PAX East 2019: KillPixel Reconjures The FPS Genre With Wrath: Aeon Of Ruin

Back at PAX East 2018, I visited 3D Realms with their then-upcoming title Ion Maiden which reintroduces the first-person shooter genre based on titles like their previously developed title Duke Nukem 3D. Developer Voidpoint shared to be using the same engine as the 1996 title and pushed past the boundaries of the game since the title was in development on better hardware compared to two decades before.

Now 3D Realms has yet another title on the way that will be gracing the nostalgic genre of the mid to late-1990s this PAX once again with Wrath: Aeon of Ruin. Florida-based studio KillPixel brings a more hardcore title to the genre compared to 3D Realms previous games that have a backlog of witty comebacks and one-liners. Instead, the player is introduced to the new protagonist who simply goes by the name, the Outlander.

Coming upon the ageless sea, you meet the Shepard of Wayward Souls who greets you with the task to take down the five guardians that have emerged from the Old World to control this new realm. So the new silent protagonist must fight his way to takedown the armies of enemies and cleanse of these new demonic forces ahead of him.

I managed to get some downtime with the game’s demo and test the waters for what the title offers gameplay-wise and can guarantee the carnage of blood and bullets kept me glued to the build leading to the trial’s end. Emphasizing on the Hell-focused theme for Wrath, the demo performed at a steady 666 frames per second thanks to the hardware present at the booth which really add to the title’s immersion with smoother gameplay.

The game offers more than five different weapons in the demo alone which varies from the hardened wrist blade to a double-barreled shotgun and even a spike launcher. Speaking with the Producer of the game Frederic Schreiber, he shared that there are nine weapons in total with some that have yet to be revealed as of yet.

Another piece of the game that keeps it unique compared to similar titles sharing the same 3D Realms crafted engine is the use of the journal that players will use throughout the course of the game’s story. Which varies from logging enemy entries to jotting down lore of the world and even assist you in the handful of puzzles that will be present ahead of you on multiple occasions.

One thing that got my attention is from the game’s trailer: near the end the Outlanders is met with a portal he enters and the video cuts to black. I asked Schreiber what exactly revolves around the portal is a doorway between worlds that the player is required to use towards progressing through the game’s campaign. Expanding on the topic that players will have the option to select two of the three worlds at the start of the game and will have to discover how to open the final one.

Of course there will be a multiplayer portion of the game for players to ‘Gib’ one another in online matchmaking with unannounced modes for players to fight it out in. Interesting enough, Wrath will also provide local and online co-op that supports up to four players to experience the game’s story with a group of friends.

Asking Schreiber personally what makes Wrath a unique titles seeing how players who first witness the game as a clone based on the similar look it holds, he shares that the title stands to be an authentic experience that players have yet to witness. We already know that the game won’t offer quick quips and pop culture references from the game’s man character, but the title will also gives players a new world that many have yet to play in.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is set to release on PC in Summer 2019.