Anarchy Reigns (PS3) Review - Old School Brawling With Every Racial Stereotype

 

When Anarchy Reigns can out in January 2013, I imported it from Europe, brand new on launch day for $28AU. This was basically Platinum Games (Bayonetta, Madworld, Vanquish) admitting that nobody buys their games and they quickly end up in the bargain bin. Which is a real shame because Platinum Games make some of the most creative, over the top games on the market. Even if Anarchy Reigns isn't their best work.

You’ll be forgiven, for mistaking Anarchy Reigns as the sequel to Madworld. Since both games were developed by the same studio and share many of the same characters (like Jack, ex-CIA, ex-NSA, ex-everything). However according to an interview with the game’s director, the two games are not connected story-wise. This becomes apparent when the events of Madworld are never mentioned in the game. You could say Anarchy Reigns takes place in a parallel universe. But there's still a few references to Madworld that fans will enjoy.

With the debate of continuity out of the way, let’s talk about the narrative in Anarchy Reigns which revolves around two men who are looking for the same person. The story isn’t exactly deep, the production values aren’t consistent and most of the dialogue is pure nonsense. But that’s the reason I enjoyed every cut-scene. The game never tries to be serious and the large cast of flamboyant characters kept a smile on my face. Plus the overall voice work is excellent with the amazing Steven Blum (Spike from Cowboy Bebop) returning to voice Jack.

Anarchy Reigns is a beat em’ up style of video game, but with a very old school approach to the genre. There are no RPG elements and all the moves are available right from the word go. This makes the learning curve a little steep, but just play through the tutorial a few times and you’ll easily grasp the mechanics. The story mode consists of two different campaigns and both of them use the same four areas. Each area is full of respawning
enemies and the extreme hazards to stop things from becoming predictable.

To progress to the next area you have to complete all the story missions, but there’s also some side missions to help you rank up those points required to unlock the next story mission. These missions offer a really nice variety of standard brawls, shooting galleries, racing with vehicles and lots of other crazy stuff. Most of the boss battles aren’t particular special, with the exception of those giant monsters.

Completing the story mode with both characters will take somewhere between 8 to 10 hours. As you progress through the story mode you unlock additional characters which can be used in the game’s online component. Now before I continue, I should confess that I’m not the biggest fan of online gaming. But the 16 player brawls in Anarchy Reigns is the most fun I’ve had in any online game. I can admit there aren’t many people playing it, so finding a game can take a long time. But the fact that nobody has ever done an online brawler like this before makes it a unique experience in an age ruled by First Person Shooters.

The soundtrack in Anarchy Reigns is definitely one of the best I’ve heard in a video game. Instead of using just orchestral music like every other game on the market, the soundtrack in Anarchy Reigns consists of hip hop, rap and funk with really entertaining lyrics. If you don't the pick the game, at least buy the soundtrack on iTune. Unfortunately the game doesn’t look as good as it sounds. Most of the textures are muddy and some of the effects look really dated. Graphical glitches like clipping and pop-in also occur.

Anarchy Reigns isn’t a game without faults. But it’s easy to overlook them when the core game play is so enjoyable and playing an online brawler is such a breath of fresh air in this industry dominated by First Person Shooters. Plus don't forget you can pick it up for half the price of a regular Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 game.

RATING - 7/10