If we were to draw up a list of the best programmers and studios in the videogame field, surely many of us would pull out the name of Platinum Games, a Japanese software house born from the ashes of the never too beloved Clover Studio, which at the time of 128-bit consoles have given history some of the best titles ever such as Okami and Viewtiful Joe, and which in this generation have lived a second youth. Bayonetta, Mad World, Vanquish and why not also the outsider Infinite Space, are the titles that have accompanied us in recent months delighting us thanks to their gameplay and their qualities. Titles that have contributed to the growth of the studio, so much so as to allow him to get in the running in the development of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance spin off of the Metal Gear series starring Raiden or to announce to the world the long-awaited sequel to Bayonetta. Among these high-sounding projects with great expectations, we find a less noble title with a troubled development. We are talking about Anarchy Reigns, 3D reinterpretation of the scrolling fighting games that were so fashionable in the 90s born thanks to the collaboration of SEGA, which once again decided to team up with the new masters of oriental action.
Xbox 360 tested version
Jack, you are a fantastic warrior
Anarchy Reigns arrives in Europe with six months of delay on the original release after a whole series of issues related to a marketing not really sensible on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and is hidden as an unexpected follow-up to Mad World. The points of contact with the previous title we find them in one of the two protagonists, Jack Cayman, former member of the special forces and skilled bounty hunter, survivor of the bloody Death Watch, a sadistic reality show in which he had taken part in the prequel and now in search of revenge for the death of his daughter.
The story, like almost all Platinum Games productions, immediately reveals itself over the top and this incipit will only be the tip of the iceberg of the game's narrative plot. Also because Jack will have to share the scene with another supporting actor, the young Leonhardt Victorion, simply called Leo, agent of the DPS (Department of Public Security) who will live the story from another point of view although the two storylines are intertwined in several points.
Although the story shares several elements from Mad World, as well as some characters who come back here by arrogance, carving out a prominent role within the plot rather than a simple cameo, Anarchy Reigns seems instead to distance himself by creating a bit of confusion and inconsistencies for those who have had the opportunity to play the previous production.
Even the world where the game is set seems to have greatly changed compared to the past, a world upset by conflicts at an international level, where the struggle for supremacy has led to the decline of the planet, causing diseases and mutations causing great changes to all humanity. The development of nanotechnology and cybernetics have also played a fundamental role in the progress made in the technological field, a factor that has prompted humanity to modify its own body by replacing mutated or diseased limbs and organs with robotic parts, in a not very long post apocalyptic scenario. distant from that already seen in other works such as Ken the warrior or Akira.
Once you have inserted the game into the console and selected the part dedicated to the single player, after a long opening movie Anarchy Reigns will put you in front of the choice of the campaign to face. The black area entrusted to the brutal Jack or the white area to the loyal Leo to then culminate in a common epilogue that will put an end to the whole adventure. To unlock all the events of the game and know the story in its entirety, it will be necessary to go through several playthoughs alternating the two initial characters, bringing the hour counter to touch the 10 hours of gameplay promised on the back cover of the game.
Structurally Anarchy Reigns is divided into levels, each of which is characterized by a macro area that acts as the main hub in which some missions unfold, divided between those relating to the story and other secondary ones. Once we arrive in the game area, we will have to try to accumulate a certain amount of points to unlock the various missions. If the secondary ones are not mandatory to deal with, they somehow become so as they represent the only tangible way to collect the points necessary for unlocking. At the end of each mission you will receive an evaluation based on the results obtained during the fight, whether this is a horde of enemies to be killed within a certain time or a boss at the end of the level, taking into account some elements such as the time taken, the energy consumed or attempts used. The better the result, the greater the reward that will be given.
The objectives of the various tests that we will be required to face are quite heterogeneous and we will not always have to rely on brute force to carry them out. We will have to deliver briefcases in some strategic points or use a sniper rifle to take down dozens of enemies, in addition to the aforementioned hordes of enemies, eager to get rid of us at any moment. We will then have to deal with the numerous bosses that we will find on our path and that once defeated will become available to be used in the multiplayer mode. During the chapters concerning the story it will happen to be flanked by some companions who will come to our rescue by supporting us and we will have the opportunity to choose whether to control them or not.
Allowing yourself a bit of exploratory freedom it will be possible to wander around the various areas looking for some safes containing sketches and extra illustrations to unlock and view in the appropriate menu and which will provide us with additional information on the history and background of Anarchy Reigns.
Hit you, I'll hit you
In terms of gameplay, the game looks like a very classic 3D brawler, in which we will have to take care of knocking down as many enemies as possible by pigeonholing combinations one after the other, with the possibility of using also elements present. inside the level as explosive cans or iron bars, or by using some items released by various enemies to be used as upgrades or long-range weapons.
Compared to Mad World, there is an involution in the gameplay, while in the first one the perfect combo had to be sought, creating "skill kill" by focusing on the player's imagination, creatively exploiting the elements of the environment to maximize the score, in Anarchy Reigns is found only to lead the hands without too many worries in a light and carefree way. No mileage combos, no stratospheric scores you hit and kill each other without too many pretensions, up to 1 to 1 battles against the end-level bosses. A crude and old-fashioned system but this doesn't necessarily have to be seen as a flaw. What Anarchy Reigns does well, however, is to entertain the player and does it excellently starting from the decidedly immediate and accessible control system capable of giving the possibility, even to those who do not grind the fighting games, to throw themselves headlong into the action. Each character has two types of attacks available, one quick and fast activated with X (Square), the other slower but devastating with Y (Triangle). Alternating them together it is possible to get the various combos with which to attack the enemies and destroy their defense. Always with these two types of attacks it is possible to activate the Killer weapon, with the left trigger of the pad showing off the exclusive weapon of each character, boasting greater attack power but going to consume a rechargeable energy bar with the shots of base.
To these are added the parrying and dodging, which can be performed with the right trigger that when combined with the A (X) key will allow us to roll away from our target with a quick somersault, while if we are close enough to an enemy who has let his guard down. by pressing B (Circle) we will be able to grab it by performing a grab.
As we go to kill the multitude of enemies that will appear in front of us we will fill another indicator that represents the fury of our character, which when it reaches its peak can be freed by becoming invincible for a few seconds, increasing the attack power of our shots and the killer weapon. Even the bosses will be able to unleash their fury, and in case you find yourself dealing with a character in this status, a simple QTE will start in which we will have to press a few buttons faster than our opponent.
Wrestlers online
The true nature of Anarchy Reigns, however, is multiplayer and despite the Platinum Games have created a story mode capable of entertaining the most demanding players, the focus of the game remains the multiplayer mode. The advice we give you is, however, to face the single player to become familiar with the commands and at the same time unlock all the characters to be used in the online. Here we find a multitude of game types, each one bound by its own rules and suited to the tastes of the most demanding players. We go from the classic death match in single or in pairs where everything will be allowed in order to obtain victory, up to atypical variants such as capture the flag, the fight in the cage (deadly clashes in limited arenas) and the hilarious Death Ball, a futuristic sport. halfway between rugby and wrestling.
Those who do not want to compete online will also find a cooperative mode, in which it will be necessary to collaborate with two other players and survive ten waves that will follow one another without stopping.
The online mode is also very pleasant to play, and proves to be an excellent alternative to the classic online fps or, remaining on the subject, of beat'em ups and meetings. The game also has a good net code that allows you to play games with a rather clean connection. The biggest problem, despite the game being fresh from publication, at least for us, concerns the lack of players, which makes the wait in the various lobbies long.
Nice inside
Technically, by analyzing the game in its purely aesthetic aspect, the title demonstrates its low budget nature compared to other games developed by Platinum Games. This can be seen in the polygonal modeling of the rooms, inspired but poor in content, with simple and not very articulated architectural structures. The engine of the game is always well anchored above 30 fps, except for some uncertainty and the clashes take place in a fluid and dynamic way, just as one would expect from a title of this type. Some problems in the loading of the textures both during the movies and in the game, causing an annoying "blur" effect and a chromatic palette, used to make tangible a ruined and decadent world turns out to be perhaps too flat and washed out. Where you do not arrive with the technique, however, it is compensated for with style. First of all the decidedly original and convincing characters design, especially constant with all the characters present. While we find some new faces we've already seen in Mad World, these are seamlessly integrated with the new cast, boasting high levels of charisma that other titles distantly dream of. The polygonal models enjoy a good level of animations as well as the details present in their body or in the costumes of the protagonists that literally come alive during the use of the killer weapon.
Anarchy Reigns also boasts a first-rate sound sector with an interesting tracklist ranging from Hip Hop to electronic, with some rock and metal influences, almost all completely sung, capable of giving greater depth to the fights and so catchy that they are also enjoyable. out of the game.
There is also space for a dubbing in other languages in which first-rate voices appear such as Pierluigi Astore, Gianluca Crisafi and Perla Liberatori, but who here, due to various problems, are unable to give their best, with voices not always suitable for the situation that takes place on screen or too caricatured as to be almost grotesque.
Fortunately, both the English language dubbing and the original Japanese dubbing are present on the disc, highly recommended and more in line with all the typically Japanese production.
Verdict 8/10 I have fists in my hands Comment Anarchy Reignas is a diamond in the rough. Platinum Games offers us his vision of 3D scrolling fighting games and despite the fact that we are faced with a title with a decidedly less impact than a Bayonetta or a Metal Gear, it still manages to entertain and offer a multiplayer experience. fun and different from the usual, without forgetting those who also prefer story mode. Short is true, but never predictable or boring. Also thanks to the excellent direction of the cutscenes, capable of rivaling the best Hollywood production in terms of action or the charisma of the characters outside the box and why not deliberately trash. And let's not forget one important thing. The game was released in stores at a budget price, chosen by SEGA and Platinum Games to make up for the long wait, which hopefully encourages even more sales of the game. And it does not end there, in the first prints of the game, renamed Limited Edition, there is a code to download the character of Bayonetta for free, to be used as a character in the online. What else to add, we get caught online. Pros and cons ✓ Charismatic characters
✓ Lots of online ways to participate
✓ Pleasant listening soundtrack
✓ Immediate and fun right away x Single Player as an accessory element
x Unfortunately, online it is not very popular
x Graphically, more could have been done
