The Anacrusis
- December 5, 2023
- Stray Bombay
- 13h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"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!"
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Cloud
NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Xbox
Reviews
- The retrofuturism theme and character design are fun and engaging.
- The game offers a unique take on the co-op shooter genre with interesting mechanics like the Matter Compiler for perks.
- The vibrant art style and fast-paced gameplay create an enjoyable experience, especially when played with friends.
- The game feels unfinished with many bugs, poor AI, and lackluster sound design.
- There is a significant lack of content, with only a few weapons and maps available, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- The matchmaking system is flawed, making it difficult to find games with other players, often resulting in playing with AI teammates.
- gameplay230 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative 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.”
“I absolutely love the emphasis on physics and gameplay; using the vortex grenades to suck up all the aliens or using the stasis grenade to slow down everything in slow motion is funny.”
“Gameplay issues unfortunately don't end there, as a lot of times progression is confusing.”
“The gameplay is beyond boring, the shooting is unfulfilling and way too cartoonish.”
“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.”
- graphics136 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a vibrant retro-futuristic aesthetic that draws inspiration from 70s sci-fi, which many players find visually appealing and unique. However, there are significant criticisms regarding the scaling of visuals, with some environments feeling overly large and empty, and a lack of polish leading to graphical issues. Overall, while the art style is praised for its creativity and charm, many reviewers feel that the game still requires further refinement and optimization to fully realize its potential.
“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 in this game is beautiful and fresh.”
“Never gonna play laggy FPS games with bad looking graphics even with maxed out settings again!”
“Lotta graphical issues, lotta missing polish, lotta things that you'd think would be fixed prior to release due to how obviously an issue they are.”
“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. Graphics and visuals are not that great, movements are so stiff, guns are not engaging at all, and enemies are so boring.”
- story114 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story 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 shows potential, the execution feels incomplete, leading to a sense of disconnection from the characters and their motivations. Overall, players hope for future updates to enhance the storytelling and provide a more immersive experience.
“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 story, it becomes more uninteresting.”
“I felt as though there wasn't much of a story to follow; you're kind of just thrown in with a general objective to work towards.”
- music76 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its upbeat, retro-futuristic vibe that complements the 70s aesthetic, while others criticize it for being generic, forgettable, and not reactive to gameplay events. Although the soundtrack fits the game's style and enhances the overall atmosphere, many players feel it lacks variety and intensity compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, it is seen as an area needing improvement to elevate the gaming experience.
“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 game 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.”
- replayability46 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative 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 the experience can become tedious and repetitive due to design flaws and lack of engaging content. Some appreciate the clever level design and community-driven content, but others recommend alternative games for a more fulfilling replay experience. Overall, the potential for replayability exists, but it heavily depends 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 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.”
“Even in the current partially-complete state, 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, and it's hard to imagine that will happen given the many design elements that would need to change to maintain interest.”
- humor32 mentions
- 94 % positive mentions
- -3 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative 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 sense of disappointment. The game features amusing physics interactions and funny moments during combat, but many feel that the overall comedic potential is underutilized, with characters often being unfunny and silent. Overall, while there are enjoyable humorous elements, the game could benefit from a stronger emphasis on character-driven comedy.
“Its easy-to-learn mechanics make it accessible for all players, while the satisfying combat and hilarious moments keep you hooked.”
“There's a lot to love here, even in early access the Anacrusis keeps impressing me with its simplistic yet hilariously fun gameplay loop.”
“The humor reminds me of classic Valve humor, but then again, Chet Faliszek is working on this game.”
“The humor falls flat, with characters that are ugly, unfunny, and unbearable, which seems to be a trend in newer western games.”
“Despite having workshop support, the game lacks custom campaigns, making the humor feel stale once the official maps are completed.”
“The attempts at humor are overshadowed by the unappealing character designs and a lack of engaging content.”
- optimization28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has seen significant improvements, with many players reporting better performance and fewer issues compared to its initial release. However, some users still experience drastic performance dips during intense moments, indicating that further optimization is needed. While certain configurations run smoothly, the game's graphics and polish have been criticized as outdated, suggesting a mixed reception regarding its overall optimization.
“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.”
“Art style is fantastic, gunplay/gameplay is good, unique maps, pretty well optimized, and overall an enjoyable experience.”
“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.”
“A bit of optimization still needs to be done, and overall an uninteresting storyline to follow.”
“The game is also lacking a lot of polish and optimization in general.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its 1960s aesthetic and visual design, while others criticize it for lacking immersion and depth. Many players feel that the game falls short compared to titles like Left 4 Dead, particularly in terms of audio cues and environmental tension. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment in the art style and exploration, the game is seen as needing significant improvements to create a more engaging and immersive atmosphere.
“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.”
“The level design is terrible and un-intuitive, the world is boring and empty, and the atmosphere is non-existent.”
“But needs a little more 'oomph' to its atmosphere.”
“In time, I can see this going places once they flesh out the atmosphere and make things feel more tense with good audio design.”
- stability24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its numerous stability issues, including buggy enemy AI, clipping through objects, and problematic spawning mechanics. While players acknowledge these bugs, many still find the gameplay enjoyable and believe the game has potential for improvement over time. Overall, the launch is described as rough, with a mix of fun and frustration due to its instability.
“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.”
- monetization22 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reviews, with some players labeling it a "soulless cash grab" that relies on the legacy of Left 4 Dead, while others appreciate the absence of microtransactions despite the presence of ads and seasonal content. Critics express concern over potential time-gated content and the impact of poor advertising on player engagement, suggesting that the game needs to improve its branding and marketing efforts to attract a larger audience. Overall, while the game has solid foundations, its monetization approach may hinder its long-term success.
“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's 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.”
“So that's almost certain going to be bad... 'seasons' allow for microtransactions/battle passes and/or content to be time-gated and be removed from the game at little notice (like what Bungie has repeatedly done to Destiny 2).”
“The advertisement for this game (or, in this case, lack thereof), is what I assume to be the main reason why the player count for this game is extremely low (on community hubs for games, if the player count is anything below ~300, it won't appear there).”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find emotional resonance in the game's characters, particularly the optimistic coach, which adds a layer of heart to the experience. The nostalgic and engaging aesthetic, combined with the sense of scale in the levels, evokes feelings of both enjoyment and melancholy, making the gameplay memorable despite its repetitive nature. Overall, while the game may lose its appeal after a few runs, the emotional connections fostered by the characters and atmosphere leave a lasting impact.
“In L4D2, they had different faces and clothes, which made me feel sorry for them a bit.”
“Heartbreaking.”
“You have Coach, the wholesome small-town PE coach who has a similar role to Bill but with a lot more optimism and lightheartedness.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative 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 slow-paced gun mechanics and lack of variety in weaponry lead to a frustrating experience when facing hordes. Many feel that the game fails to capture the quality and excitement of its predecessor, Left 4 Dead 2.
“It could be so fun, but it is tedious. It claims to have many gun updates, but 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.”
“They just get annoying and tedious to kill.”
- character development4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is visually appealing, with well-executed retrofuturism-themed designs for the player characters. However, the interactions between characters currently lack depth and feel somewhat stale, indicating 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.”
