WRATH: Aeon of Ruin Game Cover
WRATH: Aeon of Ruin welcomes new players without holding your hand all the way through.
Starting at $0.97Buy now

"Wrath: Aeon of Ruin" is a retro-style first-person shooter where you play as Outlander, tasked by the Shepherd of Wayward Souls to hunt down the remaining Guardians of the Old World. Explore ancient ruins, battle dark creatures, and uncover forgotten secrets in a dying world. The game is still in active development with a roadmap that may change.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,524 reviews
gameplay144 positive mentions
grinding66 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning level design with intricate environments that evoke a strong sense of atmosphere.
  • Weapons feel satisfying to use, with unique mechanics and alternate fire modes that enhance gameplay variety.
  • The movement system, particularly the use of the melee weapon for traversal, adds a fun and dynamic element to exploration.
  • The save system is frustrating, relying on limited resources that can lead to significant loss of progress if players die.
  • Enemy variety is lacking, with many encounters feeling repetitive and predictable due to the same enemy types being reused throughout the game.
  • Levels can be excessively long and convoluted, making navigation difficult and sometimes tedious.
  • gameplay440 mentions

    The gameplay of "Wrath: Aeon of Ruin" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fast-paced, retro-inspired mechanics and satisfying gunplay, while others criticize the lack of enemy variety and overly long levels that can feel bloated and repetitive. The unique save system adds tension but is often seen as frustrating, and while the movement mechanics are innovative, they may not resonate with all players. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic shooters, but it still requires refinement in its core gameplay elements to fully realize its potential.

    • “The level design is incredible, looking amazing while being built around gameplay mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay feels modern retro.”
    • “With solid mechanics, various enemy types utilizing distinct offensive measures, and an exhaustive arsenal, the game paves a foundation for a very dynamic combat system.”
    • “But the levels from a gameplay standpoint lack variety and are needlessly bloated.”
    • “Huge maps that aren't playing well and aren't designed for interesting exploration and progression, enemy encounters that aren't fun to fight (or straight up annoying), saving mechanics designed to annoy you for some reason.”
    • “The gameplay is boring, the fights look like the game throws at you as many enemies as it can and it is extremely repetitive.”
  • graphics344 mentions

    The graphics of "Wrath: Aeon of Ruin" have been widely praised for their stunning visuals and nostalgic retro aesthetic, effectively capturing the essence of 90s first-person shooters while utilizing a modified Quake engine. Players appreciate the detailed environments, impressive weapon designs, and atmospheric art direction, although some note that certain levels can feel repetitive and lack variety. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a highlight, contributing significantly to its immersive experience.

    • “The aesthetic of the game is fantastic and I love some of the weapons (especially the bladed gauntlet, really fun to use for traversal and as a fallback weapon).”
    • “All around a fantastic experience with captivating gameplay, stunning visuals and atmosphere.”
    • “Genuinely top-notch 10/10 visuals.”
    • “Fyi: the minimum requirements for the graphics card are bs.”
    • “The art style of the enemies and guns don't look cohesive and feel like they exist for the sake of variety of colors as opposed to a unified enemy force.”
    • “However, I have been suffering from some slight frame rate issues and stutters here and there, even after lowering the graphics.”
  • music336 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its predominantly ambient and atmospheric nature, which some find fitting for exploration but lacking during combat. While Andrew Hulshult's composition is praised for its haunting quality, several reviewers express disappointment over the minimal presence of dynamic or intense tracks, particularly during action sequences, leading to a sense of missed potential. Overall, while the ambient soundtrack contributes to the game's atmosphere, many players desire a more pronounced and engaging musical experience to enhance the combat moments.

    • “The music is very well done, as you'd expect from Andrew Hulshult, and is very much in the tradition of Trent Reznor's seminal Quake score.”
    • “Andrew Hulshult once again works his magic and comes out with an incredibly atmospheric and moody soundtrack which fits the feel of the game perfectly.”
    • “The outstanding ambient music and exceptional architectural design form real ambiance, at least for someone with Quake gaming roots.”
    • “The music is practically non-existent.”
    • “The trailer is a complete lie, not once in my playthroughs did the music pick up past some basic ambient background noise.”
    • “One major flaw I saw was the lack of intense music during most of the fights; I really liked the ambient bits when I was exploring, but I felt like there was a waste of opportunity to include more tracks during the fights.”
  • atmosphere208 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning level design, captivating visuals, and a hauntingly immersive ambiance that evokes a sense of dread and otherworldliness reminiscent of classic titles like Quake. While the ambient soundtrack enhances the experience, some players feel it could benefit from more dynamic music during intense encounters. Overall, the game successfully creates a rich, atmospheric environment that draws players into its dark fantasy world, making it a memorable experience.

    • “The game builds up a really good atmosphere, especially when also considering the music and general ambiance in the levels.”
    • “Wrath's sheer atmosphere and sense of scale is unparalleled for a game in its genre.”
    • “The atmosphere is fantastic, the level design is awesome.”
    • “A few things come to mind: tedious, mundane, boring, excessively long 'slog', absolutely lacking in ambience and atmosphere and variety.”
    • “However, there is a distinct lack of atmosphere.”
    • “It's mostly atmospheric which is okay but it would be nice to sometimes have battle music in the big encounters.”
  • story137 mentions

    The story in the game is largely considered minimal and forgettable, serving primarily as a backdrop to the action rather than a driving force. While some players appreciate the world-building and lore, many feel that the narrative lacks depth and fails to engage, with gameplay taking precedence over storytelling. Overall, the consensus is that the game could benefit from a more substantial narrative framework to enhance the experience.

    • “Narratively it's quite light but offers a lot of world building and lore, as well as an intriguing enough plot to keep the campaign moving along.”
    • “Worth noting is the 'story', which is quite light to the point of being background noise but told surprisingly well through an unnerving series of notes (one per level) along with brief dialogues from a mysterious 'shepherd' character who hangs around in the hub worlds.”
    • “It definitely has the gameplay of Quake, but this time it's even more interesting because there's kind of a story throughout the game, but the gameplay is the main focus.”
    • “The story is really nothing at all to be honest and the soundtrack is also pretty bland and forgettable.”
    • “There is no real story or lore to get sucked into this game which I think hurts the experience.”
    • “The story is meh, entirely failing to establish pathos or agency or intrigue of any kind.”
  • grinding68 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with long levels often taking an hour to complete and featuring a lack of enemy variety. Players report frustration with poor level design, unfair enemy placements, and a cumbersome saving system, leading to a gameplay experience that feels like a monotonous slog rather than an engaging challenge. Overall, many reviewers express disappointment, noting that what could have been an enjoyable experience is marred by its tedious nature.

    • “I don't want to fight endless hordes of the same monsters in samey-looking environments for 45 to 60 minutes, it just becomes tedious.”
    • “What starts up as a fun, quake-like boomer shooter slowly devolves into a tedious slog.”
    • “As it is now this game should be a case study of development hell, unfortunate circumstances, bad game design, misuse of a well-known game engine - all blended into one dreadful concoction of tedious and boring half-baked slog of a first-person shooter.”
  • optimization24 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report no significant performance issues or crashes, others experience frame rate drops, particularly in larger levels, even on high-end systems. The game is still in early access, leading to expectations for future improvements, but some users express frustration over the inability to load old saves after updates and the inconsistent performance across different platforms. Despite these concerns, the game maintains a solid atmosphere and gameplay experience.

    • “Performance-wise, Wrath usually runs fine, but in some of the larger levels (for example, the Priory and Crucible of Souls), the game occasionally began to chug along (and I'm running an i9 with 32 GB of RAM and a 4080 graphics card), so players with lower specs may experience bigger dips in frame rate.”
    • “Turning them off doesn't make the game look bad (in fact, on my computer it didn't make a noticeable difference) and will make the game run smoothly on slower computers.”
    • “Maybe it's just some minor optimization needed, so I would expect this to be fixed with patches.”
    • “The only downside, however, is that the optimization isn't perfect since the game is still in early access.”
    • “One small nitpick is just the optimization; my specs are basically on recommended and... I get less than 60 fps.”
    • “P to anyone playing this game not on PC though, every other version's performance is so inexcusably abysmal it makes your average Nightdive port/remaster of an older FPS game look like the Mona Lisa in comparison.”
  • stability18 mentions

    The game generally runs well, but players have reported a frustrating one-second freeze during save moments, which disrupts immersion. As it is currently in early access, users anticipate potential bugs and inconsistencies, reminiscent of other titles at launch. Overall, while the engine performs adequately, the stability issues may detract from the experience until addressed.

    • “The developers at 3D Realms used the Quake 1 engine to make this game (I assume they added bone data for the models), and it runs great.”
    • “Runs great on the Dweck as well.”
    • “+ Runs great.”
    • “The most annoying part for me though: whenever the game saves, it 'freezes' for like a second, which is just annoying and immersion-breaking.”
    • “I posted about this issue on their official troubleshooting page like 2 months ago, but alas nothing has been done to fix this minor issue.”
    • “Especially considering it's an 'early access' project right now, so you're essentially paying for a buggy and inconsistent feeling demo with a promise that it will be fully featured and patched out by a certain date.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky enemy interactions and absurd situations, such as greeting a screeching widow with a shotgun blast, which keeps players chuckling throughout. Players find the game's old-school shooter mechanics and level design amusing, with some aspects, like the robotic precision of certain enemies, adding to the comedic experience. Overall, the humor is a notable aspect that enhances the enjoyment of the fast-paced gameplay.

    • “I never stopped chuckling to myself when a widow would screech at me and I'd greet it with a blast of the double barrel shotgun.”
    • “Can't decide which is more hilarious - Star Citizen or this.”
    • “Old school shooter, fast paced, hard as hell, very funny.”
  • replayability14 mentions

    Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it feels overly padded and lacks engaging content to encourage multiple playthroughs. While the initial gameplay experience is enjoyable, the limited levels and lack of exploration options contribute to a sense of repetitiveness, leading to a consensus that the game could benefit from more varied and open environments to enhance replay value.

    • “All of that could add more replayability and longevity to a really good game.”
    • “- more open maps with more to explore to increase replay value”
    • “So unfortunately, I'd say this game has little replay value.”
    • “Maybe it doesn't have a lot of replay value due to its length, but it's still one lengthy romp of boomer shooter action.”
    • “Maybe it's because currently only the first two levels are playable, but I just played through normal and hard mode without dying once.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing feelings of wrath but ultimately finding the experience lacking in engagement and emotional depth. While the visuals may appeal to some, the overall emotional impact does not resonate strongly, leaving players wanting more from the experience.

    • “It definitely made me feel some wrath.”
    • “In fact, very few of the spaces have made me feel anything.”
    • “However, nothing presented in wrath so far made me feel pumped or engaged, which is the main thing I want from an FPS.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users strongly advising against purchasing it unless a fully complete version is released, which they deem highly unlikely in the foreseeable future.

    • “Cash grab of the highest order; stay away from this game and only consider buying if they release a complete version, which is unlikely in the next one thousand years.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy WRATH: Aeon of Ruin

Play time

9hMedian play time
23hAverage play time
3-52hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News