Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom 2016. The forces of hell are invading a realm heavily inspired by the medieval era, and the Doom Slayer is summoned to do what he does best: Rip and tear through demons.

Five years removed from the lightning-quick pace of Doom Eternal, The Dark Ages draws near as id Software throws us back in time. Set well before the events of Doom 2016, the upcoming prequel will show us the origins of the Doom Slayer and how he became so feared throughout the realms.

The Dark Ages I was prepared for intense violence and high volume heavy metal, but what I didn’t count on was such an exhilarating amount of demon-killing variety. By the end of my two-hour demo I’d used a saw-toothed shield to slice through demons like it was Beelzebub’s Beyblade,