"A Truly Uninhibited Game that Relishes Chaos and Fun"
Video Review
Intro
Anarchy Reigns has finally been released in North America, having already been released in Japan under the name Max Anarchy 6 months prior. The game was developed by Platinum Games (Makers of Bayonetta, Vanquish, Madworld) with a game repertoire like there's it seems they can do no wrong. For the most part that statement is true. Anarchy Reigns is a truly uninhibited game that relishes chaos and fun, but at the same time the game never really reaches its true potential.
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| Platinum Games |
Story/Structure
Anarchy Reigns is based in a post-apocalyptic, futuristic, dystopian type world where the human race has been ravaged with various mutations. The government has developed cyber-netics, to help replace lost limbs and deformations. Although our characters use cyber-netics in the form of high-tech weapons used to perform some bad-ass combos. In the game you play as two main characters Jack and Leo on a mission to find Maximillan. Each character has their own opposing reason for finding Max. Jack's reason is more of a personal vendetta because Max is suspected to have murdered Jack's only daughter, so he's out for revenge. Ironically though Max's daughter is the one who sets Jack on his mission to find Max although without the killing part. Leo's reason for finding Max is a mission given to him and his companions by the Bureau to bring Max to justice. Leo is very loyal to Max seeing as Max was basically a father to him. Leo wishes more than anything to prove Max's innocence despite the imposing evidence stacked against him. Depending on which side you pick to start off on Black or White, dictates which character you will play as first. In the end it doesn't really matter which one you choose first because the same story is told regardless. With minimal to no changes to the overall experience. That bit is kind of a let down I would've liked to see some alternate endings or story arcs but oh well. After you choose which side to begin on you will be thrown into your first stage. A stage in this game is basically a large hub (think Lego games) or area in the world where you can activate missions and fight an endless amount of spawning baddies. There are 4 stages to each side ( Black, White), and roughly 8 missions per stage. 4 of these missions will advance the main story and the other 4 are called free missions (side missions basically). The missions are not all available from the start though in order to unlock them you need to reach a set point value. Increasing points is simple, either play missions or kill baddies in the stage. It should also be noted that the free missions are optional and don't necessarily need to be completed, except that they're the only missions you can replay (well without stage select that is). Oh and unsurprisingly each mission you complete you will receive a grade ranging from bronze to platinum, but what is surprising is that most of the time platinum isn't all that hard to achieve, as long as your not on hard mode that is. Playing on Hard mode the game becomes considerably more difficult, but thankfully its not as rough as they could of made it.
Presentation
Graphically speaking this game is not exactly great, but what it lacks in graphics it makes up for in art-style The game is obviously meant to be cartoon-y and gory, think borderlands but with less polish. The main and supporting characters are completely blown out of proportion, but that's OK because this is a video game and those characters are mutated. The guys are great hulking beasts that look as if they were taken straight out of Gears. While the females are glorified sex figures with a massive upper torso (if you catch my drift) and an hourglass figure. I have no complaints because the characters physical appearance compliment each ones personality and the overall look of the game. Each character has their own unique look, feel, and attitude which honestly made the story slightly more enjoyable. While the story itself wasn't anything special the stylish cinematics definitely held my attention.
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| Sexy |
Gameplay/Fun Factor
This is a hack' slash game so the only thing that really matters is the combat and how fun it is to play. Well luckily those two things are Anarchy Reigns stronger suits. The combat system is a pretty solid one but it does lack depth. Its got your typical light and heavy attacks, heavy attacks to cause more damage and to break shields and light attack for quick attacks. Each character has their own unique grab that can be used on pretty much any enemy. The grab serves its purpose, but I can't help but wish that each character had more than one grab event. Watching the same scripted grab event over and over can get a bit old. Each character also has their own special attack which is activated by using the Left Trigger with either your light or heavy attack. I have to admit the special attacks are kinda cool, because Jack uses an arm chainsaw to cut his foes in half horizontally or vertically. Then to top it off there is a rage mode that can be used by clicking both analog sticks in after it has sufficiently been charged up. In rage mode your character regains health, is invincible, and his attack power is greatly increased. Half of a bosses health bar can be quickly dispatched through rage mode and it can drastically turn the tides in a battle. The missions are fairly diverse which is a good thing. This helps greatly with the overall pacing of the game and eliminates repetition which in turn eliminates boredom. The missions range from killing a certain amount of enemies in a set time period racing through checkpoints on a vehicle. Most of the main story missions are pretty typical, with a lot of 1v1 boss battles with other mutated characters. These one on one battles are quite enjoyable it made me feel like I was playing a larger scale 3-D fighting game. Although not all boss battles are simply one on one at times you and your companion will take on grander battles. At one point you get to take on the Kraken which makes for a much different type of fight. One very dissapointing feature this game has is the lack of time and opportunities you have to play with the other characters in the campaign. Yes, sometimes when you start a mission they will give you a choice to play as the other characters, but only if you have ally characters in that particular mission. This occurrence doesn't happen nearly enough. Luckily, this issue is addressed in stage select mode where you are able to play through the main missions of a stage with any of the 16 unique characters. In this game your character's also will at times be granted items for assistance in dispatching enemies. These items range from your typical defensive shield to Sniper Rifles and Rocket Launchers. Oddly enough the opportunity for picking up items is usually mission specific which seems kind of strange to me. These weapons do a splendid job in changing how to attack a mission and the missions overall pacing.
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| Kickin' Ass |
Something that is definitely worth bringing up is the absolutely stellar soundtrack they've incorporated with this game. The majority of it is just straight up rapping which isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it fits the flow of the game perfectly. The music for me at least, added to the battles I faced, making for a more intense experience. While some people may find the music to be tiresome, those people can take advantage of the audio settings. The dialogue in the game is definitely not as "stellar" as the soundtrack but this is to be expected. Some characters come across as slightly annoying. None of them are horrible though, I mean I've heard worse *cough* Two Worlds. This game is pretty good about rewarding the player, giving them extra characters for multiplayer, some gallery stuff, and cinematics. Sadly though the game doesn't give you a whole lot of reasons to play through it twice. Which is kind of a missed opportunity, but oh well the multiplayer will give you plenty to do.
Online
The Game features a 16 player online with a variety of different game modes to choose from. These game modes range from your typical death-match to a game-style based on the sport of football. I have to admit 16 different players all battling each other at one time definitely offers some great fun to be had. It also can be quite grueling for newcomers who haven't had the time or patience to master the intricacies of each character. More than likely though the online mode will probably only appeal to those who want to master each character so that's not an issue. Just know that you'll probably get your ass kicked considering some of the players online have had an extra 4 months of playing.
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| Apparently Jack is a Matrix fan |
With a great cast of diverse characters, and a solid combat system Anarchy Reigns fulfills its premise of being a high-octane 16 player Brawler. Having said that the game still lacks some considerable polish and is held back by its questionable campaign structure, an average story that can't quite mix comedy and seriousness successfully, and a few strange design choices. Either way at a retail price of $30 Anarchy Reigns is definitely worth a try, even if its not quite on the same level as Bayonetta.
Pro's
+Solid Combat System
+Functioning and diverse online experience
+Chaotic and Fun
+Unique Characters
Con's
-Odd design Choices
-Lacks some extra polish
-Strange story flow
-No alternate ending, even though you choose a side in the beginning WTF
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