At E3 this year, Sega gave us a first look at Anarchy Reigns, the over-the-top action game from Platinum Games for the XBox 360 and PS3. The game stars MadWorld‘s Jack and new hero Leo in a combo-based brawler, with special weapons and abilities thrown in for good measure.
We spent some time with producers Platinum Games behind closed-doors to see the single player campaign, and then took to some multiplayer gaming on the show floor. To describe it in short: it’s exactly everything you were expecting, and maybe even a bit more.
The campaign is mission-based and allows for players to try both characters for different viewpoints to the story. Jack has a decidedly “gray” view of justice, with physical brutality being the norm. Leo, on the other hand, is Jack’s polar opposite, relying on orders from his superiors to differentiate between black and white. Though the story, most of which hasn’t been revealed yet, is one overall plot, the characters will cross paths on several occasions. These result in face-offs, co-operation, and ultimately in reliance on each other’s abilities. In one scene, Leo catches up to Jack on a pier. The camera zooms in on Jack’s cigar being flicked; conversely, the camera then switches to Leo flicking a a black feather.
When the single-player (pre-recorded) demo began, we were instantly treated to our hero from MadWorld, Jack, entering what looks like the Chinatown level from the Wii game, now in full color. In fact Black Baron, the Wii game’s continuously-murdered pimp, even jumps into the scene, asking Jack if he was “back for more.” That slight reference to the motion-based brawler is intentional, as Platinum explained to me that there will be more characters and locations from MadWorld showing up in Anarchy Reigns. It’s being deemed a spiritual successor/pseudo-sequel to the game, so fans should feel right at home.
The mission began with Jack, Baron, and a character named Mathilda taking on a ninja named “Zero”. Jack has all-new attacks in this game, using his trademark chainsaw and street fighting moves, with all new combos to boot. He still had the same mean temper, though, constantly swearing and causing bloody explosions. As Jack pulled off special moves blasts of light and fireworks erupted around him, and the camera played along like a poetic anime dance sequence. Several more ninjas jump onto the scene, with the trio of heroes eventually winning out.
We then saw Leo’s side of the story. Leo, a long-haired character who believes he’s always doing the right thing, is much more slender and athletic in comparison to Jack. Where Jack is brutish, Leo is quick and agile. His special attacks revolve around blades of light that run down his arms to his elbows.
Though the visuals used in the game are much more colorful than MadWorld’s black and white style, the design of the characters, their proportions, stances, and emphasis on design elements, is still there. Each one is a slight comic-book caricature.
With the short demo ending, I asked about the game’s length and depth. The producers reiterated that though they’re not giving out a specific number, they’ll be encouraging players to try the game from both character’s perspectives, especially since each one has different segments not found in the other.
The multiplayer portion of the game, available on the show floor, had four of us playing over LAN-connected Playstation 3s. The team behind the game wants to push the brawler-based multiplayer as a whole new genre, grabbing the respawns from FPS titles and incorporating the combo-based scoring of MadWorld. With my hands on the controller, I quickly knew that the battles would be chaotic. The frenzied attacks from the single-player were there, but so were three other people who were just as skilled as I was. This led to not only explosions and fireworks rocking the screen, but a camera that flipped around all over the place and could make people nauseous.
Another issue that I came across was with the combo system. Although I was able to pull off 3-4 hit attacks, the development team, whom I was playing against, was ripping me into the air with 10-12 hit jugglers. I couldn’t break out of them, leading to massive losses of HP along the way.
With that said, though, I found myself enjoying the chaotic battles quite a bit, especially since I ended up cleaning the clocks of the other non-staff battlers to claim the top crown. At the end of the matches points are racked up for combos, kill streaks, and more, and bonuses awarded in bunches. The development team told me that there would be several more modes in the multiplayer game that are yet to be announced.
For those who loved MadWorld like I did, and who would love to see an HD experience of the game, this is it. The game launches in January of 2012.
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