Wrath: Aeon of Ruin

It's been a long journey for Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, the latest in a seemingly never-ending stream of retro-scented first-person shooters. A dark, bloody story that invites you to a distant land of evil and gothic architecture. In short, if you've seen or played some of the genre's more prominent titles like Dusk, Hrot or Cultic, much of Aeon will feel familiar.

Brutal and challenging with a whole cavalcade of delightfully unholy creatures, ready to taste the rough side of your shotgun. Because let's face it, there's no better measure than the feel of perhaps the most classic of guns. The weapon that can single-handedly make or break so much of the gaming experience. Something I can also happily report Wrath succeeds very well with.

Because among the almost countless amounts of boomer shooters I've had the pleasure and privilege of testing in recent years, few have managed to capture that classic Quake feeling in the same way as Wrath. All weapons, not least the aforementioned shotgun, have a hugely satisfying feel with the ability to pulverise your opponent into a fountain of bodily fluids and limbs in no time at all.

It's clear that developer KillPixel has put a lot of time into the arsenal that your character, The Outlander, has at his disposal as he makes short work of the hedonistic population of the dark, dying land. Which is also Wrath: Aeon of Ruin's greatest strength. It's creative and nostalgic without feeling desperate or contrived, and the crazy arsenal of deadly tools is a joy to deal with.

Everything from a machine gun that churns out teeth to a large club that absorbs enemy souls. There's a lot to discover here and every weapon, whether it's intended for melee or ranged combat, has secondary effects for you to play with. And that's a good thing, because as mentioned above, Wrath can be quite punishing in its difficulty, with enemies attacking you from all directions.

It is, in many ways, the sequel to the Quake we never got. With even bigger and more complex environments that manage to balance exploration with that nice sense of momentum that ID Software's immortal classic was known for. Because the legacy of Quake is something that clearly permeates every bit of Wrath, and it's a game that never, ever apologises for what it is. Brutal.

Because if there's one thing Wrath: Aeon of Ruin doesn't do, it's hold your hand, for better or worse. Challenges are never a bad thing, but the expansive levels combined with the overwhelming darkness and sometimes repetitive textures can cause a lot of frustration, and getting lost is easy if you're not observant.

Similarly, Wrath would have benefited from a little more variety among the enemies, especially considering how many of them you are forced to confront at times. And it is noticeable that the game has spent a lot of time in early access, not least in the earlier levels which in my opinion are not up to the same standard compared to what is offered later.

But despite the minor flaws, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is still an incredibly solid start for KillPixel, and after a few patches it will surely flourish even more. Because if you appreciate exceptional amounts of violence, foreboding darkness and the old school unforgiving gameplay that Quake represents, then Wrath: Aeon of Ruin will fit you like a glove.