Anomaly Agent Review (BarneyBob2736)
Honestly I didn't expect to like this game as much as I did as l'd purchased it just to support the developers. I'm only 1/3 of the way through the game. Despite my short playtime and low familiarity with the genre l have some things to say about it.
On the gameplay front the game does a phenomenal job. It is a solid action game to the core and that shows in the combat system. A couple creative decisions made during the development play to the games strengths (like the enemy merging gimmick and the dodge not breaking combos) and add a layer of tension and complexity to the combat. You have to move fast, dodge bullets, block at the right time all with very precise timing (the PC's responsive controls allow for that preciseness)
as your character can only take a couple hits without biting the dust, and in the middle of all that you have to strategize in which order you're going to take out the enemies lest 2 identical ones merge and become a single stronger foe making it all the more difficult for you to stay alive. It is exhilarating. At least that’s what it’s been until now (at 2hrs) and I’m looking forward to what's to come.
As for the story, it is pretty good. There are some unexpected funny bits of it that catch you off guard and so far it’s intriguing enough to keep me playing.
Apart from the amazing soundtrack and very cool character arts you see when you’re first introduced to new enemies I think this is all the praise I can give to the game for now.
Of course I didn’t like every aspect of it and the game has its fair share of problems, some of which being;
- The progression system of boss encounters. Bosses have multiple phases but there is a checkpoint placed after each one. Imo a souls-like approach would’ve worked better here. Of course it would up the difficulty a bit but I truly believe the game would’ve benefited from having uninterrupted full length boss battles.
- Despite most of the enemy attacks being well telegraphed there are some that feel unfair, when engaging in close combat with gunner enemies for example some of their attacks feel off. Idk how to put it into words exactly but it’s there.
-The UI being an eyesore
-The dialogue could have had sound effects. I know there were budget constraints but you could’ve at least added some reaction sounds. It would add to the immersion (groans,humphs,grunts etc.)
But these aren’t at all dealbreakers and can be overlooked, especially this being the developers’ first game. Speaking of, good job to the folks at Phew Phew Games for putting out such a well made game with a team of only 3 people.
Well that’s all for today. If I have anything else to add I’ll update this post.