Book Review - The Art of DOOM: The Dark Ages

The Artbook Collector
5 hours ago
5 min read

December 5th 2025

For more than 30 years DOOM has delivered players with visceral gameplay and demons to rip and tear through, and in 2025 it continued to grow its legacy as one of the most iconic names in gaming. In DOOM: The Dark Ages, id Software expanded on the series’ gameplay, but there is something they didn’t change, an artbook release from Dark Horse!

The Art of DOOM: The Dark Ages was released on December 2nd 2025 and showcases the art behind the glorious violence and residents of Hell, perfect for those that loved the game and are not yet done with the Doom Slayer. I’ve been excited for this one since it was announced and can now give my thoughts on the third artbook from the developer and book publisher!

Build Quality

Dark Horse have released this book in their standard format as a 23.5cm x 31cm hardcover, matching the previous two DOOM artbooks, as well as the vast majority of their other releases too. This means you are getting another well-made book with good quality paper and strong binding, coming with enough flexibility to allow the 216 pages to open fully too. It’s the high standard you expect from the publisher and I’m happy to say that this continues here.

Content

Something I love about the DOOM games is that they are gameplay and fun first, with their artbooks working in a similar way with no added fluff, just a heavy art focus. The team at id Software are always highlighting the work of the artists and, as you can see in the previews, this is reflected in the pages that allow the art to speak for itself.

Inside you’ll find artwork divided into self-explanatory chapters to break up the book; Doom Slayer & Heroes, Enemies & Demons, Locations, and Weapons. It’s the common approach to video game artbooks because it works well, just as it does here. Within these you’ll find a full range of concepts, from early sketches, through to full colour renders and 3D models. Many of these are variations of designs that made it into the game, as well as a handful of unused demon concepts too.

The art is exceptional as always from the team at id Software and those that enjoy the games, as well as art for dark fantasy and sci-fi, are well served here. The developer has always been very good at showing off the artwork that was used to help create the game, not just key art and illustrations. Every image, regardless of which artist it is from, which art style they have, or whether it’s a sketch or a detailed concept, is high in quality and has clear design readability. You can see why they are happy to share their early artwork, as it all captures the brutal magic of DOOM.

The print quality is excellent as well, which is ideal as the game is very dark, both on screen and in the artwork. The Locations chapter in particular features a lot of areas that don’t reflect a bright summers day, but the print finish allows all the details to be clearly visible, from the City of Ry’uul in the Chaos Realm, to the Forsaken Plains of Hell and their contrast of dark shadows and bright lakes of lava.

Highlights for me are always the earliest designs and there is a lot here I liked, such as exploration of the look for the Doom Slayer and Serrat, your winged companion. I’m very fond of creature design too, so seeing the new takes on the classic demons of the series, as well as those making their debut, makes for a nice collection of art to enjoy and inspire other artists. The environment art is stunning and having a collection of it together here highlights the colour themes for the places you shoot your way through, making you appreciate them even more.

Those that love weapons get a nice chapter to explore and some get nice thumbnails and designs for how they look and function. Not all of them get this treatment sadly, but the more unrealistic weapons, like the Reaver and Skullcrusher, get this extra focus and page space.

As for the text, there is very little to be found. It’s an art first approach, with the text included used to describe the history and lore of some characters, demons, and environments, but the majority go without. I’m always happy with a book that does this when the pages are filled with artwork as seen here, but I do prefer artist interviews and insights over in-game details. There is a lot of art I would like to know the details behind, but this was clearly intended to be a gallery style showcase that I know many people will appreciate.

Overall, lovers of DOOM like me will be spoilt with a collection of incredible artwork, while also giving those that are aspiring artists a look at the type of work that helps grow a classic series.

Credits

Just as previously seen in the artbooks for DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal, credits here are on each page and for each image, the best way to do it. Emerson Tung, Alex Palma, Alejandro Mirabal, Ethan Evans, Colin Geller, and more, have been highlighted online for their work on the game, at times in videos by director Hugo Martin, so it’s fitting that they made sure to name them throughout the book too.

In typical fashion, there is no faff here either, as even at the back, they are listed again on their own page very clearly to let everyone know who they are. You can’t ask for more than that!

Use of Space

The Art of DOOM: The Dark Ages continues the focused approach to the book through its page design. It keeps things simple with clean backgrounds and layouts made to maximise the space, so artwork can breathe and get the showcase it deserves. The less is more approach works wonders when the talent of the team shines like this. This is not unusual for a Dark Horse book and it feels like walking down a gallery wall of art, complimented by the print quality too. The binding here also helps minimise image loss in the centre fold, so a great job on this all round.

Value

The book comes with an RRP of $55/ £50, nothing unusual here for the book publisher. It’s well-made and owners of previous books will know this is worth the price of admission, as players will not be disappointed with the quality found here when they get their own copy.

As always, I compare prices on Amazon and at the time of writing this on the week of release, it is 6% off in the US and 23% off in the UK, who are always quicker to lower prices. At the UK price, the book is a steal and very good value for money. Discounts come and go for bargain hunters of course, but even those that need some demon goodness in their lives right now won’t feel let down without one.

Verdict

The Art of DOOM: The Dark Ages presents a collection of incredible artwork and highlights that, no matter what decade it is, DOOM is created by some of the best in the industry. Much like the Doom Slayer, the book has little to say, but is efficient in its execution, delivering hundreds of pieces of art and highlighting why it continues to be an iconic series!

If it moves, shoot it. If there’s an artbook, buy it. My two golden rules for DOOM remain true, making The Art of DOOM: The Dark Ages a worthy addition to your shelf.

Those interested in ordering a copy for their own collection can do so here;