Summer Games Done Quick ended recently,but there’s a high that lingers on from watching it for a week straight, one demanding more speedrunning action, or at least more games built for speedrunning. Luckily, Devolver Digital and developers Free Lives are here to help fill any post-GDQ void withAnger Foot,and much like the previous action titles from the team such asBroforce,it’s presented as a gleefully over-the-top action title. A colorful, zany FPS where the main focus is on zipping through levels as fast as you can while causing all sorts of mayhem along the way. So it looks like a blast on the surface, but can it still kick it like the best of them where it counts?
Anger Foottakes place in the setting of…well, officially, we can only type it as “S*** City,” which should tell you a lot about the setting and tone right there. The story centers around our titular protagonist Anger Foot, whose priceless four-piece collection of sneakers gets stolen by the four gangs that head the city – each dealing in violence, pollution, business and debauchery as their themes – and so it’s up to Anger Foot to kick and shoot his way through all these gangs, get back his sneakers and finally enjoy movie night with his girlfriend. All while operating everything that isn’t a gun with his feet. Needless to say, it’s not exactly the deepest of stories, but it doesn’t need to be deep in a case like this; it just needs to be fun.
Man Literally Too Angry to Die
So is it a fun story? Indeed it is. Granted, as mentioned earlier, the tone isn’t exactly subtle, with literally everyone in the city dabbling in some sort of crime and several instances of blue humor, from pixelated genitals of people in the many bathrooms you barge into to one enemy that basically just consists of a huge nutsack, plus several swears and imagery like overflowing ashtrays and mounds of garbage. Moments like those can be groan-worthy at times, butAnger Footstill finds a way to make it work due to several factors, including pre-level sections where you get to wander around areas, talk to people and realize how hilariously warped things are, with individuals protesting because they insist that they’re a criminal or a business' “Work From Home” department simply recreating a home, at work.
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Indeed,Anger Footsucceeds more whenever it takes a cue from something likeEl Paso, Elsewhereand crafts absurdity out of mundane assets that work with the level design. Why is there a random room filled with toasters that pop up when you enter? Why does this one part of the subway have an escalator to nowhere? Why are there skeletons posed on stripper poles? Because it’s funny, that’s why. Whenever the game works these kinds of oddities with its cruder stuff to create more surreal humor that covers the whole Adult Swim spectrum, it greatly succeeds. It also helps that the visual style works with the offbeat tone, filled with several bright colors and cartoonish character designs with bizarre anthropomorphic characters, ranging from pigeon riot cops to gunners with giant middle fingers for heads.
How do we get through this wretched hive of scum and villainy, though? Well, you have a button to kick, a button to shoot, a button to jump and using all of those, you traverse each level after selecting it from a map and use all of those buttons to make your way through it. Simple as that. Or it would be, if there also wasn’t a button to throw your weapon as well. See, Anger Foot can’t actually reload his guns – as that would require the forbidden technique of using hands for anything that isn’t shooting – so much like the penultimate mission inCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare,you have to discard your weapons (preferably stunning an enemy as you throw them) and pick up new ones, either dropped by enemies or found along the way. It’s a nice touch, one that places an emphasis on strategy, conservation of ammo and precision fire.
Man Literally Too Angry to Punch As Well
Of course, if you’re out of ammo, you always have your trusty kicking skills to fall back on. Not only does Anger Foot’s kick act as a melee weapon that delivers a one-hit kill to all but the strongest, most armored enemies and bosses, but it’s used to kick open doors and send them flying into enemies as well, or send other enemies into one another, ricochet grenades back at foes, operate levers and basically act as a handy tool/weapon combo in general. And as it turns out, it’s extremely satisfying to kick hordes of enemies to death whenever possible, helped out by movement being smooth, fast and satisfying.
Not as satisfying, though, is how the combat is hindered by issues with feedback from enemies. None of them make noise when they walk, only when they fire or make the occasional noise. So unless they’re in your range of sight, you typically only know where some enemies are via damage indicators when you get shot. But since enemies are capable of killing you in one hit if close enough or just unlucky, it can feel pointless. And because there’s no health meter, just a standard red-edged screen that appears when you get damaged and disappears if you regenerate health, it’s tough to judge just what is and isn’t fatal at times.
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Man Actually Starts Dying Often, Gets Even More Angry
The arcade action inAnger Footmay be nice and fast, with enemies going down in one shot as well, but unlikeHotline Miami,which has a top-down view that allows players to get a view of everything in all directions, orNeon White,where you have a clear heath meter and everything is more open, here the approach wasn’t working as well for a while, with a lot of action in cramped quarters. In fact, there was one moment that almost made this writer rage quit. During one of the final levels with the initial Violence Gang, there was a section that involved having to make it through five gun-toting goon to the end, all while dealing with a sniper that kills you if you don’t find cover in time. Even with the levels being short – lasting only a few minutes at most – and allowing to restart nearly immediately, it took me a good 45 minutes or so to finally clear the stage.
Those last couple of paragraphs may sound like I’m damningAnger Foot,but honestly, it ended up being up being more of a case of early game hell than anything else. Because once the first boss was defeated in a rather fun battle and the second world was unlocked, things started to improve rather immensely, much to my happy surprise. The levels started getting more creative with their layouts and designs, wider areas were introduced with more cover, nifty gimmicks and themes began to get introduced that allowed for predictions and planning, a greater variety of enemies were introduced along with more weapons, allowing for more strategies…it was as if the worst was over, and suddenly enjoyment shot up by about 500% or so! Even when confronted with hordes of enemies, suddenly they felt way more manageable. I honestly had the game initially pegged for the “Games That Interest Me But Will Thoroughly Beat The Crap Out Of Me” category, but no, the game managed to escalate perfectly while keeping a proper level of challenge. I was ecstatic at this improvement.
Man Finds Ways to Manage Death, Anger Levels Proper Again
Of course, it helped that I had also reached a point where I unlocked the Holy Sandals, which allowed for one resurrection upon death. Yes,Anger Foothas power-ups that allow for various buffs, unlocked through stars gained along the way. You get one star for beating a level and two more for various challenges within them. The power-ups take the form of other sneakers, with Anger Foot able to equip one pair before each stage, providing everything from extra ammo gained through kicks and a Big Head mode that allows for easier targets to ways to make things more interesting or challenging, like being able to take less damage but dying if you stop killing enemies for too long. They come with a variety of effects and visuals, allow for a lot of different playstyles and approaches, and most importantly, are just plain fun to experiment with.
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The part about different playstyles is particularly notable because while the emphasis inAnger Footis clearly on speed, to the point where one level’s challenge is getting through it infive seconds,the game notably comes across as having room for all types of players and their particular shooter/action skills. You can go into each room guns a-blazing, or kick open a door, step aside and wait for initial enemies to come to you. Or just go for a pacifist run, which some challenges even encourage. In fact, the challenges offer up quite a bit of replayability, encouraging everyone to master their skills, be it with guns, melee attacks or even the use of specific sneakers. Basically, despite its brash, in-your-face, hardcore exterior,Anger Footsurprisingly ends up being accessible.
There are many more things inAnger Footthat are just plain, pure fun condensed into several moments, like bits where you’re able to kick snakes in the face as if this wereHard Target(though you sadly can’t tame them, as apparently that skill is reserved for punching), but one more thing area the game excels in needs to be mentioned, which is its killer soundtrack. Perfectly fitting the grimy setting and feel, the music goes hard and the bass-heavy dance tracks, perfectly capturing the feel of an underground club (even when infiltrating swanky business offices), working with the lightning-fast action and chaos and dialing down as a nice little indicator of when there are no more enemies in the room. It’s the cherry of top of the greasy, delectable sundae that isAnger Foot,capping off an adrenaline-filled gem and perfectly fueling your journey through it, speedrunner or not.
Closing Comments:
While there’s a chance thatAnger Footmight not make a perfect first impression, it’s recommended that any players keep at it, as what lies within is very well one of this year’s best FPS games. A twisted gem of caffeinated action that never lets up and finds new ways to challenge players while still keeping things accessible to all, this is one shooter that plays like bizarre dream that’s filthy and candy-coated at the same time, with great humor, visuals and an intense soundtrack to boot. One way or another, metaphorically or literally, you’ll get a terrific kick out of it.
Anger Foot
Version Reviewed: PC
In a city completely filled with crime, one man seeks to get revenge on those who stole his sneaker collection by kicking the life out of them, in a fast-paced FPS where the sneakers players unlock can help give them an edge in combat.
