Wrath Aeon of Ruin Review - Early Access - The ultimate retro fps?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Hey everybody welcome back! Whatever part of the country you're in I hope you're handling this crazy weather we're getting okay. It's not a bad time to hunker in and get some quality gaming in. I finally got to dive into Wrath this last week and in many ways it was exactly what I expected/ hoped but in other aspects it surprised me, like it's limited save system and massive levels. The amount of work put into this title is very clear and impressive and while it's a bummer Wrath keeps getting delayed I think it's shaping up to be one of the most impressive titles in this retro shooter boom. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments. Also below is a link to the Steam page if you want to know more info on the game. store.steampowered.com/app/1000410/WRATH_Aeon_of_Ruin/ 00:00​ - Intro 00:38​ - What is Wrath Aeon of Ruin? 1:32​ - Wrath Presentation - Quake engine 3:54​ - Wrath Aeon of Ruin gameplay 4:19​ - Wrath levels 6:43​ - Wrath enemies 8:11​ - Wrath weapons 10:26​ - Artifacts 11:27​ - lots and lots of fps combat 12:57​ - The save system 15:26​ - Conclusion

[@Robocop_1987]

The gore effect are just as satisfying as Prodeus .

[@nikitalebedev5381]

"Alright, let's dive in." *dives in the game* Small details like that, I can appreciate.

[@RickTheriaultJrII]

Ah, yes. Definitely been anticipating this one for awhile now. Will definitely be picking up this one up on release.

[@TetherOnline]

Just a heads up, since I just spotted this now, theres a small team of modders that go by 'Team Beef' that is working on a unofficial mod for this game to port the game over to the Oculus Quest with full VR controls included. They just posted the video not to long ago from when I wrote this comment and now I'm even more interested in this title.

[@RetroDeathReviews666]

Great review man. This has been my most anticipated game for years now, ever since the moment the announcement trailer dropped. I even preordered the founder's edition box. But I trust them, Ion Maiden/Fury came out really good despite delays. I'm assuming this one will too. Hoping my expectations aren't too high because I can forsee this being my favorite out of all the revival boomer shooters, and possibly even one of my all time favorites. Cultic is gonna up there too, I bet.

[@maxkliegl2001]

Thank fuck Wrath is finally coming out in February for real! I could definitely see Wrath being my 2024 game of the year!

[@MrBlonday]

Old school fps are my favorite freaking games out there, Doom, Duke 3D.. just got the shadow warrior for xbox and ion fury, I cannot wait for this game to come to xbox!

[@jeffreywaugh926]

It’s been said before but you definitely deserve more subs. I know I’ll keep watching your channel love your vids man.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Subs are great, but comments like this are the best kind of reward. Thank you for watching Jeffrey!

[@Pbmarron]

Prodeus...Wrath...And I still need to play Dusk. I love this resurgence of old school shooters!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Oh man I envy you, I wish I could play Dusk again for the first time.

[@Pbmarron]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS Saving up to get it next month on Steam! I’m excited!

[@juzok2011]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS play it baked you forget 50% of the things

[@viliussmproductions]

Looks both authentic and actually good visually. Lots of the details and animations are quite impressive. Glad they went big with the maps. Dusk has spoiled me.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Yeah it strikes a good balance. Old school enough for the old school fans but just enough fidelity to bring in newer players. Some fine work in this one.

[@mymonitoreatsmice]

i agree, especially in regards to your point on the amount of enemies. During combat encounters there's usually a very high number of enemies anyway and to just spawn them left and right continuosly... sometimes it was tiring and felt artificial. I think it also ruins the tension sometimes, because after a while i just expected enemies to show up during... anything, and the game didnt surprise me as much. Still, this game has some fantastic action and the weapons are great, combat is engaging and fast, and the movement is slick. One of the better fps games to come out imo, but yeah, to tone the enemy count down a bit sometimes would keep the combat more fresh i think.

[@MidnightMedium]

Love for this to become fully put together. Wont be buying in till I can justify the price tag. Does look pretty fun tho.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Yeah it's a little on steep side for how much content is left to come. I have a good feeling about this one though.

[@MidnightMedium]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS me too. They're taking their sweet time. And I'm holding my breath on console version, which is my usual preferred platform tho I've mostly been playing PC classics from the summer sale recently as I sold my systems to save for the new gen of consoles.

[@MidnightMedium]

bruh, weird problem, but I can't even watch this video for fear I'll be distracted from my Thief: Deadly Shadows playthrough and go buy this. This shit looks awesome, especially that shotgun. Funny how many boomer shooter people can't get enough buckshot in their diet

[@angusmarlow5136]

Rad video man! I've been keen to hear your opinion on this one. I really agree with the pacing of the game aswell. I've been playing the game on hard and It just feels like when a new environment is introduced, you don't really have enough time to absorb it with the absolute onslaught of enemy's the game throws at you sometimes. One thing I also hope changes in the full release is at least a bit more enemy variety, I don't feel like enough of the enemies are as versatile as in quake 1. At the moment I'm holding the game to the arcane dimensions mod for quake 1 which does very similar things with it's sprawling and large level design and I feel like that's a really unfair comparison because I mean it's freaking quake. I'm really looking forward to the games release in the summer and hope it sticks the landing.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thanks! Yeah the environments are so cool looking but as soon as you want to go over and look at something cool you're suddenly getting blindsided by an army of heretics. I'm with you on the enemy variety, I think we're good on projectile enemies. I hope we get more levels like the priory, in terms of design but also introducing new mechanics. I had so much fun flying around that underground lava cave.

[@ananon5771]

its really refined,its clearly deigned by people who know the genre i love that they post their engine source on github,makes the game look so smooth on my linux PC,and it makes mods easier and the changes they make will help the whole community make more great shooters also cause the engine has a GPL licence,it probably cant have steam achievements,and if the devs change the license of the engine,id be illegal,the apologetically free code of the GPL just doesnt mix with steams proprietary apis (at least thats how it works from what i know)

[@En7my]

I always get hyped for your new videos. I'm honestly loving the comebacks of these doom/quake inspired shooters lately. Can't get enough.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thank you! And same, I'm always happy to play games like this.

[@En7my]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS and we're glad it's you who does. Have a safe weekend.

[@gospodin338]

Thanks for the review Kirk, wanted to get Ion Maiden on a sale and saw this bundled with it. Will definetly get both now(and those names boogershooter, boomstick...)

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Ooo that's a good deal! Two very solid shooters. Personally I like Wrath more but Ion Maiden (I like the original name too) was a good time, just watch out for the flying drones and spiders.

[@gospodin338]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS Yeah a lot of people say the spiders are crazy, but after playing Blood:Fresh Supply I got a +80 buff to my reflexes in any build game, hate the hitscanners in that game. Hope you get to reviewing it one day

[@Lord_Deimos]

Wrath looks worthy to stand besides Dusk, Prodeus and Ultrakill and it has been on my wishlist since its announcement. The style is nostalgic, the graphics are chunky and the guns are loud, what more is there to ask for?

[@ZFCaio]

This game looks DOPE This and Graven are my most anticipated indie boomer-shooter games

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Graven looks fantastic, I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

[@mac2309zzz]

Excellent video Sr. I've been playing this on the hardest difficulty and it's taking me hours and hours to get through because I've never got a save option when I need it! I've given up for a while as I can't get into the Priory. I made it to the well once but then drowned trying to get through it. I don't mind the 'repeat til your good enough' aspect of this but I eventually lost patience. I will try again because I really want to make it into the priory! It would be interesting to hear Carmack's views on this game...

[@Boondoxx]

an open world mmorpg w these graphics, theme, and weapon mechanics would be so fun

[@SlowPoke1441]

Been so excited for this one!! Love the video!!

[@everydayinfoguy]

Got the early access awhile ago. It's awesome. It's like a way improved doom that is what doom 3 should have been.

[@giacomogiliberti2673]

God that super shotgun is amazing

[@Kamar00n]

Just wanna say thank you for talking about this game, it's my favorite out of all the retro fps games. The only thing I'm worried about is the music, but only because its a bit... unremarkable, and everyone knows Andrew Hulshult could do better. (Don't get me wrong, the music isn't bad, but it's not exactly memorable, like Amid evil or Prodeus or Dusk). Anyway, great review as always Kirk! Look forward to what you have to say at the full release! :) (Also, gonna try and do a shrine-only walkthrough... on outlander difficulty.)

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

You're welcome, thanks for watching! I have similar concerns for the music, hopefully the full release brings some more memorable tracks. I feel like he was try to pay tribute to the old Quake NIN score to mixed results. Good luck on that play through! I don't know if I'd have the patience for it 😂

[@007kingifrit]

i don't think this sub genre is becoming crowded, i am constantly looking for new osfps

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Maybe just to me because I've played so many of them in the last year 😂. I have yet to tire of them though.

[@cheesefries7436]

This looks really good, the movement reminds me of the latest DOOM games more than the old ones.

[@feefety1200]

That heretic monster looks like doom 64 pain elemental.

[@malcolmmacdonald3597]

It's August and no official release date. I can't find anything about it online.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

They might be saving the release or release date for Realms Deep which is a little over a week away. If we don't hear anything then it's time to be concerned.

[@isimioyekunlemarktaiwo3643]

5:31 I don't know if that was intentional but it was funny to me.

[@APOLLYON-IV]

I open up youtube, enemies I watch the video, enemies I like the video, enemies I check the comments and? You guessed it E N E M I E S

[@Gruntvc]

Hmm, maybe when it fully releases. But Quake 2 it is not. Check out, Compound Fracture. New indie FPS with dinosaurs and PS1 retro graphics. Ever played the 2 Paranoia mods for Half Life? Or Underhell?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

I just peeked Compound Fracture and wish listed it, thanks for the heads up! Those graphics look spot on. I have not, Half-Life mods are a lane I'd love to check out someday. I want to get some Half-Life content on this channel in general sometime soon.

[@Gruntvc]

@KIRK COLLECTS, You're welcome. I found out about Compound Fracture yesterday and it looks interesting. 1st person Dino Crisis. Hopefully it'll be better than Alien Resurrection PS1 lol. Paranoia 2 Savior is a stand alone release and uses a heavily modified Gold Source Engine. All 3 games are free too. Heart of Evil was another interesting Half Life 1 mod. Think you'll cover any Vietnam War games? There's several FPS games like: Vietcong or Men of Valor. Vietcong was probably the best one and it was made by an Eastern European dev lol.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

You know I haven't thought of Vietnam games but I'd be willing to cover some. I think the only Vietnam games I've played are Black Ops 1 and 2 and maybe the Battlefield Vietnam demo back in the day. One that comes to mind is Shellshock 'nam 67. I don't think it's very good but it was one of Guerilla's early games and it might be fun to look at for that reason.

[@kingdomkey2262]

Kinda get painkiller vibes from some the weapons and environments

[@Helljumper237]

Wonder how the console port is gonna turn out..

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Me too. I wanna cover the Switch port when it comes.

[@Helljumper237]

I’m probably going to pick it up on Xbox just because I have a pretty weak pc and yeah it’s always great to have a shooter like this wherever you go even if it may lack a bit, are you going to review dusk on switch whenever it comes out?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Yep, I've been patiently waiting for that one.

[@jameshampton4772]

10:59 Twitter Arguments be like.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

😂 truth

[@productivindoid9069]

omg looovvved your channel so much! keep goin, and soon you'll be famous..

[@Kokuyous3ki]

I love this save system. No mare temptation to save scum for me ! :) Though yea, a tad too generous maybe.

[@kobra7227]

When you were talking about the limited save feature I had a PTSD flashback to Soldier of Fortune 2. If you never played it the combat is like F.E.A.R but with no slow motion. Yeah it's as intense as that sounds

[@Name-yd8es]

One thing I don’t like about this game is every update it deletes your save, so I’m waiting for the full game to come out. I own it and did the first level, but I don’t feel like continuously Restarting.

[@eduardodiaz9942]

That's a Quake engine thing, sadly the devs cannot fix that

[@Name-yd8es]

@@eduardodiaz9942 ya sadly

[@beagle-dad2925]

patiently waiting for this puppy!!!!!!!

[@Nakhab]

Funny thing is this latest build started crashing to desktop for no reason xD Plus they made a few changes to weapon mechanics, fang spitter alt fire used to stun lock some of the emenies, including cacodemons, whatever their name is.

[@eduardodiaz9942]

I've been playing this one since the day it came out and it's a blast

[@largerfire9791]

ordered a big box copy, cant wait :) my ion maiden box is dope

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

The is the closest thing to a Quake 2 we'll get since Arcane Dimensions. AND NO Quake 2 we got is not a Quake game, it's only called Quake to sell copies because Carmack is kind of a sell out.

[@mugwump7049]

It was Tim Willits who decided to rebrand Wor as "Quake" 2.

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

@@mugwump7049 I really don't like that guy, this just adds one more reason why.

[@sgtboom7]

I like Wrath. It plays good, sounds good, and feels good. Movement is a little bit on the floaty side (if you're always running) but I don't mind it, it just takes some getting used to. The game is punishing and you will die a lot. So if you like a challenge bordering on bullet-hell you'll like it. I will say that I am not a fan of the music as while it does set the tone of the game, it's not my preferred genre for a retro fps. It feels more like OG Quake rather than something like Doom. So if you like a more toned down, creepy soundtrack you'll like the music but if you're like me and prefer something with a beat? You'll be disappointed. HOWEVER, it needs to be said that this game is in development hell. It is 2023 and after a quick search it is expected to come out spring of this year (I hope that is the case) however, the Steam page STILL reads it's expected to release Summer of 2021 so that still hasn't been updated. It has been delayed several times and while the team has been showing what they have been working on every other week, for a laymen like me, I don't know how significant those updates are especially since they are not implemented into the game and are only being worked on until a major update or full release. Which makes sense since according to some, updating the game makes previous saves unusable so you're forced to wipe and start over. So do I recommend the game? Yes but only after a full release or during a sale and if you get it while it's still in early access know that delays are common and tangible updates are few. But progress updates are frequent.

[@arkgaharandan5881]

"coming out this summer" well, we are here, where is the game?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

We are a week from Realms Deep. They might be saving the release or date announcement for then. If not I'll be asking the same question.

[@samuraishuyin]

When is the official release date for this? I’m getting all kinds of dates online

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Right now it's just Summer 2021, that's according to their own roadmap on the Steam page. It's had several delays which is why the dates are all over the place.

[@samuraishuyin]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS makes sense, thanks!

[@sealboy1211]

I just picked this up, man this boomer shooter craze is fantastic...this one in particular if it delivers the rest at the level they have given.

[@FROSTB4NE]

I wasn’t around to play old school FPS games back in the day so my first experience to the concept was doom 2016, then I went on to play amid evil, dusk, the original doom and Blood fresh supply, they where such a fresh experience because I never really played anything like them before I was hooked, that was until Doom Eternal arrived which has become my new benchmark, just running around a map feels a bit bland now I suppose, Doom eternal has done so much more in that regard, that going back to a more simplistic approach feels a bit repetitive to me. I could be just burned out but yeah, so far Doom Eternal hasn’t hired me in 100+ hours. This games does look good though 😁 but yeah I’ll probably wait a while until I play it as I’ve played too much boomer shooters after the past while.

[@gojizard704]

I know its been 10 months but the slag cannon has an alt fire thats basically the rocket launcher

[@ladymistdragon7287]

Tell me why Project Warlock and Nightmare Reaper have to exist now? This would be sooo good with the right hook, but I can only buy so many $20 games....

[@tobiasgerhardt7604]

Wraths okay, the art direction and architecture are stellar but the saving mechanicd and gunplay as well as the projectile spam just push it down so much, sadly I dont think it compares to Dusk, Amid Evil or even Ion Fury

[@ananon5771]

its really not hard to dodge if you have a bins for the blade and dash if it get hairy after playing it its gun-play is easily better than both amid evil and ion-fury and on par with dusk,but with much larger levels and more enemies

[@tobiasgerhardt7604]

@@ananon5771 possibly Ion Fury but definitely not Amid Evil and even then the movement just feels janky and like it doesnt work with the levels geometry

[@ananon5771]

@@tobiasgerhardt7604 the movement is the quake engine,great feel,and perfect for using engine glitches as valuable skills,i one used the geometry as a ramp for the rune-blade to launch myself into places im no supposed to be,made me able to complete one of the levels out of order on my second play-through.

[@tobiasgerhardt7604]

@@ananon5771 not a fan of it, in the moments where it does work its stellar but those are too rare right now

[@007kingifrit]

i don't like that some of the bodies seem to disappear. that's a cardinal sin of osfps for me

[@RetroToonsOfficial]

Awesome

[@iamvigant]

3:15 lmao, would you also say the legendary Minotaur's Maze was also a bit "samey"? lacking way signs? maybe because that's what a maze is supposed to be ;D ok seriously, no hate, a better review than a few others! to reiterate, in my experience that area excelled at making me feel disoriented and go in circles 5 times until I understood the layout. in fact, that's something this game's level design does often - and does it well :) P.S. rewatched; now I see you were keenly aware, that paragraph was nitpicky

[@DvSDiabloHR]

Anyone know if there's harder difficulties in this than "Hard"?

[@W.2026]

THIS GAME LOOKS SO COOL- *sees the title, "early access"* Oh. *leaves*

[@blackmesa3777]

I want this for PS4. I think limited saving is good.

[@Wylie288]

How does it compare to dusk?

[@jedimindtrickonyou3692]

2+ years later and it's still in Early Access...

[@hanzoslayer]

It’s coming out on switch this week

[@eduardosolorzano5020]

Exited for the combat and look of this game... Challenge would be that save system I hate it and have not even played.

[@doomguy2337]

Ok no one hate me. Gamepad support?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

WHAT KIND OF UNHOLY BLASPHEMOUS QUESTION IS THAT!?!?! jk Right now I don't think there is gamepad support but there might be some work arounds. The game is planned to come to consoles so it's likely the full release will have it.

[@whatsacowify]

I played it for a bit but wasn't a fan. For a start, the long levels grew insanely tedious, and they were just so repetitive. Secondly, there was no progression when I played the game. I fought every enemy and collected every gun in the first level. The levels after that just add more of them, and the ability to choose any level in a hub in any order seriously hurts the game imo. It feels like a less diverse and less fun version of Arcane Dimensions to me.

[@screwthenet]

Wow this game looks perfectly Boomer Shooter! Takes me back. BUt it looks late gen PS2 in terms of graphics. And all the inspiration from older shooters...NOICHE!!!

[@monsteramer2950]

Excellent game👍

[@felipepernambuco7018]

release date

[@RedGreen1]

I'm having fun with this game that's obviously stuck in development hell, but I'd avoid supporting these (early access) development practices unless deeply discounted.

[@xchalibur77]

Yeah, it's too easy. Then why don't we ask some kind of new doom difficulty. I liked them so much that I played both of them a couple of hours each.

[@drebodollaz3504]

This game feels more like a mod than a complete game. There’s no real purpose to anything. Just feels like a random assortment of levels and monsters within a hub. No feel of progression or purpose. The gameplay is good but I’m not a fan of the overall package.

[@druout1944]

Way too much backtracking; which is always terrible design as it kills the action; Prodeus, Turbo Overkill, ?REKKR, Brutal Doom, Project Warlock, Amid Evil, and Hellbound are far, far better. Trepang 2 is also fantastic but closer to F.E.A.R. (an incredible game as well).

[@chadilay69]

n

[@Stefan-1978]

The ultimate delay. I think its dead and will be never released.

[@badkluster]

I hate "early access* and here's why: I purchased the Cramageddon reboot, played it, hated it, and never played it again. The same with Bombshell. They were unfinished, unpolished and full of bugs, but are they like that now? I don't know and I don't care, I'm not going to revisit them. The Early Access is just the worst way to make a terrible first impression.

[@Gruntvc]

It depends. Some are messy. Some are not. You also run the risk of the game never being finished or fixed too. But at least on Steam you can refund the game if it doesn't work out. Digital refund policies on consoles are still terrible by comparison.

[@pricemedlin5651]

I don’t see anything special about this game

[@diego2817]

Ir looks repetitive

[@thenunu5000]

boomer shooter doom

[@Jayy997]

Crown jewel of the new old style shooters? Are you kidding me? This game is easily the worst of the new retro shooter wave, down there with Ion Fury. Generic levels filled with poorly designed enemies and combat. If the full game doesn't dramatically redesign the game, then we're in for some real tedium.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

That's just my opinion 🤷🏻‍♂️. What "new old" shooter is the top of your list?

[@Jayy997]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS DUSK, HROT and Amid Evil are easily the top 3. My criteria for a good old school shooter must be more discerning than yours - they must have great non-linear level design, but also a well designed combat loop where weapons fulfil different roles against dynamic and orthogonally differentiated enemies (if you don't know what that means, watch Game Maker's Toolkit's excellent video on this kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6aygJV9n6h0bbM). Only a few of the new retro shooters meet these criteria from a combat perspective and do it well, namely DUSK, HROT and Amid Evil. Prodeus is OK at it, and Ion Fury/Wrath are terrible at it. It's ironic that the two games ACTUALLY built with the original engines are the ones that miss the mark so much on gameplay. All looks and no substance. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this since obviously your criteria for what makes a great retro shooter are very different to mine.