A Game A Day #1 - Wrack

Before even playing Wrack, I was linked to an article by Brad Carney, the man behind most of the game. In it, he vehemently dismisses the notion of his brainchild being a “retro” game in any way. I do get how someone could mistake it for one, though. It is an FPS that relies heavily on genre conventions of yore, like SPEED, DIFFICULTY and CARNAGE.

Wrack pushes all the right buttons from the very start. The opening has you holding a CYBER-FALCHION, an unwieldy bastard that rewards persistence and skill with EXTREME DESTRUCTIVE POWER. It is telling that one of the strongest enemies present in the unfinished build is most easily taken down using the hyper-blade. The rest of the arsenal (the part of it that’s present, at least) is pretty standard fare - a pistol for picking off enemies from a distance, a shotgun for crowd control, and a pulse cannon for overkill.

Cover is not your friend, but dodging like a motherfucker most certainly is. The level design and enemy spawns both favour frantic running and jumping instead of playing it safe. Spacious rooms with high ceilings interchange with claustrophobic corridors, but the effect is always the same - you have to make smart use of the given space. In the available levels, enemy fire never gets too spammy, but standing still is nevertheless not a smart move. While we’re on the subject, there are no chest-high walls. Take that, modern times.

The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way were a couple of instances of the game failing to communicate properly. An enemy showing no signs of taking damage left me wondering whether he’s immune to bullets or just tough as nails for a while. A spike trap that looked like it could be easily jumped over in fact could not. It cost me several lives; I obliviously persisted, thinking I’m not timing my jumps right. Thanks, spike trap.

Minor gripes, is all. Wrack looks and feels lovely, and most certainly fills the gaping hole left in my heart by the untimely demise of the 90s shooter. I just wish there was more of it. With only five or so levels available, it hardly justifies the price tag. For now. MY BODY NEEDS MORE HURRY UP GODDAMIT, is what I’m saying.