The Anacrusis

72%
Game Brain Score Based on 471 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
The Anacrusis Game Cover
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"The Anacrusis is a 1-8 player sci-fi co-op FPS from the lead of Left 4 Dead, where you fight against endless alien hordes using a variety of futuristic weapons. With Steam Workshop support, enjoy new campaigns, holdout maps, skins, and emotes, or play as the aliens in PVP Versus mode. Battle the alien menace and protect your friends to survive!"

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Reviews

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 471 reviews
gameplay35 positive mentions
stability12 negative mentions
  • The retrofuturism theme and character design are fun and visually appealing.
  • The game offers a unique take on the co-op shooter genre with its procedural generation and diverse range of weapons and enemies.
  • The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively work on updates and improvements.
  • The game lacks a compelling story and character depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.
  • The AI can be frustratingly poor, leading to issues with gameplay and team coordination.
  • Many players report bugs, performance issues, and a lack of content, making the game feel unfinished.
  • gameplay115 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, drawing heavily from the Left 4 Dead formula while introducing unique mechanics like the "matter compiler" for perks. While many players appreciate the vibrant art style and fast-paced action, they also note issues such as repetitive environments, unbalanced combat, and a lack of engaging character interactions. Overall, the core mechanics are enjoyable and accessible, but the game suffers from a lack of depth and polish, making it more fun when played with friends rather than solo.

    • “Overall, the gameplay is fun, and the visual art style is great.”
    • “Its easy-to-learn mechanics make it accessible for all players, while the satisfying combat and hilarious moments keep you hooked.”
    • “The gameplay is capturing what I think Back 4 Blood lacked.”
    • “The gameplay is beyond boring, the shooting is unfulfilling and way too cartoonish.”
    • “The game controls and functions poorly, the gunplay stinks, and the main gameplay loop is dull.”
    • “While being the most faithful game to Left 4 Dead ever to be released to date, it struggles from tedious and repetitive gameplay mechanics that don’t reach a similar amount of quality of Left 4 Dead 2, released 13 years ago, which will take away its replayability if left in such a state.”
  • graphics68 mentions

    The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many praising its vibrant retro-futuristic aesthetic and unique art style reminiscent of 70s sci-fi, which adds charm and character to the environments. However, several users noted issues with scale, empty spaces, and a lack of polish, leading to a visually inconsistent experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While the art design is often highlighted as a standout feature, there are calls for improvements in optimization and variety to enhance the visual appeal further.

    • “With its vibrant, colorful art style and fast-paced gameplay, it feels like a love letter to classic sci-fi B-movies.”
    • “Fantastic, visually striking art style, brilliant setting, and excellent gunplay.”
    • “The art style is beautiful and fresh.”
    • “Everything looks way too big, and not in the 'oh, what opulent grandeur!' way, but the 'oh, they didn't scale the visuals correctly for an FPS game' way.”
    • “Graphics in this game look like they are from 5 years ago, with poor optimization.”
    • “To be honest, I didn't like it at all. I know it is in early development stages, but still, the game looks so bland and uninteresting. The graphics and visuals are not that great, movements are so stiff, guns are not engaging at all, and enemies are so boring.”
  • story57 mentions

    The story in the game is generally viewed as underdeveloped and lacking depth, with many players expressing disappointment over the absence of character backstories and engaging narrative elements. While the setting has potential, it often feels unfinished, leading to a gameplay experience that resembles a basic run-and-gun without a compelling plot to draw players in. Some reviewers hope for future updates to flesh out the story and improve character interactions, but currently, the narrative is seen as sparse and not particularly engaging.

    • “I am eagerly awaiting more episodes to release, and for the story to be fleshed out further.”
    • “The story is interesting and I am excited to see where things go from here.”
    • “I absolutely love when characters interact with one another, and tell a story through their dialogue.”
    • “The story has potential, the setting has potential... but since it came out of early access, that's all it remains: potential.”
    • “There is no story or any explanation of what happened or why you are here, and I think that's one of the major issues in this game; without a story, it becomes more uninteresting.”
    • “The story is there, but it's told very subtly, and I do think that the story will be fleshed out more as the game development progresses, but I would like to have more than I do right now.”
  • music38 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its upbeat, retro-futuristic vibe that complements the aesthetic, while others find it repetitive and lacking in impact during gameplay. Many note that the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, especially in cooperative play, but some criticize the lack of variety and the music's tendency to feel out of place or too quiet during key moments. Overall, while the 70s-inspired music is enjoyable for its style, it could benefit from more variety and volume to enhance the game's atmosphere.

    • “The music, like the ones during crescendo events and victory screens, is upbeat and fits the tone of the retro-futuristic aesthetic well.”
    • “Shooting zombie/alien things with various types of sci-fi blasters to a disco soundtrack is an excellent way to spend an evening with your three closest pals!”
    • “I'm a sucker for 70's aesthetics, and the Anacrusis nails that to a tee, from the music to the level design, architecture, and atmosphere.”
    • “Music isn't very reactive and often feels out of place.”
    • “Besides some ambient music, there is no music.”
    • “The soundtrack and sound design is forgettable, honestly.”
  • replayability23 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers randomized perks, custom map creation, and various modes that enhance replay value, many players find it suffers from repetitive gameplay and design issues that diminish long-term interest. Some highlight the potential for replayability through community-driven content and weekly challenges, but others caution that the current state of the game may not sustain engagement beyond a few playthroughs. Overall, the replayability is seen as promising but heavily reliant on future updates and improvements.

    • “The level design is cleverly put together and endlessly replayable.”
    • “Allowing players to have full customization power over maps, cosmetics, and challenges - which is a really nice touch to the game as it allows the community to keep the game alive with its creativity while adding endless replayability potential to the game.”
    • “Even in the current partially-complete state it's in, what's available so far is extremely fun and replayable to progress through.”
    • “Sadly, that replay value is underscored by the game's issues.”
    • “Games get boring really fast; there's no real replayability, just difficulty scaling. You will constantly ask yourself, 'Am I even going the right way?'”
    • “Hard to imagine lots of replay value until the game is way more fleshed out, given the many design elements that would need to change to maintain interest.”
  • humor16 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the classic Valve-style humor and find moments of hilarity in gameplay mechanics and character interactions, others criticize the lack of engaging dialogue and character development, leading to a less entertaining experience. The game features amusing moments, particularly with physics-based interactions and character quirks, but many feel it falls short of delivering a consistently funny atmosphere. Overall, the humor can be enjoyable but is often overshadowed by gameplay shortcomings and a lack of character engagement.

    • “Its easy-to-learn mechanics make it accessible for all players, while the satisfying combat and hilarious moments keep you hooked.”
    • “Francis, the meatheaded biker who jokingly hates everything and has a weird and entertaining sense of humor.”
    • “I absolutely love the emphasis on physics and gameplay; using the vortex grenades to suck up all the aliens or watching the ragdolls fall is funny.”
    • “The humor falls flat, with characters that are ugly, unfunny, and unbearable, which is typical of many newer western games.”
    • “Despite having workshop support, the game lacks custom campaigns or any engaging content, leaving the humor feeling stale once the official maps are completed.”
    • “It's disappointing that the humor doesn't resonate, as the characters are not only unattractive but also fail to deliver any comedic value.”
  • optimization14 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has seen significant improvements, with many players noting better performance and fewer bugs compared to its initial release. However, some still report occasional performance dips during intense moments and a need for further polish. While certain users experienced smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others criticized the graphics and optimization as lacking, suggesting a mixed reception in this area.

    • “Both performance and gameplay are vastly improved.”
    • “The game runs much better, so I can say that it's well optimized; my FPS dropped only a few times during a horde or flasher.”
    • “From a performance standpoint, I didn't have any issues; the game runs well with a 2080 Ti in 2K resolution, getting 150-200 FPS on average.”
    • “I understand that it only makes sense for the performance to dip when there's a lot happening, but such a drastic difference is unbearable at times.”
    • “The game is also lacking a lot of polish and optimization in general.”
    • “Graphics in this game look like they are from 5 years ago; poor optimization.”
  • atmosphere13 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its 1960s-style design and visual aesthetics, while others criticize it for lacking immersion and depth. Many players feel that the game falls short in creating a captivating environment, especially when compared to classics like Left 4 Dead, which excelled in audio cues and tension-building elements. Overall, while there are moments of charm and potential, the atmosphere is seen as needing significant improvement to enhance the overall experience.

    • “The atmosphere is good and the 1960s-style spaceship and characters are well thought out and designed.”
    • “The art style and general atmosphere of Anacrusis is amazing; I genuinely enjoyed the calm moments where I was able to just look around and explore every little detail the maps had to offer.”
    • “I'm a sucker for 70's aesthetics, and Anacrusis nails that to a tee, from the music to the level design, architecture, and atmosphere.”
    • “While the game's description makes you think that you will be reliving the experience of L4D, in reality, all this game managed to do is grow my appreciation for L4D's map design, atmosphere, weapons, and enemies.”
    • “The level design is terrible and unintuitive, the world is boring and empty, and the atmosphere is non-existent.”
    • “But needs a little more 'oomph' to its atmosphere.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs such as enemies spawning inappropriately, clipping through objects, and issues with AI and matchmaking. While many acknowledge these problems, they also express optimism for future improvements, noting that the gameplay remains enjoyable despite the glitches. Overall, the game is seen as a rough but promising experience that could benefit from further development.

    • “Normal enemies will often fall in your face from the ceiling (not in a 'surprise!' way, but a buggy way). They'll also spawn inside walls, or if they happen to actually be within the playspace, they'll run through a wall and disappear.”
    • “This is a third-rate Left 4 Dead clone with very buggy gameplay.”
    • “It had potential, and we enjoyed playing it for a while even though it was very buggy and broken: clipping through objects, buggy enemy AI, and a borked matchmaking system.”
  • monetization11 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reviews, with some players labeling it a "soulless cash grab" that fails to live up to its predecessors. While there are no microtransactions currently, the introduction of seasonal content and potential for future monetization through battle passes raises concerns about the game's longevity and player engagement. Overall, the game's monetization approach is seen as lacking compared to competitors, with a need for better branding and advertising to attract a larger player base.

    • “The replay value for this game is pretty good; it's a nice casual game to play while talking to friends. If you want more of a challenge, there's the weekly challenge mode and also the weekly challenges from the season pass (don't worry, there are no microtransactions!).”
    • “It's a soulless cash grab that tries to piggyback off the success of Left 4 Dead, but is forever doomed to live in its shadow.”
    • “Stay away from this soulless cash grab.”
    • “So that's almost certain to be bad... 'seasons' allow for microtransactions/battle passes and/or content to be time-gated and removed from the game at little notice (like what Bungie has repeatedly done to Destiny 2).”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the presence of a wholesome coach character, which adds a sense of optimism and lightheartedness. Players express a mix of nostalgia and heartbreak, particularly in relation to character design and the vast, immersive environments that evoke feelings of engagement and enjoyment. Overall, while the game may lose its appeal after initial playthroughs, the emotional connections fostered by its characters and aesthetics leave a lasting impression.

    • “You have Coach, the wholesome small-town PE coach who has a similar role to Bill but with a lot more optimism and lightheartedness.”
    • “In L4D2, they had different faces and clothes, which made me feel sorry for them a bit.”
    • “Heartbreaking.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, detracting from the overall enjoyment and replayability. Despite being a faithful homage to Left 4 Dead, the lack of engaging mechanics and slow-paced gunplay make defending against hordes less enjoyable.

    • “They just get annoying and tedious to kill.”
    • “It could be so fun, but it is tedious. It boasts many gun updates, yet there are still the same number of guns that shoot slowly, making defending against hordes less enjoyable.”
    • “While being the most faithful game to Left 4 Dead ever released to date, it suffers from tedious and repetitive gameplay mechanics that don't match the quality of Left 4 Dead 2, released 13 years ago, which will diminish its replayability if left in such a state.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game features appealing retrofuturism-themed designs for player characters, but the interactions between them currently lack depth and freshness, suggesting room for improvement as the game progresses.

    • “The retrofuturism theme of the game is a fun idea, and the character design for the player characters hits the spot for me.”
    • “The character design is nice, but their interactions do feel a bit stale at this time in development.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

13hMedian play time
13hAverage play time
13-13hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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