand exponentially, and hopping onto Serrat to take to the skies between each ‘dungeon’ map is remarkably fluid.
A Flying Mount in Future Doom Games is Anyone’s Guess
Sadly, Serrat is slain between phases two and three ofPrince Ahzrak’s boss fight inDoom: The Dark Ages’ penultimate chapter.
Theending ofDoom: The Dark Agessurprisingly leaves room between it andDoom(2016) still, meaning this prequel entry’s events and characters are not in the rearview yet. But, with Serrat dead and no sign of flying mounts inDoom(2016) orDoom Eternal, it’s tough to predict whether a future game will have flying mounts, let alone when the next installment might take place inDoom’s timeline.
Indeed, id killing Serrat could suggest that it’s putting a fork in the concept of flight traversal, and it wouldn’t be all that alarming if that was the case because not a singleDoomgame since 2016’s soft reboot has adhered too closely to its predecessor’s gameplay. Flight mechanics on a mount would certainly contribute to makingThe Dark Agesa unique entry alongside parries with a shield and an emphasis on melee combat, too.
Serrat’s gameplay involves flying around a breathtaking vista, firing at turrets while engaging withDark Ages’ color-coded parry/dodge system, and landing the mount on predetermined platforms before proceeding on foot.
Still, debuting such a thrilling, dynamic feature only to never revisit it in the future could be an oversight. It wouldn’t be inconceivable to think that aDoom Eternalsequel could introduce an alien creature the Doom Slayer flies on instead of a dragon, for example, even if that would be reheatingDark Ages’ nachos a bit too unabashedly.
Moreover, it’d be fascinating to see the Slayer ride atop a hideous leviathan creatureifDoomreturns toThe Dark Ages’ Cosmic Realmat some point. Either way, flying mounts add a lot to exploration and progression and deserve to play a larger role in the franchise.
