The new Doom: The Dark Ages DLC is being received well on Steam as it releases on the same week Microsoft reportedly laid off around half of the staff at developer id Software.
Doom: The Dark Ages wasn't the most well received game in the series, as its pivot to a slower, more deliberate style of gameplay put off some players that were accustomed to how fast Doom Eternal was (myself included). id Software clearly took this on board as the first look at Doom: The Dark Ages' first big expansion, Revelations (nothing to do with the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 game), seems to speed things right up, with a far more aggressive style.
Over on Steam, the DLC currently sits at a "Very Positive" rating, with one dubbing it "What base game should've been from the start." Another review says: "It's like Dark Ages and Eternal had a child. This doesn't even feel like a dlc this feels like a full on sequel."
Unfortunately, this DLC's release date has come at the worst time, as id Software has been hit hard by Xbox's seemingly endless spree of layoffs – the fifth since Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard – with roughly half of the legendary studio reportedly laid off.
Naturally, a lot of the reviews for the DLC are acknowledging the layoffs, with the current top review saying: "Sending my love and support for ID software after this release, and having half their studio laid off. Nobody deserved this." Meanwhile, the second highest says: "Cherish this DLC with every second you spend playing it. It may very well be the last piece of good DOOM content that we ever get. I see no purpose in review bombing it. It will not change Microsoft's mind." Review bombing the DLC, they add, would not give any laid off staff "their jobs back."
