The Way of Wrath

The Way of Wrath is a strategy RPG in which we have ten days to prepare for battle and the stake is the survival of the tribe we lead. Game was developed by Animmal studio and published by Hooded Horse.

Plot

The Way of Wrath tells the story of a Bronze Age clan, which suffered a heavy defeat in a battle with a powerful rival. The remnants of the tribe took refuge in a freezing valley, but that's not the end of their troubles. The enemy is on their trail and will soon attempt to slaughter every last survivor. Deprived of an escape route, the clan has no choice but to prepare for one last desperate defense - in a place where mere survival is quite a challenge.

The plot here is non-linear and its progress is determined by the player's actions taken during conversations or even exploration.

Game mechanics

Although The Way of Wrath belongs to the SRPG genre, in many ways the title is closer to games with survival elements like Frostpunk than to such series as Fire Emblem or Advance Wars. We don't have here an epic tale of heroes coming to the rescue of the world and gathering an army capable of defeating the forces of evil. Instead, the game is a story of desperate people whose existence or non-existence depends on victory bordering on the miraculous, and this approach affects the entire gameplay.

According to the plot, as a tribe leader we have ten days to prepare them for battle. Before that, however, we must choose the origin of our character, which will depend on the attitude of tribesmen towards the hero. In addition, our actions affect the reputation of the leader. "Terrible" leader is easier to enforce obedience in people with weak will, but will fail in situations that require the trust of tribesmen.

This is important because - like many sRPGs - in The Way of Wrath each character is unique: they have their own beliefs, history and relationships with other people, as well as a future, which will be affected by the decisions we take during the game. Some of them will happen during conversations, settling disputes and establishing the current law. It's better to keep them in mind so that it doesn't turn out that in the course of rescuing a loyal NPC we set a precedent that will either alienate other tribesmen, or will be an example for them and later translate into unpleasant consequences.

Disregard for mother nature can also bring us trouble. Beasts roaming around can be hunted down, but it might as well be people who end up as their prey. Even without them, however, the frosty valley can thin our ranks. Even frozen lakes can be a death trap, not to mention diseases and cold. So it is better to take care of warm clothes and medicinal herbs, and during the hunt to use bait and snares. Especially since equipment can break down and injured people can take days to recover.

In terms of combat, the Animmal team has decided on an unusual solution. Players can choose whether clashes are to take place in turn-based or real-time mode. The game is also merciless here: the enemy uses every advantage, and things are not made easier by the systems of permanent death, damage to equipment, etc.

That is why it is important to prepare for every battle, and not only by taking care of the condition and equipment of your own people (which you produce from captured materials). Shamans and intrigues can sow chaos among the enemies, significantly reducing their combat potential. Also, carrying out reconnaissance and learning the position of enemies will increase the chance of victory.

All these activities are just a prelude to the final attack of the enemy. The history of the tribe will be shaped over ten days, culminating in this final battle. Fortunately, there are no character classes that impose specialization on the hero - his development is based solely on skills. Thanks to this we can always adapt to the situation.

Game modes

The Way of Wrath is a single-player game. There are no alternative game modes - only the story campaign. Nevertheless, this is not a one-time title. Decisions made during the game can completely change the storyline, and the world of The Way of Wrath is full of secrets to discover. All this encourages you to go through the production multiple times.

Technical aspects

The Way of Wrath was created on the Unity engine, which was used in many indie games. Game offers 3D simple graphics.