Platinum Games, the studio behind "Bayonetta," are hoping that you're up for some online brawling, filtered through their trademark over-the-top design style. "Anarchy Reigns" is in effect a successor to the team's 2009 black and white arcade beat-em-up, "MadWorld," but although they share some characters, almost everything else about this game feels new.
When I checked out "Anarchy Reigns" during E3, the first thing I noticed was Jack. The motorcycle jacket wearing, chainsaw-toting protagonist of "MadWorld" looks more or less the same, albeit now in full, glorious color. Jack is one of two primary characters in "Anarchy Reigns," with the game's other half of the story told through a second campaign starring Leo. If you played "MadWorld," you'll remember Leo as the doctor Jack saved, only to end up as enemies. Essentially, you'll be able to play though a single-player campaign twice, with Jack and Leo's stories crossing paths occasionally.
The single-player portion of the demo I checked out had Jack fighting against an onslaught of ninjas. It was great seeing him pull out that chainsaw arm, once again bashing the crap out of anything that got in his way. When the combat sequence ends, Leo suddenly appears to confront you. What followed was a brief cutscene, followed by a one-on-one fight between the two main characters. I definitely like the idea of the dual plot lines interweaving, and the concept of recurring boss fights between two characters – who you'll switch off controlling – sounds great.
The combat is somewhat standard brawler fare, with buttons assigned to light-attack, heavy-attack, and also a weapon. Each character will also have a special move, e.g. blades on Leo's limbs, Jack's dual chainsaw on his arm. Missions are scattered throughout the various stages, and completing them appears to eventually lead to a level boss.
While the single-player demo was enjoyable, the multiplayer component is really what Platinum Games hopes will draw players in to "Anarchy Reigns." Multiplayer brawlers are not exactly a commonly tapped genre these days – "Power Stone" being the closest comparison to "Anarchy Reigns" – let alone one that allows you to play with a couple of friends online.
The multiplayer game has a number of different modes, many of which Platinum wasn't ready to talk about as of my E3 demo. Regardless, the online modes are geared towards quick, pick up and play matches, with each player having the ability to select their character from a larger roster. One of these unlockable characters is Zero, a lightning quick ninja who dual-wields a pair of blades. The mode I was shown focused primarily on gaining the best possible score on the leaderboard, lending a very arcade feel to the entire affair.
The game's producers informed me that some online modes will require a large number of players – who can be replaced with bots, if needed – while others will only need a few friends to start a match. When I asked about cooperative play, I was told that it "depended on the mode."
There's still quite a bit I'm unsure of about "Anarchy Reigns," but the demo definitely has me interested. When the rest of the industry is churning out non-stop "Call of Duty" clones and zombie slashers, it seems like you can always count on Platinum to steer their own course. It's really refreshing, but I'm also hoping the game doesn't coast down the slippery slope of monotonous brawler gameplay.