Welcome to Anima Flux, which it turns out is not a weird new intestinal disorder. Rather, it’s a 2D Metroidvania co-op platformer. Take control of one of two characters as you fight through the usual horde of mutants in a desperate bid to save the last remaining human city which for Erik’s sake better have a distillery.

Developer: Anima Flux
Publisher: Anima Flux
Platform: PC;Steam/GOG, Switch, X-Box, PS5
Release Date: Oct 7th 2024
Price: Full game $19.99, Free demo availible.

Ohhh Just the two of us…. Chopping mutants til they die… just the two of us, you and I…..

For definitions sake, “Metroidvania” is a portmanteau of “Metroid” and “Castelvania” two classic Nintendo titles that have spawned a subgenere of similar games over the years. Anima Flux repeats this formula and adds a co-op aspect where the player (that’s you) Takes control of one of two avatars, generic video game tough guy Roy, armed with a sword for wet work, and stock Sci-Fi girl boss Eileen, armed with a bow for ranged attacks. Interestingly, the player may, indeed must switch back and forth between them during play adding an interesting and honestly fun dynamic to otherwise well trod ground. You may of course play in actual co-op mode with you and a friend each taking one of the characters using either a standard co-op mode, or via the Interwebz(tm) with online play.

Being a Metroidvania title, Anima Flux follows the same pattern of throwing the player straight into the game with little guidance leaving the player to find things out for themselves. Naturally, the first item on the agenda is to begin exploring the map, and doing so will bring you into contact with NPCs that will provide you with some context. In true Metroidvania style, you soon run into obstacles that you cant beat without upgrades which are gained by defeating bosses to who selfishly keep them in their stomachs (because of course they do). As you explore deeper into the map, you will collect more skills from the bellies of the bugs and encounter merchants that offer upgrades such as armor, new attacks and enhanced weapon damage.

The ants go marching one by one Hurrah! Hurrah! they slaughter humans just for fun hurrah! hurrah!

Amina Flux has a cool nineties aesthetic (trust me I was there) looking retro cool while the story shepherds the player along with well done hand-drawn cut-scenes that have an anime feel. The music and sound are appropriate but what drove me nuts was the dialogue. In keeping with the nineties theme the dialogue could be out of a late night Cinemax movie where a rogue cop and a (ahem) lady of the evening steal Pat Benitar’s hair and banter back and forth as they roam LA, searching for the drug lord who murdered her “boyfriend.” Snark aside, my complaints are purely subjective and the gameplay more than makes up for the cheese wizz dialogue.

Bottom line its a perfectly competent title with some innovations of its own, not a sea change, but a job very well done. If you like platformers and aren’t a refugee from Shakespeare in the park like me, this is one that you ought to check out.

Technical note, as of the time of writing, this game runs without difficulty on Linux Mint 22 using Valve’s Proton compatibility layer.

The Good:

Good Gameplay
Good Level Design
Good Controls

The Bad:

Cheesey dialogue

Anima Flux Review (PC)