"Campaign by day, brawl by night, restart from scratch"
About
Anomaly President splits your life in two. By day you drive a campaign bus around town gathering votes as a presidential candidate, by night you turn into a warrior and cut through the city's enemies in a 2.5D pixel-art action roguelike. Runs feed a base you build up between attempts, and death sends you back with permanent upgrades unlocked. You pick a fighting identity, swordmaster, cyber mage, or a hybrid, chain parries and reflects in combat, pull off finishing executions, and manage creatures called Fluffy that tie into your progression. It's in Early Access, so systems and content are still being filled out.
Verdict
Anomaly President has an idea worth backing: split a run between campaigning for office and slashing through the night, and let the base you build tie both halves together. When it works, the loop and the pixel art make a good case. But the movement feels heavy, the build synergies stay shallow, and dying eight runs deep with no save to fall back on turns a promising night into busywork. This is an Early Access game that knows what it wants to be and hasn't got there yet, so weigh it as a bet on the roadmap rather than a finished pitch.
You'll like it if …
- +you want a roguelike premise with a genuine twist rather than another dungeon crawl
- +dark political comedy and silly dialogue between fights appeal to you
- +you're happy to buy into an Early Access game and watch it fill out
You'll dislike it if …
- −losing a long run with no checkpoint will make you close the game
- −you need combat to feel crisp and responsive from the first swing
- −thin item synergies and repeating run structures bore you fast
Breakdown
- +The day-campaign, night-combat split gives each run a rhythm you don't see elsewhere, and players single it out as the reason to keep going
- +Post-run unlocks change how the next attempt plays, so the sense of getting somewhere is real
- +Parry and reflect give the fights a timing layer beyond swinging
- −The character feels heavy to move; jumping and dodging come up repeatedly as unsmooth
- −Hit feedback doesn't land for everyone, with parries and strikes described as unsatisfying
- −Platforming sections are called clunky, and difficulty spikes catch newcomers off guard
- +Weapon combinations and a spread of skill builds give runs some texture
- +The upgrade and base-building layer between runs pulls you back for another attempt
- −Item synergies are thin, so builds rarely snowball into something distinct
- −Runs start repeating themselves once you've seen the structure a few times
- −The Fluffy pet management divides people; some see busywork rather than a system worth engaging with
- +The political-satire framing lands its jokes, and the silly dialogue is a recurring highlight
- +The absurd premise of campaigning by day and brawling by night carries real comedic timing
- −Some players felt the previous game set a stronger atmosphere and wanted more of that here
- −Cutscenes run long and can't be skipped, which grates on repeat runs
- +The pixel art and lighting draw consistent praise as the standout of the package
- +Sound design and soundtrack are called out as a strong fit for the combat
- −Frame drops and stuttering show up even on capable hardware
- −Occasional visual bugs and rough animation transitions surface
- +The Early Access state is openly acknowledged, and the core loop already holds together
- −No save or checkpoint system means dying deep in a run drops you to the very start, and players want it fixed first
- −Menus and screen transitions are described as unintuitive and jerky
- −Game-breaking bugs reported, including a black screen on returning to the bus and a settings menu that can lock up
- −Gamepad rebinding and keyboard limits are flagged as accessibility gaps
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