Modern gaming is in a bit of a limbo. In some ways, it’s never been better, with eye-watering budgets and grand-scale adventures. In other ways, it’s never been worse. Despite huge growth and Oscar-worthy narrative-focused games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption, a significant amount of titles seemingly suffer a lack of fun core gameplay in service to an ambitious narrative.
Enter Anger Foot, the upcoming first-person kicker developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital, to flip that on its head.
Set to release later this year, Anger Foot simplifies things with a gameplay-first mentality built on addictive, fast-paced, run-and-gun stylings that refuse to compromise on the fun factor. Proving a salve to those craving a good old-fashioned shoot-em-up built on classics like Doom and Wolfenstein with modern twists, this one will scratch the itch.
Keep in mind, that our thoughts are based on a preview build of Anger Foot, which contains around 2 hours of content. Features and performance may vary upon final release.
Foot-Fu
In Anger Foot, players step into the shoes of a nameless, green, rogue vigilante on a mission to reclaim his stolen sneakers from the gangs of crime-riddled “Shit City”. Seriously, that’s the name and that’s the setup. To get back your prized shoes, you’ll fight through four gangs including the Violence, Pollution, Business and Debauchery gangs.
It’s an admittedly thin premise but well sold, and it’s all you need to begin kicking and shooting your way through slums, sewers, and skyscrapers filled with a host of gang-affiliated enemies as you balance your foot of fury with frantic gunplay. While light on the overall narrative, the game never attempts to deliver anything more than what’s on the box. It will be divisive for some who can’t see past the rather juvenile display and visuals, but for those wanting a fun premise that justifies the run and gun madness within, it will become a favorite.
Can I Kick It?
Anger Foot grabs your attention immediately from the high-speed introduction with blasting techno music and slick, easy-to-pick-up mechanics that encourage full-speed action from the get-go. Reminiscent of a first-person take on Hotline Miami, your left foot is the star of the show. Blasting doors off hinges, sending enemies off rooftops and shredding room contents to dust with each satisfying kick, it’s an incredibly fun gimmick.
The gunplay is also incredibly satisfying. Emptying your weapon of ammo means throwing it to stun an enemy, rushing in for a trademark boot (or sandalled foot) to the face, before picking up the downed enemy’s gun and continuing to the next room in one fluid motion. To add to it, you can down a few energy drinks and do it at 10x the speed, or hamper your senses with beer. Enemies can also be kicked into each other like bowling pins, cleared with a well-timed shot to an explosive barrel and sometimes, they’ll even shoot each other.
Overall the movement is fluid, and while the kick mechanic can sometimes take a bit of getting used to it’s also quite forgiving as a one-hit kill option. What you’re left with is a buttery smooth movement that makes racking up combinations and small moments of precision feel straight from the silver screen.
The main goal of each level is simple: get to the end without dying. Levels can be completed by running through the rooms without a shot fired or you can meticulously clear each level of all enemies. It’s up to you. Surviving each level earns you a star, with two additional stars available for completing challenges. Clearing all enemies, no-kill runs, timed challenges and much more add an insane amount of replay value and difficulty that force you to get accustomed to different play styles.
These challenges are worth it, as earning stars unlocks new shoes that grant unique abilities. High-top sneakers provide more ammo for each kicked enemy while work boots increase enemy head sizes for easier sniping. Adding another layer of strategy, some shoes offer special abilities like making doors explode or a charge dash attack. Others like the socks and sandals, will help you in a boss fight while also earning a giggle every time you hit the kick button. There is a nice degree of depth to the gameplay that is rewarding and will encourage players to not only continue but return.
The enemy variety also keeps the game fresh. Each new threat forces you to engage with the game’s mechanics in different ways. For instance, bomb-throwing enemies can have grenades sent back at them with an express-post kick, while armour-clad foes with riot shields require a few bullets to raise their shields before getting kicked into the stratosphere.
Where the Sun Don’t Shine
Despite its premise and cartoonish image, the game doesn’t take it easy on you. Even with an insta-kill attached to your shin, enemies can reply in kind. One-shot kills and a variety of enemies shoved into close corridor combat can be a frenzied, stressful experience as you sprint to a room just to be cut down immediately.
With the desire to run with guns, foot blazing, you’ll likely be killed for your troubles. Often times this contradicts the promise of a fast-paced playstyle and you can find yourself cheesing the level by peeking through corners and hiding behind doorframes. Here the game can sometimes suffer from the difficulty compromising the gameplay. It’s the frequent deaths however that give value to a satisfying clean run, and giving a true John Wick-in-Jordans fantasy. There are also difficulty settings if you want to turn up that indestructible badass feeling, but I much prefer the challenge each level provides in its standard format.
Heel or Toe?
The one detraction is that for all the fast-paced, corridor-smashing goodness the end-of-level boss fights are quite basic. Coming at the end of blood-rushing, frantic hallway blasting it can be a rather anti-climactic experience to dispense of the first boss with rather blasé’ unsanctimonious ease. Being able to essentially end a 3 tiered fight with a few kicks defies the difficulty that culminates in prior levels, which at times can feel mountainous.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of the purposely shallow narrative, the gameplay-first approach here is a self-aware, incredibly juvenile comedy that revels in its own absurdity, serving to ensure everything only adds to the fun. The seven-year-old in me will never tire of busting open a door with my sock and sandalled foot and blasting five enemies comically crammed into a toilet cubicle before hoofing the porcelain into a million pieces in the span of 2.7 seconds.
It surprises me that despite the advancements in graphics and engineering in games, the Wolfenstein 3D and Doom blueprints embedded here still offer gameplay fun a good 30 years past their release. While modern games have taken a heavy lean toward cinematic, exposition-heavy operas, there is still so much joy in all-out, silly fun delivered by the heel of a Chuck Taylor All-Star. I hope that games like this survive and find an audience for a long time to come.
Despite taking inspiration from games three decades its senior, Anger Foot is a breath of fresh air. Offering a hilarious and engaging gameplay experience that never takes itself too seriously with a blend of shooting, foot-centric mechanics and action-oriented goodness.
While we will leave an official score for a review upon release, Anger Foot is sure to prove a standout title to watch for upon its full release later in 2024.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Action-filled gameplay that never gets repetitive; Satisfying gameplay loop and progression system
Lowlights: Poor boss fights; difficulty can be unforgiving at times
Developer: Free Lives
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: Windows PC, TBA
Available: TBA 2024
Preview conducted on PC with a preview build code provided by the publisher.
