On July 7, Doom: The Dark Ages received a substantial expansion called Revelations, which players and critics alike agree is terrific. The day before that release, Microsoft announced layoffs and cut almost half of id Software’s employees. The developer provided an update a few days later, assuring fans it still has “the crew we need to build the games and tech we’re known for.” But the layoffs cast a pall over what should have been a happy occasion. For Doom diehards hoping for brighter things ahead, Deepward is definitely a game worth watching. It’s a fast-paced FPS with roguelite mechanics, one where each wound and every death matters because a fatal encounter is, well… fatal.
Deepward captures the same hellish vibe as Doom
Deepward’s announcement trailer offers a tantalizing glimpse at what’s to come. Dual-wielding heroes kick through doors, blast and slash their way through hordes of approaching zombies, and even knock some candles around to erase the edges of a pentagram smeared on the floor in red paint. Or is that blood? Considering the game’s setting and its ambitions, we’ll go with blood.
You’ll have to work through the Depths, a hellish environment that mixes the creepiest mansion you’ve ever seen with a cavernous labyrinth complete with torture chambers and acid rivers. Players will switch between six characters (each with their own weapons, abilities, and health meters) and battle bellowing monstrosities that took a wrong turn on their way to Doom.
Deepward also takes a cue from Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem by employing a sanity system. Pushing deeper into the cursed estate in the Carpathian forests, the party of veteran mercenaries battles not only the monsters, but hallucinations, visual distortion, unearthly whispers, and rising pressure that hits like the thumping soundtrack. Reality and madness blur. Lesser heroes might leave to do something easier, like battle terrorists or drop onto the frontlines in a world war. But there’s no going back now; you’re in too deep.
That’s grand, but when do we get to play it?
The worst news regarding Deepward is that we don’t know exactly when we’ll have the chance to devote some serious time to its blood-soaked passages. There’s a Steam release date planned sometime in 2027, but 12 months is a broad window. A playtest is on its way soon, but some of us with the itchiest trigger fingers would rather it be here right this second.
Developed by Echofall Games, which comprises key talent that led development at Madfinger Games and HGames-ArtWorks, Deepward clearly doesn’t shy away from the sort of dark subject matter and relentless pacing that made the best Doom games such a treat. Whenever it finally hits, we’re here for it.