Matching Doom Eternal from a gameplay perspective was always going to be quite the task, and in the end, Dark Ages falls just short. Eternal is filled to the brim with mechanics,

The Doom Slayer having a soft spot for animals while also being an ultraviolent killing machine is what makes him such an amazing character.

Something else Doom: The Dark Ages does to differentiate itself from its predecessors is mix up the kind of levels you play during the campaign. Among the usual open and linear maps are levels that are focused on a huge controllable mech and a rideable dragon that are intended to add variety from all the rip-and-tearing.