Anger Foot

Anger Foot was provided by Devolver Digital for review. Thank you!

I remember the first time I saw the concept for Anger Foot, and I thought it was hilarious. Some guy going around kicking a bunch of people, all physics-based, so the bodies would ragdoll and fly everywhere, and I was sold. I would see the game pop up at GDC and Summer Game Fest, both of which had playable demos, and while I was so tempted to play, I steadied myself to wait for the main game to experience it on Steam Deck. I am happy to say that the time has come. I have played it, and I love it.

Anger Foot doesn't try to do too much and instead focuses on a more concentrated experience that challenges you to utilize its core mechanics effectively. Every level will have you running through, kicking, and shooting different enemies that are around. You will go through different environments, taking on gangs that have stolen your beautiful shoes, so you have to teach them a lesson while reclaiming them.

That's essentially the story right there. Your prized shoe collection was stolen and distributed to the four main gangs that rule the town. So, you have to go to each one's territory and get them back. I was actually more interested in the background behind the city and thinking about how it became what it is now, but the story is more there to just give us a reason why our "protagonist" is fighting so much.

The gameplay is extremely tight, enjoyable, and downright addicting. I had a blast kicking through doors and shooting enemies as I ran through. There isn't much variation from this gameplay loop, but there doesn't need to be. The game nails the fast-paced first-person action that I expected, making it addicting to keep playing through, even when it's the same running, kicking, and shooting. There are also different enemies with different weapons you can pick up (like a pistol, shotgun, submachine gun, plunger, etc.).

The game can be a little difficult, as I found myself restarting the same level multiple times to beat, but that could be more due to using a controller versus a keyboard and mouse. There were some moments when I was behind cover, and an enemy came out and shot and killed me, but I never got to the point of aggravation. It was obnoxious to start over, but the point of the game is to run around and kick/shoot enemies, so stopping for a second can result in some death.

While the game can be beaten quite quickly, there is some reason to go back. Each level has three stars you can get by completing different objectives during the level, and the more stars you get, the more shoes you unlock. When equipped, these shoes can give different effects, like a second life when you die, a boost in speed, kicked doors exploding, and more.

And to top it all off, Anger Foot is a special kind of hilarious. It throws caution to the wind and just exudes hilarity in the different scenarios you will find your enemies in. Rooms filled with toilets, fire extinguishers everywhere that can set off and kill all the enemies in the room, weird tentacle bosses, uppercut kicks, ridiculous looking enemies, and so much more. I found myself getting excited to kick down doors to see what would be behind them, and it gave me the motivation to keep on playing, even when it was bedtime and I needed to stop so I could sleep.

Anger Foot's artwork is phenomenal and fits perfectly with the game's overarching themes. It's gritty, gross, and ridiculous, which makes it so appealing. The cartoon-like aesthetic with fantastic shadows and set pieces illuminates each location, making it look more pleasing to the eyes. And I am a sucker for physics, so being able to kick down doors, break toilets, and destroy parts of the world around you was just so appealing. Running around to the soundtrack was phenomenal, too, and it just pumped me up for more playing.

Anger Foot - Steam Deck Performance

Anger Foot is a ton of fun, and it continues to be an extremely fun time on the Steam Deck, but a few compromises need to be made. Some levels dip heavily in performance, usually the ones that take place fully outside, and there are some drops when going from some rooms to other rooms. Unfortunately, This is unavoidable, and because it happens so often, it felt a bit unstable when trying to play at higher frame rates. This led me to my recommended settings, which goes against how I usually play a game like this.

Recommended Settings

Games like Anger Foot are perfect for playing at higher framerates, like 60 FPS. Still, unfortunately, the game suffers from too many drops for me to consider it a playable experience at 60. The drops can affect gameplay and result in missing enemies or them killing you when you don't expect it, which is a bummer. Because of that, I felt that stability should come first, and the most stable framerate with decent visuals is 40 FPS.

There will still be levels that drop to 30, but because 40 feels much more fluid, I would rather deal with the small drops here and there than go all the way down. And since the game looks great like this, I can't complain too much. If you want this to save battery or be a bit more stable, you can drop the SteamOS FPS cap to 30.

55 FPS Settings

Now, if you MUST play the game at a high framerate, this is how I would do it. Reducing the resolution and graphical settings while keeping the unlock TDP limit makes this a viable way to play, and a lot of areas within most of the levels will reach the framerate, but it will still drop. Outside levels will go down to below 40 as well, so be aware you will need to deal with drops no matter what.

I actually do prefer playing this way personally, the smoothness of the high framerate is incredible, but bringing the lighting quality down to low makes it hard to recommend. It completely changes how the entire levels look, making them a bit darker, and it's not nearly as appealing.

Accessibility

As for accessibility, you can change audio bars, change keybindings, turn on an assist mode to make enemies or bosses easier, change camera shake and recoil, toggle blood and flashing lights, auto throw empty weapons, show timers and indicators, and change crosshair details.

Anger Foot does support 16:10 resolutions and has both controller and cloud save support. There are no HDR settings, and the text is a good size.

Conclusion

I adore Anger Foot. It isn't trying to be something it's not, nor is it trying to pad out the gameplay. Instead, it empowers the core loop by giving you different levels to run around and kick/shoot enemies. It's a completely hilarious experience with a great art style and soundtrack, with an interesting story that sets the tone and reasoning for your onslaught against the different crews. The game doesn't try to give you extra game modes or much for replayability, but I like that it's a concise experience where you know what you get, and it's just plain old fun.

While I wish it ran better on the Steam Deck, it's hard not to love the game and play it this way. I hope future patches can further improve the experience, but I know this is how I will play it.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

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