Boomer Shooters have returned in popularity in recent years due to the high level of skill and difficulty associated with them when compared to modern-day shooters. WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is a game that has been in development for quite a while and with the game finally getting a release, the latest entry to the boomer shooter genre definitely delivers. In my review for WRATH: Aeon of Ruin, I’ll talk about what works, and what doesn’t.
Story
You play as Outlander, the game begins with you floating on a gondola that sails you to a remote island. Here you are guided by an ominous figure shrouded in white called The Shepherd of Wayward Souls. Your objective in this dark and foreboding world is to hunt down and kill the Guardians of the Old World. This task takes you to dilapidated ruins, gothic buildings, caves, swamps, and a variety of worlds as you fight your way through hordes of enemies, armed with a hellish arsenal to match.
The story is not something exceptional and fits the motif of the shooters that the game is inspired by. There are no cutscenes or fancy visuals to detract you from what the game is about, and this is the game’s best and worst quality. If you are looking for a story with depth, it will only be there if you are an ardent fan of this formula of storytelling. However, a severe lack of dialogue to match the pacing at the right times just makes it another entry in the category.
One thing I did not like about the game was the lack of guidance regarding objectives, specifically, where my next objective was and how to get there. However, this can be chalked up to the style of gameplay the developers are looking to deliver.
Gameplay
Wrath is in all its essence a true boomer shooter. It takes me back to the days of Painkiller and Serious Sam. The game’s pacing between putting you in rooms full of enemies and then giving you a miniboss is great always to keep you on the move. Wrath has a simplistic movement system that requires a lot of time and skill to master. Playing through on medium difficulty proved challenging and it was only once I got accustomed to the movement that I started feeling the rhythm.
To complement the movement, there are a variety of weapons to help. You can easily switch between these with the Q button, the numbers row, and the mouse wheel. Ammo is always scattered around the world and all the weapons have a primary and secondary firing mode. There are enemies you need to get close to and enemies who you need to kill from a distance as they explode on death, leading you to your health.
Secrets and Exploration
In addition, you will go back to the days of gaming where colored keys will open colored doors, and these are often impeded by obstacles and puzzles in the level that you will have to overcome to proceed.
Similar to Doom and Quake, there are secrets to uncover in the world. Powerups you can pick up and equip with varying abilities such as lifesteal, the ability to enter a rampage mode, and more! All of these when combined with the fast-paced shooting make for an orchestra and Wrath puts you in the shoes of its conductor.
The levels are also designed in a way you have equal parts maneuvering and constant jumping. A lot of forgotten staples in the FPS genre can be found here such as strafing, bunny hopping, and more. Albeit you will need a lot of skill to get good at each of these, once you do get the hang of them, you will be taken back to the glory days of FPS games when dual-core processors were seen as the biggest change in the PC gaming world.
Presentation
This is where the presentation is a double-edged sword. The game looks equal parts colorful and dull depending on the stage you are in. What is worth noting is that the game has been built on the original Quake 1 Tech engine. This is definitely the most unorthodox aspect of this entire game, where developers are looking to implement realism and eye-catching graphics in their games, KillPixel, the developers have instead opted to try and make a title as close to the source material as possible.
The effort is commendable and because of this, you can easily reach 500 FPS in the game. While a lot of scenes look familiar and on repeat, given the self-imposed restriction on an engine that is probably older than most readers of this review, they still managed to deliver a game that looks hella good.
Admittedly, some parts of the game did look a little drab and boring, and in some sections, I had to take up my brightness extensively to see in the game, but that can be attributed to the design of the game as darker levels were an aesthetic choice of games at the time, particularly Quake and Doom.
Conclusion
WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is a fun entry to the boomer shooter genre that offers challenge, is built from an ancient engine, and is one of the best shooters you can play if you are looking to escape the modern standard of easy levels, handholding in video games, and other design choices in modern games to cater to the larger audiences. While the crowd that will enjoy the challenge of this title will be very niche, it is a very enjoyable shooting experience that is set back by a story that could have been more engaging and fulfilling.
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This review is based on the PC version of WRATH: Aeon of Ruin. The key was provided by Fulqrum Publishing.
