Doom: The Dark Ages Takes Several Steps Forward, But One Inevitable Step Back

Fans are finally getting their hands on the latest portrayal of demon-slaying action with the recently released Doom: The Dark Ages, and the title is living up to its pre-release expectations of being a truly unique entry to the longstanding franchise. Through the game finally shining a light on one of the most mysterious parts of the series’ wider timeline and leaning heavily into medieval themes, The Dark Ages explores a truly unique aspect of Doom while still working around the IP’s modern successful formula.

While ambitious in terms of how they deviate from previous games, the stark gameplay changes of Doom: The Dark Ages have been received quite well by fans, with distinct identities clearly being present between Doom (2016), Doom Eternal, and it. Many of the changes to things like combat and exploration have been welcomed by players, but the game’s soundtrack was seemingly doomed to be the source of a lot of scrutiny. Of course, The Dark Ages‘ soundtrack still does very well to capture the major expectations of a franchise where music has always been so important, yet it is hard to escape the lingering shadow of how Mick Gordon left the franchise.

Doom: The Dark Ages Physical Version Controversy Explained

Doom: The Dark Ages has been performing well with fans, but it has also snagged on a notable controversy relating to its physical version.

Doom: The Dark Ages’ Stellar Soundtrack is Inherently Tied to Past Controversies

id Software had a huge task ahead of itself with the soft-reboot of the Doom franchise in 2016, with the studio having to move away from the far-too-different gameplay of 2004’s Doom 3 while modernizing the chaotic and high-octane feel of the series’ earliest roots. 2016’s Doom did extremely well to stamp the franchise back on the map in terms of giving players something to look forward to, with 2020’s Doom Eternal doing a very respectable job at continuing this.

While the core themes and gameplay of both of these titles played a huge role in their respective levels of success, both projects were undoubtedly given a massive boost by composer Mick Gordon, who quickly became a fan-favorite figure thanks to his award-winning work on the soundtracks for Doom and Doom Eternal. The major success that Gordon found following 2016’s Doom made his involvement in the game’s successor a no-brainer, yet the troubled development of Doom Eternal led to some major internal conflicts in relation to the game’s soundtrack that spilled over into the public eye.

Following the game’s release, Mick Gordon took to social media to tell his side of the story following public comments from Marty Stratton, an Executive Producer at id Software. Gordon alleged that the soundtrack for Doom Eternal was rushed due to shifting deadlines and poor communication, additionally citing a culture of abusive behavior as well as significant amounts of unpaid work. This back-and-forth left a very noticeable stain on Doom Eternal‘s reputation, with it quickly becoming clear that Mick Gordon and id Software’s working relationship had sadly come to an end.

In his statement, Mick Gordon alleged that id Software had only paid him for half of his work that was used for Doom Eternal‘s soundtrack, only adding to the wild controversy that surrounded the game.

Doom Eternal’s Soundtrack Controversies Are Unlikely to Go Away Any Time Soon

This placed another layer of unwanted attention on Doom: The Dark Ages in terms of how id Software would handle the game’s soundtrack, with it quickly becoming clear that Finishing Move would be composing for the title. Finishing Move is a music production team that has previously worked on well-received soundtracks for games like Borderlands 3 and Halo Wars 2, with the group doing a great job at stepping up and delivering on such a daunting creative process.

Many fans have praised Finishing Move’s take on Doom music with The Dark Ages‘ soundtrack, yet the way in which Mick Gordon left his composer role following such memorable work is hard to overlook for many players. It always seemed as if the public fallout between Mick Gordon and Marty Stratton might leave some lasting stigma around the otherwise beloved new era of Doom, and it is safe to say that this has sadly spilled over to the recent Dark Ages.