It’s weird to think that I’ve been playing this game for a couple of years now. From its early prototypes to even a more recent demo before getting my hands on the review build. It’s a game I’m so familiar and comfortable with that playing through this again felt like second nature by the end of it. Free Lives doesn’t make the same type of game more than once, and Anger Foot does not disappoint. Anger Foot is a ridiculous premise with a pitch perfect execution that’ll grab a foothold on you.
As the story goes, you are a sneakerhead, just living your life in Shit City (yes, that’s really the name – here’s a screenshot to prove it). You’ve been amassing a major collection shoes, and have displayed your most precious possessions only to have your apartment wall torn out and your shoes stolen. Now begins your revenge quest to get them all back, from each of the major gangs that run the city like the Violence and Pollution Gangs, each of them themed differently from one another. What transpires over the next six or so hours, is 63 levels of kicking, shooting, and shoes.
Gameplay is simple and intuitive with kicks being the majority of the action that takes place. Doors only open with kicks, and kicks will kill. Non-melee enemies will drop guns and you’re able to pick them up and use them to shoot other baddies with whatever ammo remains in order to clear your path. You can also play it like a pacifist and avoid enemies, though this is harder to do than most. You don’t even have to use guns to cause direct kills, it can be done indirectly simply by shooting explosive barrels. No matter how you do it, levels are dictated by their heavy, persistent beats that keeps the adrenaline flowing and the feet flying. Once you reach the end of the level, you’re whisked away to the next, culminating in a boss battle at the end of the requisite levels.
You’ll spend the first episode of Anger Foot dodging baseball-wielding crocodiles and pistol-toting Mr. Bill rejects. The entirety of this first episode is littered with them and pistols, the last few levels will introduce a new enemy that packs an SMG with a suppressor. Getting your hands on this is a highly inaccurate weapon when fired without a pause, but it’s great for clearing a room. You as the player do get some solace, as some levels just let you free roam a small area and talk (or kick) the denizens. The second episode is when you get your hands on a shotgun and kick the faces of new enemies that won’t hesitate to kill you instantly. The shotgun is no joke, seriously, I didn’t laugh once. It’s hard to get awareness of every room you enter, especially when you’re moving a blistering pace, but failure to do so will ensure certain death. This can be frustrating, sure, but you’ll have plenty of chances to get it right. There’s nothing like kicking a door down, throwing your pistol to stun a nearby enemy with a shotgun, whom you kick in the face to death, pick your pistol back up, and then shoot an enemy across the room to clear your path.
You’re not an invincible superhero, though. You can take a few hits, but take too many and you’ll be sent back to the start of the level. If you can be left alone long enough, your health will regenerate, and should be enough to get you through most levels. There are power-ups in the form of energy drinks and alcohol that can make you move faster or kick harder (in that order), and they’re great. If you can find all types in a level, that’s one hell of a cocktail (and achievement). One level was particularly memorable, mainly due to the fact it introduces you to outdoor sections, but you’ve got a sniper setting up a shot on you. There’s excellent audio and visual cues, as well as environmental pathing to help you avoid it, but it’s harrowing nonetheless and easily one of the more memorable ones.
Sometimes you have to learn levels in order to get past them. As a green-footed John Wick, you’ll feel like quite the badass most of the time. Other times, you’ll have to restart over and over and over again. There is a quick restart button, but it is bound to ‘Backspace’ by default, which was too much of a reach for me. So I went into the controls, and bound ‘R’ as a secondary restart button and has changed my life for the better. At one point, I was having a hard time with one level, and at some point it gave me an option to ‘Skip’ it. I didn’t, though I haven’t seen the option since, so I’m not sure what conditions makes it appear – but it does exist.
You do encounter the aforementioned new enemies with new guns, but it isn’t what I was thinking. It’s a bit disappointing that enemy designs persist throughout each episode, regardless of the gang you’re tussling with, not even a palette swap. I would have liked to have seen a leaderboard to compare times and objectives between friends and strangers, but as it stands now, there’s no competition unless you share screenshots with one another.
Aside from getting all your shoes back, there are other objectives to complete in each level, for a total of three. You can earn up to three stars for each level, with earning at least one for simply completing the level. The rest of the objectives are revealed after you complete the level, but there is an optional HUD item where you can see the other two objectives in the upper right-hand corner. You’re not likely to get them on your first go around, especially in Chapter 2 and beyond, but I preferred having them on to view at a glance, just in case.
There’s a surprising unlock system where you can equip different sneakers for any level. In starting the game, you’ll only have your bare feet. There are some level objectives where your “bare feet” are a requirement in earning a star. New sneakers are unlocked after five stars are earned, and each new shoe grants different attributes. The first shoe is one that replenishes ammo for every kill with your feet. Another can grant you a second chance at life (prevent death once), or give all enemies big heads. There’s a lot of diversity that goes from gameplay changes to just silly fun. The sneakers you reclaim from bosses can also be equipped, these grant things like charging a dash move. The unlock system is a great way to push towards completing objectives, or keep you coming back to your favorite levels for all the right reasons.
There’s a lot of physics at play here, where levels have destructible environments and reactive elements. For instance, and explosion can cause a hanging light fixture to react accordingly, swinging wildly and causing the light to sway intensely. It’s good then that during my time with the game I was able to achieve 140-180fps depending on what’s on-screen and what’s blowing up around me. The game never slowed down or stuttered. I will say, for those with less powerful rigs, the game doesn’t currently support DLSS, Frame Generation, or Reflex. I found that the best antialiasing technique was MSAA, though that is rather demanding. But when I turned on FXAA or TAA, they often look like I smeared vaseline on my screen. While the game is simple with its look, there’s depth to its textures and detail in its world, even if you are running through it at nearly 100mph.
My PC Specs:
– Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
– Intel Core i9 13900K @ 5.8GHz
– ASUS ROG RYUJIN II 360 ARGB AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
– G.SKILL TRIDENT Z5 6000MHZ 64GB (32×2) DDR5 RAM
– ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 16GB GDDR6X
– WD_BLACK SN850X M.2 (4 TB)
– LG UltraGear 34GP950B-G (21:9 Ultrawide @ 3440×1440)
Anger Foot takes the trial-and-error formula, and puts its best foot forward. The game does a lot with a basic concept and amps it up with modifiers, objectives, and a bumpin’ soundtrack. The game can be downright challenging at times, but being able to get past that level you were stuck on or pull off some really cool reactive feat is so satisfying. Free Lives made a really kickass game, and the unlock system gives a lot of incentive to change-up your playstyle and experiment. Anger Foot is all killer, no filler.
A Steam code was provided in advance by the publisher for review purposes
