Wrack
- November 11, 2013
- Final Boss Entertainment
- 7h median play time
Wrack is a throwback, cel-shaded shooter for a bargain price that any avid gamer would enjoy.
Get on Steam"Wrack is a comedy-styled, single-player shooter game known for its excellent gameplay, stunning visuals, and catchy music. Build up long kill chains to unleash powerful chain finishers, and take down brutal bosses in the vein of Mega Man. Extra modes, Steam Workshop integration, and replayability via Time Attack and Score Attack round out this addictive package."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Fast-paced gameplay reminiscent of classic FPS games like Doom and Quake.
- Unique art style with cel-shading that adds a colorful and engaging visual experience.
- Fun combo system that rewards players for chaining kills and encourages quick reflexes.
- Limited weapon variety with only five weapons, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- Mediocre level design that lacks creativity and can feel dull over time.
- Technical issues such as crashes and performance problems, especially on lower-end systems.
- gameplay160 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Wrack is characterized by fast-paced, arcade-style action reminiscent of classic shooters like Doom and Quake, featuring a combo meter and various mechanics that encourage quick enemy kills. However, it suffers from repetitive gameplay, weak weapon feel, and some design flaws, particularly in level design and enemy variety, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game has engaging elements and a vibrant art style, many players find it lacks depth and can become monotonous over time.
“Beautiful visual style and setting, very dynamic gameplay and good music.”
“The gameplay is very close to Doom; it's smooth, fast-paced action with a combo meter and multiple finishers for every weapon.”
“A fun, simple FPS that has an excellent colorful art style, fun combo mechanics, and fast-paced movement.”
“Decent gameplay let down by terrible level design near the end and a general lack of content.”
“But playing this game for more than 2 hours, you don't miss much as the gameplay is repetitive.”
“As soon as you start playing, the facts stated on the 'key features' and 'reviews' vanish and fade away until you are left alone playing a not brilliant game that becomes quite boring and dull after a few minutes of gameplay.”
- graphics152 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising its colorful cel-shaded art style reminiscent of titles like Borderlands and classic comic book aesthetics. While some players appreciate the unique visual presentation, others criticize it for feeling cheap or lacking in technical depth. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to the game's appeal despite mixed feelings about gameplay and level design.
“Awesome graphics, great music, nice gameplay.”
“Wrack has cel-shaded visuals (borderlands-like) and it's absolutely gorgeous.”
“The graphics look superb and it's extremely well optimized with tight controls and already excellent weapon/enemy balance and a fair amount of variety.”
“The guns feel weak, the music is lame, the art style is half-committed cel shading - even if the arcade mechanics are decently implemented, the whole experience feels like weaksauce.”
“While the art style was neat, I felt like the movement wasn't crisp and the level design was heavily lacking.”
“Considering how I dislike the graphics of Wrack, Doom 1/Quake 1 is a no-brainer for me to recommend over this game.”
- music144 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the contributions of Bobby Prince, known for his work on the Doom series, and highlighting the soundtrack as engaging and fitting for the gameplay. However, some players found the music to be repetitive, generic, or even annoying, leading to a polarized reception. Overall, while the soundtrack has its fans, it also has its detractors, making it a divisive aspect of the game.
“Wrack is an amazing game, with an incredible soundtrack.”
“The soundtrack is absolutely amazing.”
“When everything kicks in, with you just unleashing havoc all over the place with the Bobby Prince soundtrack in the background, it's just amazing.”
“God awful music.”
“Seriously, this game has one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard.”
“The music is incredibly generic, the writing is terrible, there is no voice acting, and the attempts at humor fall flat and it's definitely not something you should look for in this game.”
- story108 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely considered irrelevant and poorly executed, with many players finding it boring and unengaging. While some appreciate the attempt to create a narrative, it often feels like an afterthought, overshadowed by the gameplay, which is the main focus. Overall, the story is criticized for being simplistic, repetitive, and lacking depth, with many players opting to skip through the dialogue and cutscenes.
“I can respect the devs for going for their own style (heavily cell-shaded and comic book influenced) and attempting to create a story.”
“The story of the game follows... somewhere in 21xx when humanity lives happily and forgot what 'military' forces is, only one man remains fitting for action is you, Kain.”
“It kinda ends on a cliffhanger story-wise, and I really want a second episode, but what we have is good enough.”
“The plot is pointless and the writing fails to be funny or interesting, but the commentary during loading screens is pretty well written.”
“There's a story mode that I found incredibly boring and never really finished, which introduces you to the different levels the game has through static cutscenes and dialogues.”
“They try to introduce some story, but it's all ham-fisted and dull. The characters are unlikeable and bland, and you don't get any type of backstory for anyone.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as reasonably strong, particularly due to the inclusion of "time attack" and "score attack" modes, which offer additional challenges. While some users express skepticism about replay value, many believe that the potential for modding and mapping projects will enhance the game's longevity. Fans of classic shooters are likely to find enough content to keep them engaged.
“That may not be many, but there is a lot of replay value!”
“If you liked Doom, Quake, Gungrave, shooters of the past, you will like Wrack... fast-paced and old school... but this time with some new goodies. This is only my first impression; just wait until the game takes off if you aren't sure. There shall be plenty of modding and mapping projects to come, so replayability is definitely an aspect as well.”
“Let's face it, the replay value of games like this is zero.”
“There is probably replay value in the 'time attack' or 'score attack' modes.”
“If you liked Doom, Quake, Gungrave, and shooters of the past, you will like Wrack... fast-paced and old school... but this time with some new goodies. This is only my first impression; just wait until the game takes off if you aren't sure. There shall be plenty of modding and mapping projects to come, so replayability is definitely an aspect as well.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate its childish and dry humor, others find the writing and comedic attempts to be lackluster and uninteresting. The loading screen commentary is noted as a highlight, but overall, humor is not a strong selling point, and the game's fast-paced arcade style may overshadow its comedic elements.
“This game has some nice humor along with it; it's also very fast-paced and arcade-like, so points are involved but not really necessary unless you care for high scores.”
“Still, I liked the game's presentation and childish humor.”
“If you like throwback FPS games with a bit of dry humor, you should probably get this.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth gameplay and minimal frame drops, others experience persistent bugs and freezing issues, particularly in its early access state. Despite these problems, some users remain optimistic about future updates improving performance. Overall, the game shows potential but still requires significant stability improvements.
“But I think everything else runs great.”
“I understand that there sorts of issues will always happen, especially with small teams working on PC games, but I've given this game months and now that it's 'released' it's just as buggy, broken, and unplayable as it was 6 months ago.”
“The only problem I have with it is that it freezes up for about a second every time, which I can understand why the game is early access right now, but so far it's an awesome game. I will give it about 9.5 out of 10 right now and hopefully the next update can fix my problem.”
“The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there; it is pleasant all the same.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its excellent optimization, allowing it to run smoothly even on older systems with maximum graphics settings. Players appreciate the tight controls and balance in gameplay, contributing to a satisfying experience despite some mixed feelings about the game's overall appeal.
“The latest update (Apr 30, 2015) really optimized the game; even on my older system (Core 2 Duo), it runs perfectly with all graphics settings at maximum.”
“The graphics look superb and it's extremely well optimized with tight controls and already excellent weapon/enemy balance and a fair amount of variety.”
“The gameplay and gunplay are akin to a classic shooter and are incredibly optimized.”
“I say alright because, even though the art style and music are awesome, the gameplay and gunplay being akin to a classic shooter and being incredibly optimized; I just couldn't get the appeal of this game.”
“The latest update (April 30, 2015) really optimized the game; even on my older system (Core 2 Duo), it runs perfectly with all graphics settings at maximum.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of effort to progress. Many describe the weapons as uninspired and tedious, contributing to a frustrating experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The weapons are bog standard and many are just tedious as hell to use.”
- character development4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for its shallow presentation, with below-average cut scenes, music, and character design. While the comedic intent is evident and some text-based dialogue is amusing, overall depth and engagement with the characters are lacking.
“It suffers from a shallow presentation; cut scenes, music, and character design are below average.”
“It's clear from the character design that the developers intend this to be more of a comedy, and I did find some of the text-only dialogue to be amusing.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The monetization model features microtransactions that are perceived positively by users, as they are associated with supporting a good cause.
“Microtransactions for a good cause.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is heavily influenced by the classic Doom series, featuring squarish level designs and atmospheric vistas that evoke nostalgia. The inclusion of music by Bobby Prince, the original composer for Doom, further enhances this immersive experience, creating a compelling blend of visual and auditory elements reminiscent of the iconic franchise.
“Not just the way it plays, but even the level design feels like Doom, with the squarish geometry and windows that look out onto atmospheric scenes. The music sounds Doom-ish, which is awesome because they got the revered Bobby Prince to do it - the guy who actually made the music for the original Doom games!”
