I am going to keep this review short and sweet - just like Anomaly Agent is, and say that this is probably one of the best indie games I've ever played. Every system in this game seems simple but has certain depth to it and the story is unique enough that it keeps you hooked throughout the four-five hour campaign.

The start it simple, you're an agent tasked to get rid of some time anomalies that popped on in some places, but later on the story goes bonkers and at the end of the game you're presented with a choice that changes the ending drastically, which incentivizes doing two playthroughs of the game to see both of them. The controls are amazing on the controller but take a little bit of time to get used to if you're playing on a mouse and keyboard. For example, W is parrying and W plus either space, left click or right click is a special "anomaly" attack. It does feel like a typical beat em up at the start of the game because you just have light and heavy attacks which you can combo, but the more you play, the more combos you unlock, some special weapons you can use mid combo like the staff or the sword, and there is also an amazing addition of ranged weapons you can take from enemies like the pistol, shotgun or the magnum.

Another kind of a unique feature this game has is the likeability system. In some points in the dialogue you'll have a choice in how to respond, it doesn't really change the story but depending on your choice the character you're talking to will either like or dislike what you said, and then you can use those points in either getting more health (if you say things people like) or getting more money to purchase upgrades (if you say things people dislike). Also, enemies can merge together if they are standing close to each other, making them stronger and faster, so constantly keeping enemies away from each other is probably a must-use tactic. I also mentioned that you can purchase upgrades, well some of the upgrades can really change the way you play, but I do wish more upgrades focused on melee combat and combos rather then most of them having something to do with ranged weapons that I personally only used in either tight situations or at the end of a combo. But there are some pretty fun upgrades like leaving a trail of poison behind you when you fire a shotgun or making your boomerang weapons hit six people instead of three.

The look and sound of this game is absolutely amazing. The 2D environments are really detailed but at the same time simplistic to keep the focus on the action and the platforming. The whole game has some 80s cyberpunk vibe to it and of course, the soundtrack fits that theme perfectly. Everything feels like those old spy movies from the 80s or 90s but there you see in the background some flying cars, or robot bartenders etc. It's a weird setting, yet it fits incredibly well with the story of an agent that fixes time anomalies.

To bring this review to an end. You can really see that the developers enjoy these types of games and that Anomaly Agent was made with love and passion. Every decision made in the development pushed the game forward to become even more fun and never dull or annoying. Some decisions like dashing/evading not cancelling your combos, or the previously mentioned likeability system making the players choose if they either want to have more health or get more upgrades are just genius. It's incredible that this is their first game and I can't wait to see what the team at Phew Phew Games is going to release next.

9/10