When it comes to creating unique video game experiences, few developers can deliver as consistently as Japanese developer PlatinumGames. Becoming synonymous with exhilarating video game action, Platinum has provided gamers exciting new experiences, from the otherworldly magic of Bayonetta to the futuristic fury of Metal Gear Rising. However, way back in 2009, the company quietly released one of its most unique games, only for it to tragically never grab the audience it deserved.
That game was the Sega-published Anarchy Reigns, a multiplayer 3D brawler that was truly ahead of its time. Although it served as a spiritual successor to another cult classic Wii game, it was the definition of a hidden gem. It was also one of the most wildly original ideas to ever come out of the brilliant minds at Platinum.
Anarchy Reigns was a spin-off of the cult-classic action game MadWorld, also developed by Platinum. The game takes place in the fictional post-apocalyptic city of Altambra and brings back MadWorld‘s gruff chainsaw-wielding protagonist Jack Cayman as its reluctant hero. When Maximilian Caxton breaks out of jail, Jack is asked by his wayward daughter Jeannie to track him down. However, Jack is not alone, as another team of bounty hunters of ill-repute has also got their sights set on Caxton. The narrative of Anarchy Reigns, like most brawlers, is not its strong suit, and mainly serves as a reason for a diverse cast of characters to get into the game’s open world and start throwing punches, explosive barrels and each other around.
It is in the cast of 17 playable characters that the game starts to show its style and unique qualities. Anarchy Reigns is almost a Super Smash Bros. collection of Platinum’s original characters, and not only brings multiple figures from MadWorld into the roster but also the gun-wielding witch, Bayonetta, as a bonus DLC entry. Some of the other wildly original characters include massive Minotaur-shaped cyborg, Big Bull, steampunk armor-clad Douglas and Wolverine lookalike Durga, who sports a robotic leg that holds a massive cannon. The rest of the roster is just as colorful, with each character possessing their own signature moves and distinct fighting style.
Although the game did feature a pair of dual single-player campaigns dubbed the Black Side, starring Jack, and the White Side, which stars the young upstart cyborg, Leo, these are rather barebones and serve more as a set of tutorials that familiarize the player with the game’s mechanics. Anarchy Reign‘s main focus is on its multiplayer modes, and it is within these hilarious and frantic matches where the game’s wild roster of characters really shined.
Multiplayer slammed players together into giant levels filled not only with other human characters to fight, but also a variety of A.I. enemies, much like the battlefields of Ubisoft’s For Honor. Players could go toe-to-toe in a variety of modes that delivered absolute anarchy. Many familiar modes in other multiplayer games became a wholly new experience when seen through the lens of Anarchy Reigns with its tight melee combat. For instance, Capture the Flag became a tense game of cat and mouse where players couldn’t simply shoot the flag carrier but had to engage in a deadly ballet of flying fists, dodges and devastating area of effect attacks.
Other standout multiplayer modes included a one-on-one brawl dubbed the Cage Match, where players could show the mastery of their characters with the right timing and strategic employ of attacks. Another was the beautiful chaos of the game’s sports-centric Death Ball. This mode tasked players with scoring goals by kicking or throwing a ball into a goal at either end of a field, attacking each other all along the way. Moreover, each level added to the chaos by featuring an environmental hazard that would strike during the match and could annihilate unsuspecting players. Whether it was a plane crashing into the map, a bridge exploding, or a massive 18-wheeler barreling through the battlefield, players always had to keep vigilant not just from other enemies but from the danger of these often-hilarious hazards.
Overall, Anarchy Reigns was a game that if released today, could possibly garner a much bigger audience than it ever earned on its release. With the impending release of Iron Galaxy’s brawling-based battle royale Rumbleverse on the way, For Honor‘s continued longevity and the massive success of martial arts game, Sifu, on everyone’s minds, one can’t help but wonder if Anarchy Reigns just missed its window by a decade or two.
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