Summary
- Anger Foot by Free Lives is a fast-paced, violent game similar to Hotline Miami, offering gritty combat and quick respawns for intense gameplay.
- The game draws inspiration from classics like Hotline Miami and SWAT 4, combining elements of fast-paced action with strategic door entry mechanics.
- In Anger Foot, players unlock special abilities through sneakers, reminiscent of Hotline Miami's masks, adding depth to the challenging gameplay.
The release of Free Lives' Anger Foot has been a long time coming, especially for fans of darkly comedic and violent games. Initially conceptualized in 2020, Anger Foot was eventually picked up for release by Devolver Digital, who have a longstanding relationship with developer Free Lives. Though the game is in first-person, Anger Foot scratches the same itch that games like Hotline Miami do, and in the absence of a proper third game in the Hotline Miami series from Dennation Games, Free Lives' Anger Foot is carrying the torch for the franchise in its spirit thanks to some viscerally satisfying and fast-paced combat.
Similar to Hotline Miami, Anger Foot places players in the shoes of a one-man army against an entire city's worth of armed goons hell-bent on standing between them and their goal. Attacks are extremely powerful, but the player is also extremely vulnerable, meaning death comes quickly and often. However, just like Hotline Miami, players never have to wait more than a millisecond to jump right back into the action, incentivizing multiple runs through Anger Foot's murder mazes time and again until players emerge successful. In nearly everything but name, Anger Foot is picking up where Hotline Miami 2 left off. In an interview with The Best War Games, Free Lives discussed the game's influences as well as its sneaker mechanic.
8 Best Games Like Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami was an iconic indie game, one of the first released by Devolver Digital, and it has inspired a ton of other fast-paced action indies.
Anger Foot Mixes Equal Parts Hotline Miami and PC Classic SWAT 4
While Anger Foot's most obvious influence is Hotline Miami, it also shares a lot in common with a classic franchise from one of PC gaming's golden eras. Speaking with The Best War Games recently about Anger Foot's development and influences, Luc Wolthers revealed the two games that form the basis of Anger Foot's mechanics and gameplay loop.
Hotline Miami definitely does form a big part of the inspiration, especially when it comes to the style of the game and kind of a seedy, underground, derelict world replete with crime. But, truth be told, Robbie and I looked a lot at SWAT 4 and other “door entry” games when we were initially considering how we were going to handle Anger Foot.
The Police Quest series from Sierra Entertainment and its offshoot SWAT games were massively popular "breach and clear" games from the 90s, with SWAT 4 being developed by none other than Irrational Games (BioShock creator Ken Levine's studio). Since much of Anger Foot's gameplay revolves around breaking down doors and systematically taking out targets within, the team at Free Lives had to account for the discrepancy between the game's two biggest inspirations. As Wolthers puts it, "in Hotline Miami, you have knowledge of what's behind the door, but in Anger Foot you don't and in SWAT 4 you don’t."
Anger Foot's Sneakers Call to Mind Hotline Miami's Masks
Aside from Anger Foot's core gameplay loop, there are several mechanics at play in the game that bring to mind both Hotline Miami and its sequel. The general pace of both games is similar, with players in both titles carving John Wick-style paths of destruction through crime-ridden murder mazes. Hotline Miami famously give players a bit of an edge with the various animal masks players can equip, with each mask changing up gameplay and catering to specific playstyles. In a clear homage to Hotline Miami, as well as the game's emphasis of sneakerhead culture, Anger Foot replaces special ability masks with new pairs of sneakers to unlock.
Determining what abilities to give the shoes would end up proving to be one of Anger Foot's greater challenges from a design perspective, with designer Jem Smith noting that "we kind of thought a fair bit about play style and strategy and things, but as Robbie (Fraser, designer and programmer) kind of pointed out at the beginning, it's a very simple concept, and we didn't want to expand on it too much and make it too complicated." So while the sneakers in Anger Foot grant special abilities to the protagonist, they do so within the same kind of parameters as Hotline Miami where the game is still challenging. Like its biggest inspirations, Anger Foot is a game that revels in both its breakneck pace and its substantial challenge.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 70%
- Released
- July 11, 2024
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Free Lives
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Engine
- Unity
WHERE TO PLAY
Anger Foot is a lightning fast hard bass blast of kicking doors and kicking ass. Crash through the caffeine-fuelled fever dream of Shit City, putting the boot to a menacing menagerie of merciless gangsters.
Unleash the world's deadliest feet on a colourful cast of anthropomorphic enemies. Clearing out slums, sewers, and skyscrapers as you grab new weapons, unlock new sneakers, and upgrade your powers in absurd and wonderful ways. Kick and shoot your way to the exit as you leave behind a smouldering trail of shattered doors, broken bones, and crumpled energy drinks.
Fast-Paced Ass Kicking Action: Shit City is a disease and your foot is the cure. Lace up a capricious collection of formidable footwear to fight through a diverse series of deranged city districts.
Vibrant Visuals, Relentless Beats: Enjoy a concussive, bass-thumping soundtrack as you stampede through a feverish criminal underworld. An assault on all your senses. Including common sense.
Run. Kick. Repeat: Are you the god of style, speed or power? Discover secrets and unlocks that encourage replayability - and learn to tackle levels in new creative, ridiculous and devastating ways.
Master The Foot: Become one with the toes and be quick on the trigger. Your skills must surpass human comprehension if you are to prevail and learn the secret of the Anger Foot.
