Analysis of WRATH: Aeon of Ruin

Blast, slash and tear apart your enemies in this intense FPS inspired by 90s icons, built with legendary Quake 1 technology.

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is developed by KillPixel and published by 3D Realms and Fulqrum Publishing.. The game uses classic first-person shooter mechanics and is developed with Quake technology.

Destroy, destroy and destroy again

In WRATH: Aeon of Ruin, don’t expect an overly complex narrative, as it is a classic shooter with an equally classic premise.. The player becomes the Outsider, tasked with finding the mysterious figures known as the Guardians of the Old World. There are story elements scattered throughout the levels and the gothic touch of the setting suggests a dark and oppressive universe.

The narrative part is not very attractive and the story never surprises. Basically, it’s about obtaining weapons and eliminating any creature that gets in your way.. To do this, we need to use mechanics that will be familiar to anyone who has played the original Quake or one of the many first-person shooters based on it.

The Outsider has 100 health and can obtain the same amount of armor by collecting it, both in individual pieces and in fragments. He begins by using a sword, but soon picks up a revolver and then a shotgun.. Next come more exotic weapons, designed to give players options depending on the space the battle is taking place in and which enemies are approaching.

Playability with an ancient flavor

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin’s creature group starts out predictably and disappointingly as undead, slow and able to withstand three normal sword swings before dying again. A fast variant soon appears, followed by more interesting models, some capable of flight. The Hellmouths are directly inspired by the cacodemons and there are plenty of other familiar ideas in the enemy mix.

When mixed groups attack, it can be difficult to avoid fire and aim effectively at the same time. After clearing an area, we must search for secrets and break everything to find healing items and armor fragments. The level design is not impressive. He The game wants players to move quickly, but too often it only gives us narrow corridors to fight through.

And worse, enemies often emerge from sarcophagi or teleport to surprise the player. I like the experience best when it gives players room to maneuver and mixes normal enemies with a more powerful boss.. Searching for key cards to open doors can be tiring.

Back to the past

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is having a rough time on Normal, but it’s not an unfair game. It’s important to conserve ammo and keep an eye on where the monsters are at all times. I often forgot to use the powerful abilities I learned along the way, like lifesteal, which will be of great help in large groups and when facing single opponents.

The retro character of WRATH: Aeon of Ruin This means there are no save points to activate, leading to significant downtime while you find your way. And all saves are manual, tied to a soul strap that players must find and then use.. It’s very easy to forget about this, move on, die, and then find out you have over half an hour of gameplay to replay.

Players who like old-school FPS games will appreciate what WRATH: Aeon of Ruin does and will appreciate its retro concepts. But the game should have at least tried to make some concessions to newcomers. who may appreciate the mechanics but doesn’t want to save manually all the time.

Technical and sound section

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin feels like a game from the 90s, albeit polished to today’s standards and with plenty of modern touches. The world is full of browns and grays, although the studio has made efforts to add color, particularly in the character designs. The weapons look very nice, especially the wrist sword which glows red when charged.

The sound design is also driven by nostalgia. Andrew Hulshult, with experience in titles such as Quake and Doom, created the soundtrack, which is good but not impressive.. The weapons sound as they should and the cries and screams of the monsters create a tense atmosphere. The noises associated with moving in the snow and getting health points tend to be annoying.

Conclusions

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is part of a long list of modern first-person shooters that crave players’ nostalgia for the genre’s classics. The engine is based on Quake technology and the levels and enemies are designed to provoke a nostalgic response. This is unlikely to be of interest to fans of more modern FPS experiences.

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