Doom: The Dark Ages vs High On Life 2
Doom: The Dark Ages trades speed for weighty parries; High On Life 2 trades sharp writing for skateboard gimmicks.
id traded Eternal's mid-air chess match for medieval ground combat and a parry button — heavier, slower, and divisive in ways Eternal wasn't.
Falls short of HoL1's voice-cast peak — HoL2 trades sharper writing for skateboard mechanics, leaving the gunplay split 56/44 among critics.
Steam popularity
Shared scale — sparklines are directly comparable across both games.
Doom: The Dark Ages
Apr 2026 peak CCU 1,546 ↓ 24% MoM
All-time peak 31,401
High On Life 2
Apr 2026 peak CCU 203 ↓ 78% MoM
All-time peak 2,937
Key differences
Combat weight
Doom: The Dark Ages replaces Eternal's mid-air chess with grounded parry-and-shield combat, slower and more deliberate.
High On Life 2's gunplay is uneven (56% recommend) and supplemented by skateboarding traversal.
Narrative ambition
Doom's plot is minimal—you are a super weapon in a medieval war against Hell.
High On Life 2 attempts satirical comedy but IGN notes the writing takes a step backward from the first game.
Tone and spectacle
Doom The Dark Ages is a heavy, brutal medieval fantasy shooter with mech and dragon set-pieces.
High On Life 2 is a cynical, absurdist comedy shooter with talking guns and skateboard mechanics.
Which one is for you?
Pick Doom: The Dark Ages if
- You found Eternal's platforming exhausting and want a heavier, parry-centric Doom.
- You enjoy set-piece spectacles like giant Atlan mechs and dragon battles.
- You prioritize combat depth and critical acclaim (8.5/10) over narrative.
Pick High On Life 2 if
- You played and enjoyed High on Life 1 and want more of that comic style.
- You prefer 12-hour shooters with light traversal gimmicks like skateboarding.
- You are okay with uneven gunplay (56% recommend) as long as it's comedic.
Bottom line
If you want a refined, heavy combat experience from id Software, choose Doom: The Dark Ages. Choose High On Life 2 only if you loved the first and crave more absurdist comedy despite weaker writing.