WRATH: Aeon of Ruin Review (PC)

I’ll leave the green poison lobbers last, mainly because while their throws cover the distance to my avatar, they are actually hitting the cliffs above. So, I’m safely ignoring them as I move from a door to an open space, targeting two flying snake-like creatures and some robots with weapons where their heads should be. Their projectiles are pretty accurate, so I have to keep moving to avoid damage.

Once I’ve finished them off, I go back to the tunnel I came through, picking up a vial of health to bring me back to 100 and a few shards of armor. I notice I haven’t explored one branch of this area and do so, wielding my shotgun to eliminate a few fast-moving fangs that burst out of sarcophagi to attack me. I could have used my trusty wrist blade to conserve some ammo.

Unfortunately, blasting them at point-blank range just feels too good. I push forward over the ice bridge and enter another cramped section of tunnels, taking out enemies left and right. I don’t take many hits, but I consider activating one of my special skills, maybe the one that leeches off health. But it’s better to save those for a big arena battle or for a boss engagement.

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is developed by KillPixel, with publishing in the hands of 3D Realms and Fulqrum Publishing. I played the PC version using Steam. The title is also on the Nintendo Switch and older Sony and Microsoft consoles. The game uses classic first-person shooter mechanics and is developed using classic Quake tech.

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Don’t expect too much in the way of complex narrative. This is a classic shooter with a classic premise. The player becomes the Outlander, tasked to find the mysterious figures known as the Guardians of the Old World. There are bits of lore spread throughout the levels and the gothic touches suggest a dark and oppressive universe.

Writing isn’t too engaging, and I never became invested in the story. Basically, it’s all about getting weapons and eliminating any creature that stands in your way. And gamers will do that using mechanics that are familiar to anyone who has played the original Quake or any of the many first-person shooters inspired by it.

The Outlander has 100 health and can get the same amount of armor from pickups, both individual pieces and shards. He starts off using a sword but soon picks up a revolver and then a shotgun. They are followed by more exotic weaponry, designed to give players options depending on the space where battle is engaged and the enemies that coming in.

The creature line-up of WRATH: Aeon of Ruin starts predictably and disappointingly with undead, slow-moving and able to tank three normal sword slashes before dying again. A fast variant soon appears, followed by more interesting designs, some capable of flight. The hell mouths are directly inspired by Cacodemons and there are plenty of other familiar ideas thrown into the enemy mix.

When mixed groups strike it can become hard to both avoid fire and aim efficiently at the same time. After clearing an area, make sure to look for secrets and break everything to reveal healing items and armor shards. Levels design isn’t impressive. The game wants players to move fast but it too often gives them only narrow corridors to battle through.

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Even worse, it often relies on enemies bursting out of sarcophagi or teleporting in to surprise players. I like the experience best when it gives players space to maneuver and mixes normal enemies with a more powerful boss. Hunting for keycards to open doors can be annoying.

Aeon of Ruin has difficult sequences on Normal but doesn’t feel unfair. It’s important to conserve ammo and be aware of where monsters are at all times. I often forgot to use the powerful abilities I picked up along the way, like life steal, which will really help with big groups and when facing unique opponents.

The retro nature of WRATH means that there are no waypoints to turn on, which leads to significant dead time while searching for the path forward. And all saving is manual, linked to a soul tether that players have to find and then use. It’s very easy to forget about it, push forward, die, and then discover you have more than half an hour of the game to replay.

Players who love old-school FPS designs will appreciate what Aeon of Ruin does and will enjoy its throwback concepts. But the game should have at least tried to make some concessions for newcomers who might appreciate the mechanics but do not want to manually save all the time.

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin looks like a game from the 90s, although polished to a sheen and with plenty of modern touches. The world has plenty of brown and gray in it, although the studio has made efforts to add color, mostly in character designs. Weapons look very good, especially the wrist sword that glows red when charged. Make sure to take a detour to the Options menu to tweak the graphics.

The sound design is also nostalgia-driven. Andrew Hulshult, who has experience with Quake-like titles, created the soundtrack, which is decent but not impressive. Weapons sound weighty and the screeches and screams of monsters create a tense atmosphere. The sounds associated with moving through snow and health pickups tend to become annoying.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion