3D Realms and Killpixel’s latest game is Wrath: Aeon of Ruin. The Upcoming first-person shooter is due for release on the Steam store for PC at some point this summer, along with releases on the Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
The game is a throwback 3D first-person shooter, designed as an homage to id Software’s Quake, with a nice splash of Blood.
The game centers around the Outlander, a warrior stuck in the Ageless Sea, who is tasked by the Shepherd of Wayward Souls to hunt down the Guardians of the Old World and render them unto justice.
The concept is a little bit like Chakan: The Forever, but the gameplay is themed around old-school 1990s 3D FPS titles. The debut announcement trailer was revealed, which you can check out below.
So we see that players have a mixture of weapons at their disposal, including pistols, double-barrel shotguns, stake launchers, and grenades. I’m also kind of shocked that the lead character is a male. These days so many developers try to get woke by putting females in action games to score virtue signal points with corrupt game journalists that it’s actually shocking that we have a masculine, hard-nosed male as a lead.
That being said… I have to admit that the debut trailer did not do it for me. The gameplay looked a little ill-paced and the rooms seemed to be scaled too big for the action that was taking place, and the AI didn’t come across as anything more than shooting gallery targets.
However, there was a second video released, giving gamers 11 minutes worth of gameplay to peruse courtesy of a video uploaded by IGN. You can check out the gameplay below to see if raw footage tickles your fancy.
The video starts inside of a maze-like crypt. We see the main character using his wrist blade to slice the limbs off of the zombies and decapitate them.
It looks a little janky if I’m being completely honest. The animations from the enemies are stiff and it literally feels like a game made back in 1997 or 1998.
Now if you’re okay with that, then it’s cool. And I have no problems with retro-themed games, it’s just that it’s sometimes hard to get into retro games for today’s era when they copy some of the unsavory mechanics from the olden days, such as retarded AI that has a follow-on-sight script, or janky animations that detract from the impact of the weapons and items.
However, I will say that the stage designs definitely are spot on. I love the large, open, almost non-linear approach to some of the areas.
It feels like classic map design 101 from the 1990s, which did not hand-hold players or guide them through levels with obnoxious navpoint indicators and obstructive HUD elements.
As far as design mechanics and gameplay quality is concerned, I feel as if Ion Maiden definitely does the retro gameplay for today’s era far better service than what we see in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin. You can see the gameplay trailer below for Ion Maiden to compare the two.
Now this isn’t to say that Wrath may not get better, because maybe it will. For now, though, I’m not entirely convinced.
Anyway, 3D Realms’ latest foray into reviving retro-FPS gaming will make its debut on the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and on Steam for PC starting this summer. You can wishlist Wrath: Aeon of Ruin right now over on the Steam store.
Oh and I almost forgot, the game will support modding on the PC version, so maybe whatever it lacks on launch the modding community will fix it up right thereafter… hopefully.
(Thanks for the news tip TriHelix)
