Anomaly Agent

I did not expect Phew Phew Games' debut to hit this hard. Anomaly Agent is a side-scrolling action platformer set in a neon-drenched cyberpunk world, and from the first fight it communicates exactly what it wants to be: tight, witty, and relentlessly kinetic. You play as Agent 70, a TDAY operative with the social grace of a thrown briefcase, tasked with containing anomalies that are warping gravity, time, and the size of your commanding officer. That last detail tells you everything about the tone. The combat is the real pitch. You start with basic punches, kicks, a throwable stun business card, and a briefcase that blocks melee attacks and deflects bullets. Enemies drop their guns when defeated, giving you a couple of rounds before you hurl the empty weapon at their friends for bonus damage. Parrying is a core verb here, not an optional skill: land the timing on a bullet reflect or a defensive break and the combat opens up beautifully. As you progress, portals, double jumps, slide dashes, and anomaly-powered throws layer on top of each other, and the game smartly uses the same environmental hazards as platforming obstacles and then as combat tools minutes later. The upgrade system splits along an emotional axis: sincere dialogue choices bank positive upgrade points toward health, while snarky responses bank negative points toward combat skills. It is a light mechanic, but it gives every conversation a small, satisfying decision weight that most brawlers skip entirely. The honest critique is that the upgrade tree is linear enough that two playthroughs will feel similar, and several of the mid-game boss encounters recycle patterns before the end-chapter bosses finally show off what the combat engine can do. The soundtrack is something I keep returning to even outside the game. The thumping synthwave and rock blends pulse with the action in a way that feels composed for the encounter, not just looped behind it. Visually, the pixel art evokes 16-bit energy while sneaking in lighting and parallax effects that would have melted the hardware of that era. The cyberpunk dystopia is gritty neon and flickering advertisements, Blade Runner-adjacent without trying to replicate it. It is not the most architecturally complex world in the genre, but it has character to spare. For players who want deep lore and sprawling maps, the game will not scratch that itch. It is deliberately compact, running around five to six hours on a first playthrough, with a free New Game Plus mode that lets you carry upgrades forward and a post-launch Rogue Agent Mode that adds a roguelite layer for those who want to stay in the combat sandbox longer. None of those additions feel like padding; they feel like a small studio respecting your time while offering you reasons to return. The checkpoint system is generous, difficulty spikes are present but fair, and the game never outstays its welcome by even a single level.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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