''Wrack'' is a

single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

cel shaded Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades. A cel shader is often used to mimic th ...

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed and published by Final Boss Entertainment for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. The full release of the game was on September 30, 2014. The game was mostly inspired by games such as

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...

and

Mega Man ''Mega Man'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom, starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker "Mega Man (character), Mega Man". Mega Man (video game), The original game w ...

Gameplay

Wrack is a single-player, cel shaded first person shooter where the player takes control of the protagonist named Kain from a first-person perspective. The player has to fight through many levels of aliens and

cyborgs A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

in a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

scenario. The game is structured in chapters, where the player has to activate switches to proceed to the next room and every chapter includes one boss battle. The design is mostly comparable with Doom, where in every level are health, armor, ammo, secrets and new weapons to find. The protagonist can carry every weapon and doesn't have to reload. The game also includes a kill chain system where by how many enemies you kill in a short time can enable your weapons perform a special attack. After taking damage, health and armor can be regained by finding health packs and armor throughout the level. The enemies in the game vary in their attacks: some shoot projectiles, other use melee attacks or kamikaze. Next to the first person shooter parts the game also has some small platforming and puzzle parts. The game employs an save system that gives you lives. In the beginning you will get three lives and through the levels the protagonist can earn extra lives by earning points or picking up an extra life pickup. Throughout the game offer checkpoints. After you lose lives the protagonist has to start the level all over again from the beginning of the level.

Plot

In the year 2052 the world has found a way to make infinite resources. Thanks to this the world has demilitarized because they don't need armies to protect themselves from wars. Kain, a wracketeer, is sure something bad is going to happen thanks to this. Kain is right, because shortly after the world gets attacked by the Arcturans. Aliens, who want to conquer the world. It is Kain's mission to stop the Arcturans conquering the world.

Development

Brad Carney started development of the game in 2008 on his own WrackEd

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

. The game was initially called ''Project Vega'', then ''The Last Bastion'', before finally being titled ''Wrack''. The title of ''The Last Bastion'' was changed to ''Wrack'' to avoid confusion with the similarly titled

indie game An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

''Bastion''. Carney wanted to avoid potential copyright claim issues and also believed ''Wrack'' was an easier name to remember. His reasoning toward developing the game was his belief that the presence of ''

''-like shooters were missing during that time from the gaming market. Carney later stopped the project and worked at other game development studios. When he resumed work on Wrack, he had to get it through

Steam Greenlight Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 as a way for Valve to provide automatic updates for their games, and expanded to distributing and offering third ...

. The game was eventually greenlit and went on to Steam as an

Early Access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

title. As he continued to work on Wrack, he hired other artists and developers to help him. He asked

Bobby Prince Robert Caskin Prince III, known professionally as Bobby Prince, is an American video game composer and sound designer. He has worked as an independent contractor for several gaming companies, most notably id Software and 3D Realms. Some of his m ...

, who composed for ''

'' and ''

Duke Nukem 3D ''Duke Nukem 3D'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms. It is a sequel to the platform games ''Duke Nukem'' and ''Duke Nukem II'', published by 3D Realms. ''Duke Nukem 3D'' features the adventures of the titular Duke Nuke ...

'', to provide the game's score and sound design. On September 30, 2014 the game moved out of the Early Access phase.

Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, a

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

, rated it 68/100 based on four reviews.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2014 video games Commercial video games with freely available source code Episodic video games Indie video games First-person shooters Single-player video games Video games with Steam Workshop support Steam Greenlight games Science fantasy video games Video games scored by Bobby Prince Video games developed in the United States Video games with stereoscopic 3D graphics Video games set in the 2050s Video games with cel-shaded animation Windows games Windows-only games Early access video games