Never would I have imagined Doom: The Dark Ages evoking Halo 3 nostalgia - yet midway through id Software's gothic prequel demo, I found myself mounted on a cybernetic dragon, unleashing machinegun fire across a demonic warship. After neutralizing its defenses, I stormed the vessel's decks, reducing its crew to crimson paste before breaching the hull to continue my holy crusade.

Bungie fans will immediately recognize parallels to Master Chief's iconic scarab tank assaults. The holographic-winged dragon replaces the Hornet, and occult warships stand in for Covenant mechs, but the essence remains: thrilling aerial assaults transitioning into devastating boarding actions. Surprisingly, this wasn't the demo's only Halo-esque moment. While combat retains Doom's signature brutality, the campaign's cinematic presentation and diverse gameplay mechanics evoke late-2000s shooters.

During my 2.5-hour demo, I experienced four levels. Only the opening mission mirrored 2016's tightly-designed arenas. The others featured a colossal mech battle, dragon aerial combat, and an open battlefield filled with secrets and minibosses - marking a significant departure from Doom's traditional purity. These sequences recalled Halo, Call of Duty, and even classic James Bond games with their scripted setpieces and temporary gameplay twists.

A Surprising Return to Scrapped Concepts

This direction proves fascinating considering Doom's history. The canceled Doom 4 reportedly resembled Call of Duty with its cinematic story and scripted events before being scrapped in favor of 2016's focused reboot. Yet these very elements reappear in The Dark Ages - elaborate cutscenes establish lore about Argent D'Nur and the Night Sentinels through cinematic storytelling reminiscent of Halo's approach.

While these cutscenes thankfully don't interrupt gameplay flow, other diversions prove more jarring. The Atlan mech sequences feel slow and restrictive compared to Doom's signature frenetic combat, while the dragon sections - though visually spectacular - play like simplified rail shooters. The mechanical complexity gap between these segments and the core FPS gameplay creates tonal whiplash.

The "Siege" level presents a more successful evolution, expanding Doom's combat into open battlefields while maintaining its gunplay excellence. This Halo-inspired approach forces players to reconsider weapon ranges and movement tactics across vast spaces. However, occasional backtracking through empty areas disrupts the pacing - an issue that could be solved by better integrating the dragon as a Banshee-like traversal tool.

The Core Combat Still Shines

Ultimately, The Dark Ages' brutally satisfying melee/shooter hybrid remains the star. Every ground combat sequence confirms id Software's mastery of first-person action. The real question isn't whether the core gameplay works - it absolutely does - but whether these experimental diversions complement or dilute the experience. As we await the May 15th release, one mystery remains: was the original Doom 4 concept flawed, or did it simply need this modern Doom gameplay foundation to succeed?