The Dark Ages to remind me of was Halo 3. And yet, half way through a recent hands-on demo with id Software’s gothic prequel, I was mounted on the back of a cyborg dragon and unleashing a salvo of machinegun fire across the side of a demonic battle barge.

Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to Doom 2016. The forces of hell are invading a realm heavily inspired by the medieval era, and the Doom Slayer is summoned to do what he does best: Rip and tear through demons.

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.