I will be the first to tell you I am not an anime person, but that doesn't mean I cannot appreciate tasteful storytelling. You are probably asking yourself, “What does 'I am not an anime person' mean?” It means, yes, I grew up watching a lot of Dragon Ball Z, like most kids. I even watched classic anime like Cowboy Bebop and Akira, so to say I am at least familiar with anime culture, sure, I am. I just don't watch much media from Japan.
I am more familiar with games coming from Japan, though. I love Persona, Final Fantasy, Yakuza, and Resident Evil, and I could go on about the wonderful games that come out of the country. I say this because ANOMALITH is set in Japan and developed by FURYU Corporation, but what interested me most was the gameplay.
The Story:
ANOMALITH is a survival third-person shooter set in Japan, but it isn't the typical Japan you see in media; it features liminal spaces and unique environments you explore.
You play as feisty seventeen-year-old Reona Minazuki (voiced by Hitomi Ueda), who is confident but sometimes a bit uncivil. Reona is a “Diver” who explores these anomaly zones popping up around Japan. Reona really develops throughout the story as you learn more about her and where she comes from. She's atypical for an anime main character. She is very "cool" and full of herself, never seeking help from others instead of cowering down from the people who push her.
Speaking of the people that push her, the accompanying characters are cool too. Yuiga Koda, Reona's main partner, is sort of the "woman in the chair" of this story. She will be your main voice as you scour Japan's anomalies. I really liked her for the most part, always sending insight to the player's ear. She is timid but loud simultaneously. The other main character in ANOMALITH is Kyoka Sudo. Kyoka is the founder of the organization you are fighting. Again, without spoiling anything, you'll learn more about her and these characters as the story goes on. While I think these characters are surprisingly interesting, it doesn't help that a lot of these cutscenes, delivered with dialogue, feel static. A cutscene will start that I am interested in, but it never lasts long enough for me to stay invested, and then you're cut right back to the static cutscene between characters. Luckily, the dialogue and narrative kept me invested; I just wish the character expressions were more dynamic, especially for all the ones you meet along the way.
Gameplay:
Gunplay is somewhat standard. You start out with a pistol and an SMG but will find more guns along the way. I stuck with the pistol, shotgun, and a more powerful SMG later on. You can upgrade all of the guns in the game and really tailor them to what gameplay matches you best. I always wanted as much damage as I could put out, so of course I upgraded damage and critical hit chance on most of my weapons. I do wish the guns felt heavier, like in some survival games, and that you could feel the weight of the bullets you are shooting. Additionally, you can also customize the color of guns if that is your thing, because I am a fashionista.
The biggest surprise, though, is the resource-management aspect. Yes, most survival games have resource management, but I have never seen one like this. Typically, you loot containers and find resources to craft items like bullets, bandages, and whatever the game might have you make. But ANOMALITH makes the player collect these resources, and instead of crafting in-game, you have to send them back to HQ through the portals; we have an example of this above. Now, while this works, I would love to see this component expanded upon because I fell in love with this loop, sort of. It reminded me a lot of Escape from Tarkov in that I cared about what I was carrying, and I had to make choices until I got to my next portal to send the resources back home. I played on normal, but I imagine it matters even more on higher difficulties. It is by far the most unique mechanic of the game.
Lastly, you have the Anomalization Skills. You start out with a slash and a parry. At first, I didn't know how I felt about it, but the more I engaged in combat, the more I got used to the flow of parrying. While I do like this, it feels like the game is fighting for what it wants to be. Does it want to be a survival game or an action game? There is nothing wrong with wanting to be both, but it didn't mesh well for me. I think there is clear inspiration from Astral Chain (a wonderful Nintendo game that does a lot of what this game is doing). You'll unlock other abilities too; I don't want to spoil it here!
Should you play it?
ANOMALITH is a coherent survival third-person shooter that, most of the time, seems to be trying to figure out what it wants to be with its action and survival mechanics. While the story is engaging, the cutscenes are not, but the characters are where this game shines, especially as it goes on. The resource-management aspect is my favorite part, and I really hope to see this mechanic expanded upon in future titles or other games. Overall, this game is confused about what it wants to be, but it comes out as a very okay adventure through the anomalies of Japan.
VERDICT: Maybe
Reviewed on PC
Review Copy was Provided
Available On: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC
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