In this review we are pleased to tell you about Wrath of the Gods, the new chapter in the RPG series The End of the World. First of all we want to say thank you Isola Illyon Edizioni for sending us a physical copy of the manual, Italian localization of the original by Alvaro Loman and Andrew Fischer published by Edge Studio.
The End of the World – Wrath of the Gods it is available at the price of 40 euros on the Isola Illyon Edizioni digital store, including both the physical and digital versions. From the e-shop you can also purchase Zombie Apocalypse, the first volume of this series of RPGs all connected by common mechanics and themes.
Recensione di The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods: il Volume
The quality of the volumes has always been one of the undisputed strong points of Isola Illyon. The manual is solid, pleasant to the touch. While not a huge tome (counting 156 pages), it is satisfying to browse through. Furthermore, it is pleasant to have in the library, also considering the continuity with the previous volume and with those that will follow.
The strong coherence of the line also continues between the pages. The illustrations of Wrath of the Gods they keep the same non-realistic but highly dramatic style of Zombie Apocalypse, which enhances the proposed gaming experience. And also from this point of view it becomes necessary to recognize the work of the Italian localizer. If in the first volume of the saga the translation had caused some smudges in the layout, sometimes just to try to better enhance the artwork, this time the volume is also free from this small defect. Each page is extremely tidy and easily readable, setting a standard for a series of volumes that nevertheless offers quite a challenge from this point of view.
Editorial Continuity
As stated, Wrath of the Gods directly resumes the discussion started with Zombie Apocalypse. The game in fact, it allows the player to immerse themselves directly in an apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic context, playing themselves dealing with extreme scenarios. Take a look at ours review of Zombie Apocalypse can clarify the ideas on how this dynamic works.
If the first volume of the series created various scenarios relating to zombie invasions, here the focus shifts to return of ancient vengeful deities. Similar dynamics for a very different topic. Even if the system is not the most elegant of all, it becomes extremely functional as a common denominator to the various nuances that the experience can offer.
Gaming Experience Review of The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods
The mechanics of the games in the series End of the World they are in fact mainly focused on faithfully recreate the player within the game world e on thehelp him develop his traumas. It’s not the most agile rules package, but it’s the crux of the gameplay experience. This series focuses completely on the transposition of the player into the game world and, although this would require some more in-depth analysis of the security tools, the effect is fully successful.
One of the strong points of The End of the World it is certainly the construction of the various scenarios, and also Wrath of the Gods it is no less. Let’s now analyze those proposed by the manual.
Scenarios
Gaia’s Revenge it is perhaps the least robust scenario of all. Nature seeks to strip humanity of all that it has been deprived of, reducing it to a rural lifestyle. A great classic of the genre, but which leaves very little space for characters who can only survive.
The Return of Quetzalcoatl has a more decisive pace, with the return of the feathered serpent and his faithful creating an apocalyptic scenario. In the conflict with the mortal authorities they certainly create a more interactive dynamic than the previous one.
Ragnarok is one of the most captivating scenarios and proposes exactly what the title promises: the fall of the world for the Norse myth. In a world crossed by apocalyptic phenomena, creatures from Scandinavian folklore and deities on earth who fight for the nine worlds. The opportunities for player characters are enormous. It helps a lot to lean on one of the most popular mythologies of all.
Revelation it relies instead on the other most widespread apocalyptic myth, the Christian one. The breaking of the seven seals, including the appearance of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, announces the imminent end of the world. Only a mysterious preacher seems to offer a semblance of order in the chaos, but it is not obvious to trust a figure who is focusing on an unknown agenda for everyone’s salvation.
In the end, What Is Not Dead… represents a classic Lovecraftian scenario, in which the Providence Solitaire it is also cited as a possible source of information. Neither more nor less, there is the awakening of the great ancients with all the cults connected to them. The PCs’ need to survive this (cosmic) horror is as priority as it is difficult.
A Double Gaming Experience
As in Zombie Apocalypse, each scenario is presented in a double guise: apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic. The first version is certainly the one that offers a more adrenaline-filled game, but it is always the second that offers more gameplay ideas.
The ideal is to be able to play both with a time-skip between the two that gives some breathing room. Otherwise it is good to keep in mind that the gaming experiences of the first scenario are much more easily spendable. Those of the second one instead offer much more in terms of in-depth analysis and the possibility of building something.
Conclusions of the Review of The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods
The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods is definitely a nice product. While maintaining some slight weaknesses in the security tools and requiring a great deal of cooperation from the entire gaming table to function, it offers a decidedly unique and extremely player-oriented experience, with a definitely outside-the-box approach.
It’s a game strongly recommended to all lovers of great apocalyptic scenarios, to players who enjoy confronting epic adversity beyond their reach. But also to those who, exactly the opposite, love a game strongly focused on the dynamics of society overturned by extraordinary events. And it certainly remains an unmissable game for those who loved the first volume and want to experiment with its dynamics on completely different themes.
0 Comments