The highly anticipated sequel to Anomaly is almost here. For gamers not familiar with the series, Anomaly is a tower defense game with a few added twists. Things have been amped up and some major changes have been applied to Anomaly 2. In fact, the features that gamers wanted in the previous game will finally come to light in this sequel.
Anomaly 2 now includes the ability to transform your units. With this new ability, you can turn normal Assault Hounds into mech dwelling Hell Hounds or Sludge Hammers into Rocket Hammers. This adds an exciting new element to the gameplay.
You can now battle your enemies when caught in close quarters. Granted, the new formations are not always suited for every situation, but they do come in handy when you’re wedged inside small areas.
Just like the previous Anomaly, you control your units by marking a set path across the game map (similar to other tower defense games). You can change your set path any time during the course of a mission.
Anomaly 2 still has all the same combat skills from the previous game (i.e. Repair, Decoy, Smoke, etc.). The same goes for the in-game currency, Carusaurum, which is used for upgrading current units and purchasing newer units. You are allowed up to six units at any given time for your convoy. The unit the player picks for combat is entirely up to them. You can select any combination of units for combat. Some units are only suited for specific combat scenarios, so like before, everything is based on a trial and error basis.
There is a lengthy single-player campaign that includes multiple difficulty settings that range from casual to hardcore. Online leader boards create a sense of competitiveness for the offline campaign as they keep track of scores. Anomaly 2 also includes extensive online multiplayer features that bring additional replay value to the game. These online features include cooperative gaming modes and other types of player versus player combat.
As for the game itself, the atmosphere is far more realistic than its predecessor. The environments are stunning as you start out on the American East Coast where a devastated New York City lies in ruin. The game is full of surreal imagery like this.
Real-time strategy gamers will find it hard to resist Anomaly 2 when it finally launches on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux later in the year. In the meantime, keep your eyes on PixelPerfectGaming.com for a full review of Anomaly 2 by developer 11 bit studios.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
Developer: 11 bit studios
Publisher: 11 bit studios
ESRB: N/A
Available: Q2 2013
Price: TBD
