Review: Ion Fury: Aftershock

I remember some years ago thinking about how cool it would be if some modern developers created games in old engines. Specifically, I was thinking about Ken Silverman’s legendary Build Engine, a cluster of technical trickery that stands as, perhaps, the best 2.5D raycasting engine ever designed.

So, I was excited when Ion Fury popped up, doing just that. Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison was created as a stand-in for Duke Nukem, so it seems appropriate that Shelly (I’m not sure Bombshell is a nickname that will stick) would eventually make it to the engine that made him famous. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into it.

Then I tried again later and still couldn’t get into it.

Then I tried another time, and it still wasn’t clicking.

Now, with its first expansion, Ion Fury: Aftershock, I’m trying yet another time. And, uh, well, there’s something here that still isn’t working. Unfortunately, I picked it up for review, so now I actually have to dig into why I can still enjoy Blake Stone but can’t get into what, on paper, is my dream game.

Ion Fury: Aftershock (PC)
Developer: Voidpoint
Publisher: 3D Realms
Released: October 2, 2023
MSRP: $14.99

Ion Fury: Aftershock picks up a short time after the end of the base game. Shelly won the battle, but the war wasn’t over. Heskel is alive and free from the repercussions of his war on humanity. Shelly is suspended from the Global Defense Force, and is drowning her sorrows in a bar when Heskel’s goons spill her drink again.

Why? I have no idea. Maybe it’s a type of flirting.

So, Shelly resumes her bloodthirsty vendetta against Heskel, but this time, the GDF isn’t going to sit idly by as she does more damage than the machines she’s fighting. It really bothers me that I don’t know what Heskel is trying to accomplish. He uses cyborgs and believes in transhumanism, but it just looks like he’s wrecking shit. Shelly’s blind, psychopathic vendetta, on the other hand, I can get behind.

Aftershock is an expansive expansion. The new campaign is a hefty one, so if you’re expecting a simple map pack, prepare yourself. This is essentially a direct sequel.

It also crosses into some of my favorite environments in retro shooters, such as a grocery store and a convenience store (don’t ask, I have no idea). Unfortunately, the levels are extremely varied in quality, and the stores aren’t particularly high points.

Aftershock seems to attempt to adhere to the more open key-hunt designs of yesteryear than the base game did. However, it’s still rather railroaded, and it’s still incapable of figuring out a good pace. The action is still generally more chaotic and constant than games like Doom, but with the same stopping and starting as you ponder how to get to yonder switch. Coupling that with the way the game urges you to check for secrets.

The levels also can’t decide if they want you to discover through exploration or keep you on the golden path. I absolutely understand the importance of environmental cues for guiding the player, but the cues in Aftershock are literal exit signs. Not just above doors that lead you out of buildings, but on doors that are nowhere close to the exit.

I think the main issue with Ion Fury’s level design that is repeated with Aftershock is how unreadable the environments are. They’re a lot more cluttered than other Build Engine games, using more environmental objects and lighting along with more geometry. As someone who has messed with the Build Editor, I’m impressed by what they can make the engine do, but as a player, I’m annoyed that it’s up to me to figure out what vents can be shot out and which are just decorations. Or what glass will break, and what is bulletproof. What is considered to be a door, and what is just painted on the wall?

It’s the general vibe of Ion Fury that I have trouble grappling with. It reaches to be in tune with Duke Nukem 3D’s adolescent humor, but not only do I not really enjoy Duke Nukem’s adolescent humor, Ion Fury doesn’t even come close. The visual gags see posters plastered all over the environments, that are very rarely funny. I’m not sure why someone at Voidpoint thinks domestic abuse is so funny, but whatever.

Shelly also spouts one-liners like Duke Nukem and Lo Wang, but, just like the posters, few of them are any good, and some of them are just awful. I was wondering if the cringe-worthy “clean up on aisle your ass,” quip was a reference, but when I searched it online, I just got some…advice.

But this really butts up against the game’s retro design when it tries to tell a story. This is generally done through Heskel popping up on TV screens and Shelly shouting at the TV like someone watching Cops. Whenever this happens, you have to stop what you’re doing completely, otherwise, the dialogue just gets drowned out by everything.

For that matter, Shelly sometimes makes comments during regular gameplay about something going on in the environment. These might be about where she needs to go or some inconvenience that she’s about to experience. However, I’m not sure if it ever happened on an occasion where I could tell what the Hell she was talking about.

In terms of what Aftershock adds, however, as I said, it’s very beefy. Beyond just the campaign, there are also new weapons, enemies, and an Arrange Mode that remixes the base game’s levels. That would be cool, but first Ion Fury would need to convince me that I want to replay the base game.

One of the most heavily advertised parts is a section where you ride a “rotorcycle” through environments. Again, I’m impressed that Voidpoint was able to get this to function in a satisfactory manner within the Build Engine, but the levels with the bike feel really out of place with the rest of the design. It wants you to go fast and blow things up, but also search for secrets, which don’t gel very well. It’s enjoyable to a point, but just adds to the uneven feeling of the expansion.

However, the point here is that if you enjoyed Ion Fury, then I am almost certain that Aftershock is worth your time. To its credit, I enjoyed the new campaign more than I did the base game, so there’s an endorsement.

However, for me, Aftershock has simply proven that I’m not going to enjoy Ion Fury no matter how hard I try. My main issues with the game are hard to nail down, but the reality is that it’s just about everything. It’s a game of highs and lows, which just makes an aggravatingly coarse surface. That feeling carries over to the Aftershock expansion. The Build Engine just isn’t enough for me to completely overlook its flaws.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}