Politics is a dirty game, but what if campaigning literally meant taking to the streets to beat the opposition into submission. Enter Anomaly President, a genre blending indie title that marries lightning fast 2D action with base management. Set against a striking 80s cyberpunk inspired backdrop, you step into the shoes of a presidential candidate fighting back against a deeply corrupt regime that kidnapped your father.
At its core, the game’s combat loop feels deeply indebted to modern action platformer greats, heavily emphasizing aggression, timing, and positioning. You venture out onto the neon drenched streets wielding a primary and secondary weapon ranging from standard swords and dual pistols to nunchucks and heavy hammers.
The combat relies heavily on a Posture System. While you can certainly chip away at an enemy's health, properly utilizing dodges and well timed parries to break their posture is the name of the game. Once broken, you are rewarded with incredibly brutal, stylized finishers that often yield health or powerful status effects. Want to sever a brainwashed riot guard's head and kick it at his buddy. You can absolutely do that here.
Then there are the Anomaly Powers. These are massive, screen clearing special abilities tied to a mana meter. The developers clearly had a blast designing these one moment you might summon an impossibly large sword, and the next, your character rapidly gains weight to perform a devastating sumo ground slam. The sheer absurdity of these attacks perfectly fits the game’s over the top tone.
When you aren't dicing up mutants and corrupt security ministers, you return to your mobile headquarters a massive, pollution spewing, flying campaign bus. This is where the game slows down and introduces engaging base management mechanics.
You must construct new rooms (like a kitchen, a medical bay, or a blacksmith) and assign adorable, fuzzy creatures known as Fluffies to work in them. These Fluffies require food, rest, and high morale to produce the resources you need for your meta progression. It creates a satisfying rhythm go out and fight to gather supplies, return to expand your bus, and generate passive buffs for your next run. You can even boost your political Charisma
through quirky mini games, like tossing gifts to voters or hitting the dance floor.
Because it's a roguelite, no two runs are the same. Between combat arenas, you choose your upgrades. You can lean heavily into elemental builds coating your weapons in fire, shock, or a particularly overpowered ice freeze effect.
Interestingly, you can also recruit combat focused Fluffies to act as support strikers. These allies jump into the fray based on specific triggers (like dodging or using a special attack). Keen eyed players will immediately notice that these combat Fluffies are cheeky, pixelated parodies of iconic gaming characters, pulling inspiration from fighting games and famous character action titles.
While the game is incredibly addictive, it isn't without a few structural flaws. The parry system, while rewarding, feels slightly sluggish and finicky in its timing, requiring a steeper learning curve than necessary. Furthermore, the platforming can feel a bit stiff; the double jump animation, in particular, lacks the fluid grace found in the rest of the combat system.
Additionally, while the narrative is full of hilarious, sarcastic banter between the protagonist and the game’s villains, the dialogue choice system feels entirely superficial. Choosing different responses doesn't seem to impact the narrative or the character's alignment, making the inclusion of dialogue trees feel like a missed opportunity.
Pc Version Tested.
Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from Devs
