id Software program’s newest title within the DOOM sequence is sort of upon us, launching on Could fifteenth for Xbox Sequence X/S, PS5, and PC (Could thirteenth for individuals who pre-purchased). It’s additionally arguably probably the most epic recreation within the franchise but.
DOOM: The Darkish Ages visits an earlier level within the Slayer’s life, whereupon he fought hordes of demons and actually earned his popularity because the Hellwalker. Although its setting is stuffed with medieval structure, lending a fantasy taste and environment unseen within the 2016 reboot and DOOM Everlasting, the expertise powering it’s as cutting-edge as they arrive.
It’s powered by id Tech 8, the developer’s newest iteration of its proprietary software program, which evolves considerably over id Tech 7, final utilized in DOOM Everlasting (although MachineGames additionally used it for Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle). How does it enhance over its predecessor, and for that matter, how does the efficiency measure up, particularly on consoles?
Evolution from DOOM Everlasting
Earlier than we delve into its efficiency, it’s value noting all of the enhancements that DOOM: The Darkish Ages brings to the desk in comparison with DOOM Everlasting. The obvious is the implementation of ray-traced international illumination, which provides a surprising new dimension to all the things. Ranges really feel extra naturally illuminated with sensible shadows, with a few of the most notable examples being within the opening mission, with the smallest fireplace casting a pure glow on the environment, together with close by enemies. It’s additionally beautiful to see atmospherics like rain illuminated when there’s a sudden flash of thunder, particularly when a horde of enemies awaits the Slayer.
Not solely does this spotlight the extra detailed textures and environments, that are completely brimming with particulars, nevertheless it additionally makes them really feel extra pure and lived-in. It additionally provides to the destructible elements within the setting, that are an enormous step up from Everlasting. You’ll be able to see this within the opening stage when taking pictures picket buildings – they’ll crumble realistically (although some jank was noticeable at one half). In one other stage, hanging an enemy and sending their carcass into a close-by stone pillar ends in it barely crumbling, emitting mud and dislodging stones from the influence.
In fact, ray-traced reflections are amply applied as effectively. One notable instance is within the second mission, the place you battle demons in a darkened room, their our bodies and projectiles reflecting on the moist flooring, which brings us to the elevated enemy depend. Although there are nonetheless linear paths to traverse and tight in-door environments to battle in, DOOM: The Darkish Ages options far more open environments. Filling them out with enemies is thus essential, however the numbers are considerably greater than Everlasting, with dozens roaming round at some factors.
That is ordinarily the place you’d begin to marvel in regards to the efficiency, however there’s excellent news.
PC Efficiency
One of many hallmarks of the up to date DOOM sequence is its scalability on PC, and The Darkish Ages isn’t any totally different. Operating it at 2160p/60 FPS and Extremely settings requires an AMD Zen 3 CPU or a Twelfth-generation Intel CPU at 3.2 GHz and eight cores. A ray-tracing succesful GPU is required throughout all really useful configurations, with an RTX 4080 and AMD RX 7900 XT supplied as examples. Lastly, you’ll want 32 GB of RAM and an NVMe SSD with 100 GB of set up area.
Our check rig consisted of an AMD Ryzen 9 5950x, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, an NVMe SSD PCI-e 4.0 and 94 GB of RAM. As for the settings, we opted for a 3840×2160 decision (with dynamic scaling), 60 Hz refresh charge, V-Sync with Triple Buffering, and a 90-degree area of view. Nvidia DLSS was enabled for upscaling on Balanced mode with the sharpness set to 46 p.c. Movement Blur is on Excessive with its high quality set to Extremely, and we opted for the Extremely preset on all the things else – Shadow High quality, Reflections High quality, Directional Occlusion, you title it.
When it comes to efficiency, DOOM: The Darkish Ages seamlessly maintains the 60 FPS goal, even with the sheer variety of enemies on-screen, projectiles, particles (particularly in impact trails), and fast-paced motion that’s occurring. The general scale of the degrees can be spectacular, not simply due to the standard of the environments or background particulars (together with bigger foes strolling round) but additionally due to the shortage of pop-in and asset loading. It’s a tightly optimized expertise that retains the motion rolling fiercely, whether or not you’re combating on the bottom or within the Atlan mech.
PS5 Efficiency
The PS5 model sadly solely presents one mode, which runs in 60 frames per second. There are alternatives to regulate the sector of view and allow or disable Chromatic Aberration and Depth of Subject. Movement Blur will also be toggled with choices for customizing the quantity, however in any other case, there are not any different graphical choices.
On the intense facet, the PS5 model does an amazing job maintaining with the PC model by way of efficiency. We didn’t face any slowdown (at the least nothing was noticeable sufficient to hamper the expertise), even throughout explosive motion scenes. There’s a noticeable distinction in constancy from the PC model, which we’ll get into. Nevertheless, contemplating the element, RTGI implementation and environmental scale, it’s nonetheless an unimaginable effort by id Software program.
PC vs PS5 High quality
As standard, the PC model is superior in high quality, although the PS5 model holds its personal in efficiency. Even the loading occasions are just about the identical, and so they’re extraordinarily brief, whether or not you’re transitioning from the principle menu into the following marketing campaign mission or from a cutscene straight into gameplay.
When evaluating the constancy, plainly dynamic decision scaling is extra in play on the PS5 model than PC, although we’d attribute this extra to the sheer distinction in {hardware}. The picture high quality doesn’t take too large of successful, although the PC model nonetheless presents higher readability, permitting all the person particulars to shine extra. Ray-traced reflections additionally look sharper on PC, with the PS5 model producing barely much less clear reflections in puddles.
Whereas the variations are far more apparent when evaluating them facet by facet, id Software program has carried out a powerful job with the PS5 model. It simply speaks extra to the work put into the PC model (and this isn’t even on absolutely the highest settings) to supply probably the most graphically superior expertise.
Conclusion
DOOM: The Darkish Ages doesn’t simply spotlight id Software program’s mastery with regards to optimized PC ports, but additionally its skill to eke out a lot from the bottom PS5. Beautiful atmospherics, expansive environments brimming with every kind of decals, spectacular utilization of ray-traced international illumination – and above all else, easy efficiency. Whereas console gamers will little question miss choices for a better body charge, the very fact it seems and runs this effectively whereas sustaining 60 frames per second remains to be commendable.
Because it stands (and fights), DOOM: The Darkish Ages is certainly id Software program’s magnum opus. A worthy showcase of the ability of id Tech 8 however above all, it raises the bar for first-person shooter constancy and optimization. I’m curious to see how a lot additional the crew can take it into the long run, however for now, The Darkish Ages is a top-tier visible feast that shouldn’t be missed.
