With The Anacrusis, some former developers of the legendary co-op shooter Left 4 Dead are now working on a new cooperative title. This time, instead of zombies, there are aliens. MeinMMO shows you what to expect.
What type of game is this? The Anacrusis will be a co-op first-person shooter where you have to shoot your way through large hordes of enemies. The game is developed by the indie studio Stray Bombay, founded by several former Valve developers.
Among them is Chet Faliszek, who co-founded the studio and previously worked on Left 4 Dead for Valve. He was also involved as a game writer in titles like Half Life and Portal. Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead are considered some of the best co-op games of all time.
When is the release and on which platforms will it be available? The Anacrusis is currently listed on Steam and the Epic Store, with a release date set for “Fall 2021.” It is expected to come out later this year.
Here you can watch gameplay in the trailer:
Aliens instead of zombies – The Anacrusis looks like crazy co-op action
What you can expect in the game: Similar to Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood, The Anacrusis sends you into battle with up to three friends. However, unlike the aforementioned games, you won’t be fighting zombies, but will find yourself in a sci-fi setting, stranded on a gigantic spaceship at the edge of space.
- You must fend off waves of hostile aliens. For this, you will have access to a vast arsenal of weapons.
- You unlock weapons, bonuses, and new gameplay styles that benefit your entire team.
- There are various upgrades and tools like shield impulses that you can use in battle.
The arsenal includes not only guns but also items like stasis grenades, shield grenades, and other combat tools that can inflict damage, heal, or provide cover.
The Anacrusis appears to be divided into several seasons that tell different parts of the story. In the first season, the four characters are: Nessa, Guion, Liu, and Lance.
According to the official description on Steam, The Anacrusis will also feature mod support: “We at Stray Bombay believe that mods and modders only improve games. We will provide from the start a robust array of mods created by community members. ” (via Steam)
The Anacrusis will be a place where you can hang out with friends
How does it play? There are already some impressions. PCGamer writes, for example, that the co-op shooter is quite chaotic but offers a “magical kind” of chaos. (via pcgamer.com)
According to the report, The Anacrusis uses an AI director, just like Left 4 Dead did. This is an AI that adjusts the difficulty level based on your performance in a round. If you perform particularly well, you will face tougher enemies. Numerous factors are involved.
“While the original Director primarily managed the enemy spawn points, the Director 2.0 actively considers you and your teammates and creates a model of your individual and collective performance.”
This is meant to make each round feel different. The enemy design is also aimed at enhancing cooperative play. For example, there are so-called “Goopers” that can immobilize you in one place with a lump. To destroy this lump, your teammates must shoot at it.
However, it is not just about the difficulty level:
“We had a tester who said the best sentence. ‘Sure, we made it. But a worse team wouldn’t have succeeded.’ That is what we want to convey to every team, whether good or bad: that they are at the top of their game.” In Left 4 Dead, he told me, player data showed that more people played on easy than on hard. “They just want to have a shared experience with their friends. Our game is not really about the difficulty level. It’s about intensity.”
via pcgamer.com
The co-op aspect of the game is heavily emphasized by the developers. Nevertheless, there are enough progression systems to motivate individual players as well.
What do you think of The Anacrusis? Is this a game that interests you? Or are you not a fan of co-op shooters?
