The FPS genre. While some may consider it vanilla when it comes to video games, there’s no denying just how influential the genre has been on gaming. While being influential, it’s also been an incredibly successful endeavour for the gaming industry throughout history. Whether you think of the early 90s and Doom, the early 2000s and Halo or even the 2010s and Call of Duty, the FPS genre is full of iconic games known for their slick mechanics and satisfying combat. They’re pretty great but do any of them let you beat up bad guys with your feet? Not to my knowledge. Luckily, Free Lives has created a game that allows you to indulge in this bizarre attack mechanic in the form of Anger Foot.
This hyper-stylised shooter takes you on the strange yet captivating journey of the titular Anger Foot who seeks revenge on those who have stolen his prized sneakers. I found this game while browsing on Steam and after curiosity got the better of me I couldn’t bring myself to stop playing. Anger Foot is an explosive rush of tight mechanics and unforgiving enemies that pushes you to experiment and persevere through all obstacles. How far are you willing to go for a nice new pair of shoes?
The Story of Anger Foot
Anger Foot is a resident of Shit City (yes that’s the actual name of the city). It’s a violent concrete jungle where crime is the norm and gangs control everything from the apartment blocks to the sewers. On his way to grab some new sneakers, the shoe dealer is robbed before Anger Foot can get there. After briefly liberating the shoes from some local goons, Anger Foot and his girlfriend are ambushed at their apartment where some more gangsters snatch the sneakers away once again.
While any sane person would call it quits, Mr Foot will stop at nothing to get his brand-new kicks back. To do so, he has to take out the local gangs. The four pairs of shoes are divided into four gangs: the Violence Gang, The Pollution Gang, The Business Gang and the Debauchery Gang. Not the most inventive names for criminal organizations, but they’re still very dangerous and influential in the city.
None of them come close to the power of the Crime Minister though. He watches over everything that happens in the game, even orchestrating many key moments throughout the story. After beating each boss, Anger Foot must meet with the Crime Minister for the ultimate showdown. This encounter could change his life and the city forever, but is his love for shoes too strong? I guess everyone should have a hobby. If you couldn’t tell already, the plot is a bit silly but that’s what makes it so engaging. FPS games tend to take themselves too seriously with brooding protagonists and dark themes. It’s nice to get a game every now and then that’s both enjoyable and comically entertaining. Almost like a twisted cartoon.
The Gameplay
A game about collecting sneakers might sound simple, but the gameplay of Anger Foot is far from this. If anything I wouldn’t say the game is just an FPS as it incorporates numerous elements from platformers. While you can’t jump on enemies you can use various weapons and your trusted feet to get the job done. Anger Foot is segmented into 5 segments representing each of the bosses and the Crime Minister. In each segment, except the final one, there are 13 to 15 levels that the player must beat before reaching the specific boss. Much like a platformer, the player must get from A to B of each level.
Sounds simple, yet each level is populated by various enemies who specialize in different forms of attack and ferocity. The mix of range and close-quarters combat means you have to stay alert at all times. One wrong move could easily send you back to the start of the level. The levels themselves are fairly short, taking no longer than 1 to 2 minutes to beat. Most of the time it takes longer to beat them as it’s a case of trial and error on figuring out the certain location of enemies.
There’s no shame in dying over and over on a specific level as the game’s style encourages you to play it this way. It becomes especially challenging in the late game as enemies become more numerous and tend to catch you off guard. There’s also one set difficulty so there’s no making things easier for yourself. There’s no denying Anger Foot’s difficulty but that’s what makes it so satisfying to beat. Well, that and the combat.
The Combat
Your main form of attack is your feet. Anger Foot is notorious in Shit City for having the strongest feet around and the goons are the ones who feel their wrath. Your feet are key to getting you through each level in more ways than one. Each level requires you to kick down doors and kick anyone who stands in the way of you and your precious sneakers. Some enemies have weapons you can pick up like shotguns, pistols and miniguns. The lack of ammo in each gun teaches you to be resourceful and maximize using your feet to de-feet enemies (excuse the pun).
You can also attack with your feet and hold a gun at the same time with your hands adding another unique dynamic where you can essentially combo your attacks. Some enemies can only be defeated with melee attacks, further encouraging this combat style. Free Lives really wants the player to experiment with all the tools at their disposal. Even when ignoring the enemy variety the challenges pinned to each level are designed to make you play each level differently. Some encourage you to finish the mission before a specific time, others want you to beat the level only using your feet and some even require you to finish a level without killing a single enemy. These bonus challenges add a lot of replayability to Anger Foot and even feed into one of the game’s biggest mechanics: the unlockable shoes.
The Shoes of Anger Foot
While the narrative is driven by Anger Foot’s sneaker obsession, these pieces of footwear also play a crucial role in the gameplay. Those challenges I mentioned earlier are each represented by a star. If the player completes that level and that specific challenge they will earn a star. For every five stars earned, they receive a new pair of shoes. Each pair of shoes grants the player a unique ability whenever they wear them. While useful shoes are always appreciated, what about comically terrible ones? These shoes are so awful that they actually make gameplay more difficult. Some shoes grant you beneficial abilities like you can perform multiple kicks in quick succession. Then there are the less beneficial shoes, like the ones that let you tame flies. I know which pair I’d rather have in a fight.
Surprising Charm
When Anger Foot isn’t busy entertaining you with great gameplay, it sucks you in with its great comedy. Some people may take a look at a game like this and write it off as a game that relies on gross-out humour. Yes, the game is both visually repulsive and disturbing at times but this is only surface level. The writing of Anger Foot is shockingly brilliant. This isn’t apparent on first inspection until you really start to dig through the streets of Shit City.
Most levels are typical run-and-gun endeavours, however, some levels act as story intervals. Not only are they a break from the intense action but they also allow time for world-building. Each of these intervals gives you insight into how the populace of this chaotic city go about their lives. The answer is surprisingly fairly well. Considering the city is infested with crime most of the NPCs you talk to don’t seem to mind. In fact, they’re only concerned with personal issues like wondering where the best spot is to mug someone and whether or not it’s a good idea to drink sewer water. Some of my favourite moments from the game came from listening to these humorous NPCs.
The dynamic soundtrack to this game is brilliant too. Great action and music go together like strawberries and cream and Anger Foot hits the perfect balance of great gameplay with kick-ass music. The mix of droning techno beats and bass drops angers your heart and makes you feel like an unstoppable kicking machine. The fact it’s dynamic makes every fight feel just as impactful as the last. It is a big reason why the gameplay as a whole never seems to grow stale
A New Chapter for the FPS genre
Free Lives proved that there is still so much the FPS genre has left to give. This brand-new direction for the genre should get fans excited. I’m sure a game about a guy who uses his feet to fight bad guys wasn’t at the top of everyone’s lists this year yet it turned out to be incredible and definitely deserves more attention.
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