You know, when Master Onion was teaching martial arts I’m pretty sure he had a few more instructions besides just “kick”.
Anger Foot
Developer: Free Lives
Price: $24.99
Platform: PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
Welcome to Shit City, a hellhole where everyone’s favorite pastime is committing crimes. It’s run by the Crime Minister who oversees the four major gangs: the Violence Gang, Business Gang, Pollution Gang, and the Debauchery Gang. Your character, the titular Anger Foot, just got done picking up the final pair of sneakers for his collection when some gang members stole them from you. Of course, you can’t let that slide so it’s door-kicking time as you take down each gang to get your shoes back.
At its core, Anger Foot is a very simple game: you have a kick button and there are enemies to kick throughout the level as you make your way to the exit. Are there guns you can pick up along the way? Sure. But shoving your manicured toes in someone’s face is going to be the preferred method of giving these gang members an early retirement. Seeing doors catapult off their hinges, slamming into a goon, and sending them into the wall is a never-ending treat to experience, as is when gang members start throwing ass in celebration when they kill you.
A lot of games have attempted this, but I think Anger Foot is the first game to properly match the vibe set by Hotline Miami, despite being a first-person shooter (kicker?). It has a similar grimy attitude to it, from the dilapidated buildings you kick your way through paired with the thumping electronic soundtrack and assault of technicolor on the eyes. This is a game, like Hotline Miami before it, where each level is a puzzle to solve with aggressive efficiency. Enemies die in a single hit, as do you, and you’re constantly weaving through hallways through pure instinct as you react to split-second obstacles coming your way in the form of a bat swinging your way.
For the high-score addicts, Anger Foot does feature a leaderboard that you can climb your way up, but most importantly are the challenges featured in each level. Each level has three challenges to attempt that range from the mundane like “Finish level in ____ secs” to more challenging puzzles like finishing the level without jumping. Some of these really make you go back and rethink a level’s structure, such as trying to figure out how to not jump when there are sections that require you to clear a gap. Getting the “Only use your feet” challenge in a gun heavy stage in particular will have you mentally plotting out the most efficient route to take, making sure you can survive it using only your feet. Doing these will reward stars that you can then use to unlock new sneakers that offer a variety of game changing effects like door kicks becoming explosive, a second life, or even nonsensical effects like making yourself and all the enemies drunk. With the dozens of shoes to try out and leaderboard options, there’s some decent stuff to keep you playing even after you’ve finished the game’s campaign.
The Final Word
Anger Foot is loud, dumb fun with a blistering soundtrack to kick doors down to.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
