Our Anomaly President review takes a look at Phew Phew Games’ fast-paced roguelike action game, currently available in Early Access on PC via Steam. Mixing side-scrolling combat, randomised builds, permanent progression and light base management, Anomaly President already feels packed with ideas despite still being in development.
I’m usually a little hesitant when it comes to roguelikes. I enjoy the thrill of putting together a powerful build, but being sent back to the beginning after every death can wear me down quickly.
That was my biggest concern going in. Eight hours later, though, Anomaly President has managed to keep me coming back, and I’m still thinking about different builds when I’m not playing.
Combat That Rewards Control
Anomaly President gets the balance of its combat largely right.
Most standard enemies aren’t especially intimidating on their own, but fights become much more demanding once different types are mixed together. A group of melee enemies can suddenly become a real problem when ranged attackers are backing them up from across the screen.
That forces you to think about positioning, target priority and when it’s safe to commit to an attack. Healing opportunities are limited too, so careless mistakes can easily follow you through the rest of a run.
Thankfully, the controls are responsive enough to make that pressure enjoyable rather than frustrating. You can dodge, parry, use a main and secondary weapon, and unleash a range of special abilities.
Parrying in particular becomes incredibly satisfying once you start getting the timing down. There’s a noticeable point where the combat begins to click and you stop simply reacting to attacks and start controlling the encounter.
Enemies also have stamina gauges alongside their health. Break one and you can perform an instant finisher, and there’s a surprising amount of animation variety depending on the enemy and weapon you’re using.
Considering how often you’ll revisit familiar enemy types, those different finishers help keep combat visually interesting.
Bosses use the same stamina system, although I’ve yet to completely break one. They’re much harder to overwhelm and also expose one of the game’s weaker points.
Blockable attacks are highlighted in yellow, while unblockable attacks appear red. It’s easy enough to understand, but some bosses are so large that the screen can become overloaded with red effects. Add your own abilities on top and it can become difficult to read exactly what’s happening.
It never ruined a fight for me, but clearer visual feedback would make some encounters feel fairer.
Finding the Right Synergy
The real appeal of Anomaly President comes from how much a run can change depending on the abilities you’re offered.
I’ve had attempts where I’ve felt noticeably underpowered and others where my build has become completely ridiculous. That swing in power is part of the fun, it’s all about finding the right synergy.
Abilities can include fairly conventional guns and projectiles, but the stranger options are far more memorable. I’ve summoned a giant blade, transformed into a sumo wrestler before slamming into the ground, fired ice and flames from my hands and attacked enemies with ballot papers.
There’s enough variety that even after eight hours, I still feel like there are combinations I haven’t properly explored.
Fluffies add another layer to that experimentation. These small companions activate after specific actions, such as a successful parry, dealing elemental damage or completing certain combos. Some are clearly inspired by familiar videogame characters.
Watching a tiny Dante-style Fluffy leap into battle and start firing at enemies never stopped being entertaining.
More importantly, they aren’t just there as a joke. Their triggers can genuinely influence how you put a build together, which makes them feel useful rather than decorative.
Why Starting Again Works
Death sends you back to the beginning, but Anomaly President does a good job of making that reset feel worthwhile.
You return to your campaign bus, where you can unlock new weapons, improve passive bonuses and increase your overall strength through different facilities.
There’s a light management element here too. You need to keep staff fed and make sure there are enough beds available, while new rooms can unlock additional bonuses and activities.
It has a bit of a Fallout Shelter feel to it, but the important thing is that the bus gives you visible progress between runs.
As your character becomes stronger, the earlier areas become quicker to clear. Your own improvement matters just as much. Sections that once felt difficult gradually become much easier as you learn enemy patterns, parry timings and which builds suit your playstyle.
The game also avoids making every attempt feel identical.
Level layouts and enemy placements change, while different story scenes can appear when you revisit areas.
One of my favourite moments came when I reached the first boss for a second time and they acknowledged that having to fight me again was starting to piss them off.
It’s a small detail, but it makes repeated runs feel like part of the story rather than something the game is ignoring.
Some facilities can also unlock minigames during runs, including a dancing rhythm game that quickly became a personal favourite. It’s completely optional, but it adds another bit of personality to a game that already has plenty.
An Impressive Early Access Start
Visually, Anomaly President looks fantastic.
The 2D characters stand out brilliantly against the 3D backgrounds, while attacks and abilities are colourful, flashy and full of impact. There’s real weight behind some of the larger attacks, which helps sell just how powerful your build can become.
There’s also a huge amount of animation variety, and that has been one of the main reasons I’ve enjoyed returning to the game.
For something still in Early Access, it already feels remarkably substantial.
There are rough edges, particularly around visual clarity during boss fights, but I’ve never felt like I was struggling to find something new to experiment with.
I already know I’ll keep coming back as more updates arrive, especially if achievements are added further down the line.
Verdict
Anomaly President has managed to win me over despite being part of a genre I don’t always stick with.
Its combat is fast, responsive and genuinely satisfying to master, while the huge number of possible builds gives each run its own identity. Some attempts will leave you feeling weak, while others will turn you into an unstoppable mess of abilities, and finding the right synergy is where the game really shines.
Roguelike fans should appreciate the variety and changing nature of each run, while action fans will find a combat system with more depth than it first appears.
After eight hours, I’m still eager to see what my next build might become.