Let’s Look At: Anima Flux

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Anima Flux is a 2D Metroidvania set in a universe where mutants have become an unstoppable threat on Earth. Humanity, accepting its situation, then embarked on a space vessel meant to lead them to a new inhabitable world. That hope quickly turned into a nightmare as mutants also infected the vessel, trapping humanity in a fight for survival for the next 400 years. This is where we step in. We play as one of two characters tasked with defending the final safe zone on the vessel, as that too begins to succumb. All of this lore was told in two paragraphs upon starting the game. With this being a demo, it is unknown how much they’ll lean into the story, but it is an interesting setting with potential.

The big selling feature is the focus on Coop. Either with AI or with a buddy, you’ll always be accompanied by someone in-game. Whatever your preference, you’ll need to select either the Single Player or Local Coop mode from the main menu. It is unfortunate a player can’t simply drop into your current session to create a more seamless experience. On the other hand, Steam’s “Remote Play Together” is an effortless feature to use. It allows users to connect over the internet and play local games as if they were in the same room. You right-click on a Steam user you’d like to invite, and presto! No more fuss or worries if you have a stable internet connection.

Moving on from the more technical side of things, our character choices are either an Archer or a Sword wielder. You can swap between them in single player, but one is stuck with their choice in coop. Both of them complement each other’s move-set as they’re purely ranged or melee. If an enemy closes into your Archer, it is better for them to move back rather than double down on their attacks. Meanwhile, being right in their faces is precisely where you want to be as the Sword character. I noticed there is a grenade button, but none are found in the demo, nor does he possess other ranged options. It was a blast covering each other’s weaknesses. Thanks to the swarming nature of the mutants, the gameplay is very dynamic. Players must frequently move around to avoid being overrun.

I found the gameplay just as enjoyable in single-player, with one big exception. You will be fighting at a handicap if you choose to play as the Archer. The AI is simply not up to the task of controlling the melee character. He won’t attack enemies until they are right in front of him, and if you move, he stops fighting to run back toward you. I’d recommend increasing the AI’s aggressiveness and threat engagement range. Another suggestion would be to give our characters a better introduction. There are no names on the character select screen, on the developer’s website, or in any trailer I’ve seen. I only know the Archer’s name is Elieen based off a single line of dialogue half an hour in, and the male’s name remains a mystery to me.

Other than that, Anima Flux makes a strong first impression. Upon starting your adventure, we are a single room away from the much-discussed mutant threat. You are thrown right into the thick of it and are bound to immediately take damage if not paying attention from the get-go. There are no difficulty options and it does present a bit of challenge to the player. The first aid kits needed to recover HP are sparse, your AI/human teammate can take damage too, and your foes come in both the melee and ranged varieties. The ability to dash is one of the few things both characters share and is a vital skill to practice. Our best way to avoid injury is to make use of the invincibility frames that dashing provides. If you lose all of your health, your partner will need to help you get back up.

The environments in this title are dripping with atmosphere. Most of the music is a faint ambiance, and the primary sound accompanying you throughout are the thumps of your boots against the cold, steel floors of this vessel. It flares up into an energy-filled synth song when in combat, but it is generally a sullen feeling journey. Whenever you attack, your weapons give off a blue dynamic light that illuminates your surroundings, which further enhances the grim dark beauty it gives off. Being a Metroidvania, exploration is the name of the game here. You will become familiar with the zone this demo gives access to as you complete various tasks from the unfortunate souls still remaining there.

There is no fall damage, and platforming doesn’t seem to be the focus here. Your primary threats are the mutants and your own sense of direction. In a neat twist, Anima Flux doesn’t give you a map right out of the gate. It is an upgrade that you can purchase with the purple orbs that slain enemies drop. Suppose you want further details on your new map, such as points of interest. That is an additional upgrade you need to save up for. With the level layout being as good as it is, it isn’t outright necessary. You have the option to purchase more tangible upgrades should you choose so. My personal favorite is to have the Rage meter automatically refill. That four-slot meter allows you to perform character-specific abilities, like a sprinting slash or more powerful arrows. Without one of them filled, you’re limited to basic attacks.

Your first order of business when it comes to buying your upgrades is to find the person selling them. There is a single teleporter in the demo that transports you to where she is located. It is an area where we can also refill our HP for free. Having a single, out-of-the-way teleporter to this invaluable location was tension inducing. I was always considering if I should use a health kit while out exploring or trek all the way back. A potential downside of the latter is that every enemy will respawn when you enter a different area. It is an opportunity to farm for currency, but it risks having our health withered down while trying to reach an objective. One of these goals is the grand finale of this demo. It comes in the form of a massive mutant we’re tasked to defeat, and it was the highlight of this 40-minute-long demo.

The boss battle that ensues was a joy to play and cleverly designed. It requires a ton of movement on our part as the mutant creates temporary spikes on the ground and unleashes other moves that dominate the arena. You’ll have to choose the moments to attack while carefully contending with your surroundings. The entire encounter is one big test of what you’ve learned and far more challenging than one would expect for a first boss. Once it is finally slain, we are congratulated and shown a button to wishlist Anima Flux. It also grants us three hundred currency if we load that same save. There is no additional content after, though it is a hefty sum that allows us to try some upgrades we couldn’t afford before. We could also go for round two and replay the boss fight.

Overall, this demo successfully sold me on the full product. It was an enjoyable experience, whether playing solo or in coop. The only major gameplay difference was that activating objects such as switches requires both players to press it within seconds of one another. That becomes a problem with the latency introduced by playing online. I’d argue that both players holding the ‘activate’ button should be enough. With that being said, I didn’t notice any glitches throughout, nor were there any crashes. It was stable and could run at an unlocked framerate, allowing us to push performance as far as your monitor and computer can handle. Anima Flux boasts stunning comic book-inspired visuals paired with engaging gameplay. If you’ve been itching for a new coop-based Metroidvania, this is a title well worth keeping an eye on. The demo is still up if you’d like to give it a chance.

 

 

Here’s a link to their Discord should you have any questions I couldn’t answer.

 

[A review copy was provided by the developer] 

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