A few days ago, as part of the Devolver Digital showcase, it was revealed that Free Lives, the creator of Broforce and Gorn, is working on another absolutely insane game. Known as Anger Foot, this title is pretty much what it says on the tin, as the entire concept revolves around your angry feet and the damage they can cause. It may seem unusual and a little bit weird, but after checking out the demo currently available on Steam, it becomes pretty clear that normality is not exactly what this title is aiming for.
But let me provide some extra clarification about the story. You play as a character called Anger Foot, who decides to take justice into their own hands (or rather feet) and looks to deal with the threat of a local criminal gang. For what it's worth, this is a pretty regular narrative, but that doesn't remain the case for long, as after a couple of missions, Anger Foot discovers that the Goo Police has taken one of their pairs of shoes hostage, and soon after Anger Foot finds itself not only in a war with the criminal underworld, but also law enforcement as well.
As for how the actual gameplay works, this game is an incredibly fast-paced action-FPS, one where you have to blast through a level split into unique rooms that are crammed with enemies, and it's your duty as the player to clear these rooms using your angry feet or picked up weapons in order to make it to the end of the level. It's similar to Ghostrunner, as you have to be lightning-fast with your moves, have to constantly check corners for lurking enemies, and need to have ultra quick reactions, as Anger Foot isn't very resilient and will die if it takes too much damage.
Anger Foot as a game is also quite an interesting take on physics-based gameplay, as you can kill enemies by using your superpowered legs to kick doors at them, or other enemies at them. Likewise, you can play around with the environment a little bit to ensure you reach your final goal, and this includes shooting explosive barrels and kicking grenades back at any foe who throws them at you. It's a truly chaotic experience, one that is bettered by its incredibly fluid gameplay.
While this demo was rather short, it did give a look at enough levels that you get a decent idea as to what Free Lives is looking to serve up. There are a variety of unique enemies to have to tackle, be it shotgunners or riot-shielding chaps, and likewise there are a range of unique firearms to use, including Uzis. There are also boss fights, which are demanding and will require a lot of focus to kick your way through the meaty health bars of the enemies that are found here. And if all of that isn't enough, you can earn different trainers by completing challenges during gameplay that give Anger Foot special abilities, such as regaining ammunition for each kill with a gun.
But even though all of these are plenty of reasons to be excited for this high-octane action game, it's the art style and the general art direction of the game that really stole the show for me. The colourful world and the wacky lizard enemies and pistol-wielding tentacles are so bizarre and unusual that it all feels like a drug-induced trip at times. You only need to play three minutes of Anger Foot to truly understand the odd description that it goes by: "Crash through the caffeine-fueled fever dream of Shit City, putting the boot to a menacing menagerie of merciless gangsters."
Needless to say, even though what I've experienced of Anger Foot was only rather fleeting, it's enough to make me thoroughly excited about its launch planned for 2023. If you enjoy fast-paced action games like Ghostrunner, I'd implore you to check out the demo of Anger Foot, because even if its gameplay doesn't quite draw you in, the wild and wonderful world it's set in will surely do the trick.