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.

Following Doom’s revelatory reboot in 2016 and its bigger but not necessarily better sequel in 2020, Doom: The Dark Ages is doing exactly what it needs to do: getting focused, and getting a lil’ weird with it.

But the most interesting bit of decor in this demonic space is a massive, jagged-edged shield, which sits between the three of us as we chat after my lengthy hands-on session with Doom: The Dark Ages.