Wrath: Aeon of Ruin review

Back in 2019 Killpixel and Slipgate Ironworks started work on a throwback FPS game, with a decently meaty early access version that gave a tantalizing taste of what would come. Well, since then it's been a somewhat long-ass wait but Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is finally finished and released. Developed over the span of nearly 5 years by Slipgate Ironworks upon the framework of the venerable Darkplaces engine based on the source code from the original version of Quake, Wrath really feels like a hearty callback to the early glory days of the FPS genre.

The Darkplaces engine definitely has the proper Quake look and feel, though it is capable of far more fancy effects and mapping techniques than the original 1996 vanilla Quake engine ever was. Even with all the extra engine modernizations though Wrath still has the heart and soul of Quake, and really feels like it was torn out of the late 90s and plunked down here in 2024. It just captures that certain zoomy feeling of momentum that Quake was famous for IMO. It's totally satisfying, and really effectively scratches the 90s boomer shooter itch.

The enemy design is varied and impressive, though a few more types would have been nice. The weapons feel really beefy and have satisfying alt-fire modes, even the first gun you find packs a massive punch, and don't get me started on the fangspitter, that thing is an ammo chewing beast that can rip through nearly anything. The gunplay is very satisfying and requires you to quickly switch between weapons to dispense the appropriate firepower to dispatch the foe currently in your crosshairs. 

Level design in Wrath is IMO very good, the exploration feels satisfying to me, and it has an excellent sense of scale and verticality, with a decent amount of secrets to find. The only complaint I really have is the save system is rather weird, relying on main checkpoints called shrines, and single-use quicksave markers called soul tethers. Although you can activate infinite soul tethers, it still feels a bit odd, but it does work in the end.

At the end of the say, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is an impressive entry in it's genre, and manages to stand out well enough from the competition. In my humble opinion it was definitely worth the wait, and I certainly hope that there will be more someday. It's certainly nice to see games using the original Quake engine, and forks thereof. I highly recommend Wrath to anyone who has a taste for such things.

Star Wars Dark Forces Remaster Review

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster

Developed by: Lucasarts, Nightdive Studios

Published by: Nightdive Studios

Date of Release: February 28, 2024

Price: $30

Way back in the early 90s, id Software blew the world away by releasing their smash hit Doom. That ground-breaking earthquake of a game quickly unleashed a tsunami of what the press dubbed "Doom Clones", and would eventually be known as First Person Shooters. Nearly everyone wanted to get in on the Doom Clone phenomenon, and the results varied wildly from amazing games such as Heretic to abysmal efforts such as Operation Bodycount. But then in 1995 Lucasarts tried their hand at it, applying the Star Wars license to their own in-house 3D engine, and what resulted was Dark Forces, an amazing Star Wars experience. And now 29 years later Nightdive Studios has given Dark Forces a loving remaster, and PC and console players alike can experience this masterful Star Wars title anew.

The original release of Dark Forces had some very impressive cutscenes for the time, blending 3D animation with gorgeous hand-drawn character art and rotoscoping techniques worthy of it's film license. Lucasarts definitely took advantage of the CD-ROM medium to absolutely pack it full of gorgeous cinema goodness. However in this new remaster the cutscenes have all been touched up amazingly (all the originals are there optionally as well), with all new CGI done by Brendan McKinney (who also did the cutscenes for Nightdive's Quake II remaster) and 2D art done by Ben Chandler. On top of that the sprites and textures have all been touched up as well, resulting in the a presentation that is the best that Dark Forces has ever looked (you can swap between graphics modes at the press of a button to boot!.

When the remaster launched there were a few flaws in the music playback system, with weird delays in the music and missing notes, however as of the latest patch those have all been smoothed over, and to be honest it sounds as good as playing the original with a high quality GM synthesizer. There's also the option to use FM synthesis for those really old school beeps and boops. Just as with the graphics, the audio presentation in Dark Forces Remaster has been perfectly preserved and enhanced. As for the gameplay, everything is intact and the game plays just like it did originally, though with some lovely modern control accoutrements. There is also a lovely amount of extra content including making-of materials, and a completely restored level that was axed from the original game.

What it all comes down to in the end is clear proof that the folks at Nightdive really care about putting maximum effort into remastering these classics, and it really shows that the staff love these old games. At this point in time there is no better way to experience Star Wars: Dark Forces, on PC and console alike. I've seen so many people beefing on the steam forums that "oh, this is just a patch, it adds nothing, not worth it!", which makes me wonder if they're just blind. This remaster is worth every cent it costs IMO, and is a great example of how to do a Star Wars remaster right (for an example of wrong, please see pretty much any of the Star Wars games ported by Aspyr).

I give Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster 10/10 bacta tanks.