Anger Foot exemplifies a easy thought executed to the nth diploma. As a livid sneakerhead possessing seemingly the deadliest legs on this planet, it’s essential to retrieve your prized assortment of stolen footwear by kicking every part in sight. The bombast accompanying this wacky premise – fast-paced, split-second motion, satisfying gunplay, and delectable destructibility – turns Anger Foot from a one-kick pony into one of many yr’s most enjoyable, difficult, and tough-to-put-down adrenaline rushes.
Going down on the seedy streets of Crime Metropolis, the place crime will not be solely inspired however is a lifestyle, you’ll plow by 4 gangs and their leaders throughout dozens of ranges to retrieve your pilfered sneakers. Initially, your naked foot is your greatest and solely weapon, as kicking sends the litany of armed goons flying, showcasing the satisfying (and, generally, hilariously damaged) ragdoll physics. This primary-person motion recreation’s frantic but considerate tempo is delightfully harking back to Hotline Miami and Doom. At greatest, you’ll be able to full the small, densely packed phases in below a minute, and success means rapidly and strategically taking out deviously positioned foes earlier than they’ll off you.
Since just one or two hits kill gamers, quick response timing and, for higher or worse, trial-and-error win the day. Ranges can border on being labyrinthine with enemies hiding in blind spots or lurking behind doorways, and also you gained’t uncover their presence till their bullet enters your cranium. Some deaths really feel low-cost resulting from generally questionable enemy placement that makes taking injury appear unavoidable in spots. Different instances, you are a sufferer of physics; a grenade that misses the primary time might bounce off one thing and unexpectedly land at your toes the second time. Dying means beginning the stage anew, and whereas that stings after a great run, prompt respawns hasten the method of repeatedly working by ranges and absorbing their layouts.
Kicking foes feels nice, however Anger Foot additionally encourages strategic use of the surroundings and your opponents, corresponding to kicking doorways into distant targets or sending exploding enemies careening into their allies. Wielding firearms, corresponding to handguns and shotguns, plus extra unique fare like crossbows that impale a number of foes and flamethrowers, provides a complementary ranged side to the melee-focused motion. Gunplay feels superior, and you may even throw empty weapons to stun targets, offering excellent setups for a kick. I additionally take pleasure in how the assorted enemy sorts encourage me to alter ways on the fly, corresponding to shield-bearing foes blocking gunfire or speedy, knife-wielding mice specializing in relentless swarming. The multi-stage boss fights are gratifying (and absurd) however don’t evaluate to the joys of blasting by the usual ranges.
When Anger Foot is firing on all cylinders, which is commonly, it’s a gleefully chaotic execution of ability and resourcefulness. I like slipping into the movement state of working into rooms, quickly taking out adversaries, grabbing their weapons, lobbing depleted firearms to stun different targets, and kicking every part in sight. A senseless method can work, however extra typically, it pays to have a perfect order of operations for eliminating threats and pinpointing each environmental benefit. Copius destructibility means encounters typically devolve right into a parade of exploding rubble, splintered wooden, and shattered glass that leaves rooms trying like a twister plowed by them. This aspect may be advantageous; why decide off goons perched atop scaffolding when taking pictures an explosive barrel sends all the construction tumbling down? Although the framerate sometimes dips when the motion overindulges in explosions and enemy mobs, it runs clean as butter in any other case.
Anger Foot often introduces new concepts and mechanics to maintain the gameplay and problem contemporary. Highlights embrace hopping throughout and dodging trains in a subway and kicking throughout rooftops whereas avoiding a sniper’s laser sight. I at all times seemed ahead to seeing what a degree had in retailer and was typically stunned and enthusiastic to sort out no matter impediment developer Free Lives concocted.
Finishing phases and non-obligatory goals, corresponding to ending it below a time restrict or taking no injury, rewards as much as three stars spent towards unlocking ability-granting sneakers. You’ll be able to solely put on one pair of those particular footwear at a time, and so they add enjoyable wrinkles to the motion. Some present useful perks, like a shoe that grants an additional life or one which causes doorways to blow up when kicked. Different footwear operate like foolish cheat codes, like a pair that reduces gravity, that means every part, your self included, floats. One helpful shoe offers enemies comedically giant heads, making them simpler targets for headshots. Footwear may be potent recreation changers, offering a robust hook to replay phases and full supplementary duties to unlock all of them.
Defeat is usually a bitter capsule in Anger Foot, however I used to be amazed at how keen I remained to leap again in time after time. Firefights remained an thrilling problem even when I’d performed it quite a few instances. Thwarting foes milliseconds earlier than they pull the set off, both by brute drive or cleverly using my environment, by no means ceased to really feel cool. It’s best to undoubtedly stroll a mile in these footwear.