Tested Version: PC-Steam
The charm of the past in recent years is returning to the fore, often due to the fact that gamers are increasingly dissatisfied with the videogame proposal proposed by the developers. For this reason, for some time now many software houses have been re-proposing remakes or titles strongly inspired by the golden age of video games: the 90s.
Among the various titles born under the aegis of "rogue nostalgia" there is Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, a video game developed by the guys at KillPixel Games and launched on the market by 3D Realms and 1C Entertainment, both known to the general public for titles such as Duke Nukem 3D and IL-2 Sturmovik. In fact, we have been lucky enough to try this interesting title in its latest version during these days, after having already analyzed it in Cologne during Gamescom.
A pleasant return to the past
As soon as the software was started it was impossible not to think of the legendary Quake, in fact, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin recovers from the historical id Software videogame a series of dynamics, from the dark atmospheres to the rhythm of the game to the gun. Probably, all this depends on the fact that the graphics engine is the same, In fact, the title created by the guys at KillPixel wisely mixes the graphics engine Quake 1 Tech, Unreal, Hexen and Blood. Repeating in some way what was accomplished in a more than satisfactory way with Ion Fury.
The game world will take you into the role of the Outlander, a figure commissioned by the Shepherd of the Lost Souls to search for the Guardians of the Old World, each of them hidden in a different area, all reachable from the initial map that acts as a hub. In fact, once you have passed the short tutorial, the developers will leave you to yourself, no indication or advice, only enemies, blood and death.
If, like myself, you were born on bread and Doom, in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin you will discover a true FPS classic, taking you to explore huge areas in search of healing items, pieces of armor, ammunition and devastating weapons. A few minutes of play will be enough to catapult you back to the 90s and rediscover the purest fun, far from the current conceptual logic of a certain type of gaming, leaving complete space for "ludus".
Among the other features that distinguish this title, it is impossible not to mention the interesting rescue system proposed, entirely based on Soul Theters. In fact, you can only save your progress by obtaining and using these magical artifacts, fortunately they are cumulative items, so your task will be "facilitated".
Welcome to Hell!
The aspect that will amaze you the most, however, leading you to bother a series of divinities unknown to most people is the difficulty. Let's start with the fact that the game will allow you to choose between four different challenging levels. During our trial, we chose (in this order) Hard, Normal (Medium) and Easy (Easy), these choices are directly related to the fact that Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is a decidedly difficult and prohibitive title.
This aspect depends on the fact that over the years, the software houses to make some video games accessible to all have preferred to lower the difficulty bar, too often creating extremely guided games, but we will talk about this on other occasions.
Obviously, the first moments of the game are quite simple, in fact, the first enemies will fall at the foot of your powerful blade in a short time, but the game will start to get tough as soon as you meet the first demons with firearms (for this reason we recommend you to save frequently).
Another fundamental element is the approach, in fact, during our first sessions we used the modus operandi of many modern FPS, that is, in Rambo style. A style rewarded in the first moments thanks to a low intelligence of the creatures, but soon a victim of the infinite amount of enemies that will surround you.
Therefore, we would like to advise you on a more suspicious and cautious modus operandi, as by paying greater attention to the environment around you you will be able to hear the movements of the enemies and you will be able to avoid absurd "wild piles" that will lead you to certain death. . In fact, we remind you that armor and energy do not recharge.
Graphic compartment
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is not a title that you will remember for the graphics of the surrounding environments, in fact, just as Quake presents itself to the player with bare and decidedly angular environments, all surrounded by small textures spread a little everywhere and a series of effects little memorable specials.
The title created by the KillPixel guys in fact points more to substance than to form, and in titles of this genre it is important that the gameplay is solid and fun. This particular aspect aims to offer an old-gen experience to users, therefore, we do not feel like calling it a defect. As for the minimum requirements, even those who do not have the latest RTX graphics cards or do not have a gaming setup will be able to enjoy the game in all its enormous fluidity.
Final Comment
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is a title that presents itself to players with unequivocal intent. The version we were lucky enough to try has clearly shown that we are in front of a video game that will amaze all gamers who have experienced the golden era of gaming. Obviously, we are talking about an Early Access, so it is far from being a complete title, in fact, the gameplay needs to be further refined and numerous levels are missing. Having said that, we can safely confirm the fact that the playful experience has satisfied us not a little, for this reason we would like to recommend it to all those nostalgic players and lovers of "hard and pure" video games.
