Antihero Preview
Antihero is fast-paced strategy game wherein your goal is to commit a whole mess of crimes. Whether you’re into robbery, murder, bribery or extortion there’s a way for you to win in this charming vision of a Victorian underworld.
You play one of a wide variety of criminal stereotypes from the Charles Dickens era looking to become the neighborhood’s top villain. The systems at work feel perfect for either desktop or mobile play. There is a live multiplayer in its experimental stages but all my games were asynchronous. This can have a negative impact on the pacing, though it’s perfect for mobile gaming. On top of that, you’re able to participate in multiple games at once. This meant that I could switch between matches instead of just waiting for my next turn, if I was so inclined.
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“I earned my victories through assassinations carried out by a roving gang of thugs.”
On the aesthetic front, the voices in this game are delightful. Precocious street urchins, well-to-do old ladies and surly enforcers all come with their own distinct deliveries and mannerisms. The art style is proper goofy, but it still managed to click with me. The sound design is what really sells it. Games like Antihero feel much more tactile with the right sound effects. The clinking of the coins, the wheezy death rattles and the noise of those lanterns all work to give the graphics an extra layer of authenticity.
This is all just icing on the cake, though. The real meat (inside the cake?) is the gameplay. Each map has multiple ways to win. I earned my victories through assassinations carried out by a roving gang of thugs. Gang units grow stronger with every kill they make, which is a real time-saver. There are other offensive units you can deploy, but gangs can be turned into hatchet-wielding mobs for a pittance. Territories are claimed and held by street urchins, who can be expelled by truancy officers or upgraded gangs. There’s a delicate balance to strike between your income levels and your investments. You spend too much money on the wrong units and your opponent can claim victory in one really efficient turn. While the systems in place are simple, there’s a lot of potential for strategy in place. Even my roving gangs of mustachioed marauders were vulnerable to a high-priced assassin.
I’m torn about the asynchronous multiplayer. It’s perfect for mobile gaming, yet it damages the pace of matches. Everything in Antihero can move so fast, it’s disorienting to have it all grind to a halt while you wait patiently for the other player. Thankfully, there are mechanics in place to ensure that a lot can get done in one turn. Units can move as far as they want, assuming their path is unimpeded. You can place obstacles to impede them, of course, but there’s far fewer turns wasted travelling from one end of the map to the other. One slowing point I discovered was the scouting mechanic. Occasionally I would try and check out a building or an enemy, only to waste an action getting close enough. This led to me taking circuitous routes to my goal, just to avoid extra scouting work.
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“There’s an AI you can play against, but I outsmarted it in short order.”
Unfortunately, I’ve gotten a limited view of the multiplayer potential at this time. Due to Antihero being in a pre-release stage , there’s a limited number of opponents to choose from. Case in point, every online match I’ve had over the last few days has been with the same player. Not to say that we haven’t played a huge amount of games. Just completing this write-up has taken longer than usual due to my constantly checking in on a match. I only wish that more people were online right now, so I could play more games at once. There’s an AI you can play against, but I outsmarted it in short order. The game even warns you ahead of time that the computer isn’t all that bright. My single online opponent, on the other hand, bested me soundly almost every time we squared off.
Everything I’ve seen of Antihero so far suggests it’s going to be a ton of fun. I want to get in some quality time with the live multiplayer system. There aren’t quite enough players yet for it to really work, but that will be a huge improvement on the pace of the games. As such, my only problems with Antihero are things which will be worked out by release day. The system is accessible, the presentation is slick and matches are a blast. I’ll be waiting with baited breath for Antihero’s full release in July. I strongly suggest you keep this one on your radar.
***A Steam key was provided by the Publisher***
