Wrath: Aeon of Ruin Review - Brutal, Yet Underwhelming

Plenty of boomer shooters launch first in Steam's Early Access, but rarely do they spend as long a time in development as Wrath: Aeon of Ruin. Still, a long development isn't necessarily a bad thing, and Wrath's had a chance to gather a lot of feedback since 2019. The first time I played it, I wasn't all that impressed, but I definitely saw its potential.

After all, it's quite amazing to see a modern game developed on old-school Quake 1 tech, as is the case with Wrath. However, even with the backing of strong names like Fulqrum and Denmark-owned 3D-Realms acting as publishers, developer KillPixel created a boomer shooter that does little to stand apart from the rest.

Gunplay is Where Wrath: Aeon of Ruin Excels

The full release of Wrath: Aeon of Ruin adds two new episodes as well as additional weapons, enemies, and items. There's plenty to play around with now, as I found the state of Wrath's Early Access release to be a little underwhelming in the content it provided. Having played through the entirety, it's a game with some strengths, but also evident weaknesses.

At the very least, I'm happy to report that gunplay is where Wrath excels the most. I remember not enjoying the way weapons felt when I played in 2019, but either my tastes have changed or KillPixel made some considerable improvements to the way weapons feel (or both). The full arsenal brings a diverse set of tools, so even Hell itself is conquerable.

The shotgun, a double-barreled monstrosity, still remains a favorite of mine as it packs a consistent punch and tears enemies apart. My initial cold reception on the Fang Spitter -- a machine gun that shoots freakin' teeth -- is now a lot warmer as I frequently used it to take down stronger enemies during hectic battles.

New weapons, like a biopunk-looking railgun, takes out enemies from afar and feels exceptionally powerful and satisfying to use. My favorite new weapon of the bunch, though, is a mace that steals souls. Hitting enemies with it takes their essence that can be used to release explosions with the alt-fire. It almost feels like cheating with how powerful it is.

Every gun and melee weapon has an alt-fire, so even if there are nine weapons total, the arsenal feels versatile. Wrath will put you through the wringer, so every weapon in your arsenal is invaluable. Enemies are brutal and don't hold back; often, Wrath throws an almost absurd amount of enemies at you.

A Frustrating Cast of Enemies in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin

Speaking of enemies, the variety of foes in Wrath left me feeling underwhelmed. You'll see the same handful of enemies for the vast majority of your time playing. Even if the gunplay feels fantastic, fighting the same enemies for hours on end can be a bit boring at times.

Not to mention, the way Wrath uses some of its more annoying enemies brought me to my wits end. Some foes are designed to kill you extremely fast -- there's this one charging enemy that is placed around corners or spawn right behind you in order to insta-kill you. By the time you notice, it's usually too little too late.

Indeed, as I played more and more of Wrath, it seemed as though certain enemies were meant to infuriate rather than provide a challenge. Making liberal use of the save system is key, but saves are a finite resource in Wrath. All of these factors serve as a way to artificially inflate the difficulty and lacks creativity.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin's Aimless Level Design

It's equally unfortunate that Wrath's flounders on what is perhaps my favorite part of boomer shooters: level design. Wrath's three episodes have five levels each, so there's ample opportunity for exciting and varied experiences. More often than not, I was not only bored by most levels but also scratching my head at some design choices.

Levels are absolutely massive, with most taking over 40 minutes to complete -- there are also 500 or more enemies in each level. As a result, some of these levels drag on and on with what feels like no end in sight.

Many stages are visually uninspired, too. There are only a handful of areas in Wrath where I can think back and recall how cool or well-designed it looked. Most levels are bloated with areas that look far too similar. To make matters worse, there isn't a map in Wrath, so you're prone to getting lost.

The lack of a map constantly made me unsure of my direction. While I'd eventually find my way to the exit, I couldn't shake the feeling I was aimlessly wandering around most of the time. There were a few levels later on in Episode Two and Three that felt like there was a more cohesive vision behind them, but these moments are rare.

Many boomer shooters -- like Amid Evil and Warhammer: Boltgun -- thrive when they have a level that focuses on a singular theme. I wish I could say this was the case with Wrath. While episodes share a similar aesthetic look to them, individual stages themselves blur together in my memory. It's all just dark, drab, and a bit mundane.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin | Final Thoughts

I try not to compare games to each other when necessary, but I can't help but think that if Wrath: Aeon of Ruin fully released in 2019 rather than in Early Access, it would feel like a much better game. But alas everything Wrath: Aeon of Ruin does, other boomer shooters have done better. It's not a bad game by any means, but why settle for bog standard?

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin was reviewed on PC with a code provided by the publisher over roughly 14 hours of gameplay. All screenshots in this review were taken by the reviewer during gameplay.