DOOM: The Dark Ages Opening Cinematic - Slayer activated, Bloodshed begins

The DOOM Slayer has been activated in the new opening cinematic for DOOM: The Dark Ages, giving us a teaser of the upcoming blood-soaked story.

Jak Connor

Tech and Science Editor

Published May 9, 2025 9:59 AM CDT

1 minute & 15 seconds read time

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.

TL;DR: DOOM: The Dark Ages, a prequel to DOOM (2016), launches May 15, 2025, on Xbox, PS5, and PC. Set during the first demon invasion of Argent D’Nur, players control the Slayer, empowered by the Maykrs to battle demons with enhanced strength and speed in this intense action shooter.

Bethesda and id Software have dropped the embargo for the highly anticipated DOOM: The Dark Ages, the prequel to DOOM (2016), which puts players back into the blood-soaked hands of the Slayer, but something is different.

Above is the game's opening cinematic, which shows many of the scenes we have seen in the few trailers id Software and Bethesda have published leading up to the game's release. From the cinematic, we get some much-needed context about where the battle we saw in the trailers, who is involved, and what the demons are after.

The cinematic doesn't spoil much of the story at all, and more so, sets up the story for what players are about to experience. So, I wouldn't consider this a spoiler but a teaser. However, for those wishing to avoid spoilers entirely, stop reading now.

DOOM: The Dark Ages takes place when the demons of Hell first set foot upon Argent D'Nur, and at the time, the Slayer was seen as a weapon by the Night Sentinels (humans). The Maykrs, the gods of the humans, bestowed upon the Slayer unwieldy power, increasing his strength, speed, and skill - all tethered to Maykr's will.

Essentially, the Slayer is a rabid demon-killing dog that's on a leash, and when needed, is deployed to areas of the battlefield to do what he does best: rip and tear until it is done.

DOOM: The Dark Ages releases on Xbox, PS5, and PC on May 15, 2025. If you are interested in checking out more, visit the official Steam listing for the title here.