WRATH: Aeon of Ruin VR - Brutal Edition

When playing these 90s style shooters (as someone who grew up in the 90s) I look for 3 things: 1. Speed- You should be able to dart around, enemies should spawn all around you, and you should be strafing, rotating, and shooting all around you. 2. Chaos- enemies should be shooting at you and things are blowing up in every direction and you have to try and return fire, quickly and precisely while avoiding as much damage as you can. 3.Gore- Doom set the feel of these shooters with gore that was at a level that wasn't normalized in video games during it's time. If you aren't chopping off heads, melting enemies meat off of their bones and leaving bloody carnage all over the map, then it just isn't a true Boomer Shooter. Aeon of Ruin hits the mark on all 3 of these elements and even a couple bonus ones such as temporary power ups, hidden rooms, locked doors and hidden key mechanics etc. It sits right in place with the genre it is trying to be, and gives you exactly what you are looking for when you pick up a game like this. I did receive this game for free, just a little early, as a playtester, but that doesn't limit what I can say about the game. There are a few things that I feel aren't perfect, but I am not detracting any stars over them, such as, I am not typically a fan of the retro style graphics, but this is a flat game reworked as a VR title so it wouldn't be fair to criticize it on that point, and honestly this game did it very well, and it does make me feel like I am inside of a 90s shooter, which is kind of the whole point. This is what I dreamed of in the 90s when playing games like Doom and Quake. Also it has one of my pet peeves which is when pressing in an analog stick takes you out of the action into a menu. I tend to have heavy thumbs, especially in these super fast intense games, but remarkably I rarely had problems with it in Wrath... In fact, I don't feel like I usually have these problems in VR, but it is something that has ruined OTHER games for me, but not this one. Sometimes when trying to grab a gun with both hands I would accidentally spawn the blade of ruin instead on my offhand, and since things are so chaotic, I didn't always know that I did that, and it would be mildly frustrating for a second until I realized why things weren't working as expected, but if anything it only demonstrates how deeply immersed I am in every second of this games chaotic moments, and I would find myself blurting out curse words reactively because I was concentrating too hard to censor myself, lol. (which is also reminiscent of my life in the 90s). All I can say is Bravo Team Beef and Bravo Flat2VR, you have pulled it off again!

This is a fantastic port. The game looks and runs like a dream. Combat is faced paced and brutal. Every weapon I have discovered so far has a distinct feel when using them and the haptics are great. Pick this up immediately if you like boomer shooters, VR fps or you just enjoy playing a quality game. If I didn’t know this was a ported game I would have thought it was made for VR. Absolutely fantastic job by the Devs.

If you grew up in the 90's or if you have an appreciation for "Boomer Shooters" and you want to be *inside* of that era, this is the game for you! WRATH:Aeon of Ruin has been resurrected in a beautiful PSVR2 port bringing VR controls and combat to an already fast-paced and brutal experience. You will see glorious gibs in a retro style paint the walls as you blast apart enemies which have fantastic creature designs that invoke similar looks and characteristics of other classic shooter enemies while still providing their own spin and identity.

There's a lot of detail only thing that looks retro are the textures. The game itself is not pure corridors there's plenty of big outdoor levels that make me wish it were open world. The big open levels look good in VR. Gameplay is the other strong point thanks to the haptics and flick reload actual it feels great.

Firing up Wrath Vr instantly transported me back to my childhood days of playing Doom, Quake and other “Boomer shooters” with its chaotic, blistering fast pace that takes the “VR Training Wheels” off with control speeds that rival any vr game I’ve played to date and does so with a silky smooth framerate. Jumping around a corner in one of the best implemented slow motion mechanic I’ve played in vr with a push of a button to wipe out hordes of enemies then marveling at the pixelated remains and blood splatter all over puts a smile on my face. There is a story here but it takes a backseat to the insane action and ability to slice and dice enemies in mid air with dual blades and ability to dual wield any combination of weapons you see fit. Large maps that are fun to explore for hidden relics and secrets. One of the only issues i had with my playtime that affecting the pacing of the game was getting lost in these large environments and not knowing where to go to continue the mayhem and story. There is an ability to highlight the path forward but if you are far away from that path then you will not see it as it doesn’t take in account your present location. Something trust i am sure is easily fixed with a patch. This games art style is retro infused with lighting bloom and nice particle effects when dispatching foes. Sound quality is above par using the 3d audio to detect where enemies are but there are a few occlusion issues where you will hear an enemy through a wall like it is right there. Jumping around and lunging over areas with my blades is so much fun. For VR enthusiasts like myself this game pushes everything to the limit with native bhaptics vest support, adaptive triggers, controller and head haptics to really immerse you in battle. However, more use if headset haptics would be welcome. Overall i am 5 hours in and i am loving my experience with this game with more to come that keeps pulling me back in. A big win for VR!!

This is a super fast paced game and the VR port allows you to take the training wheels off with a blistering movement speed and a turn speed slider that allows speeds past what most people will ever want. The movement techs you can use along with that speed are great so if you have your VR legs you can achieve a fully training wheels off game.

A grate game for slashing, blasting and will keep you coming back for more!!