Is this game a masterpiece for hardcore players? There can never be enough good Metroidvanias, and this is another game from this genre. It is based on the familiar formula, but also brings an innovation to the game that has hardly ever been seen before. Anima Flux has been developed for two local players. There is no online mode, but it is exclusively intended for classic couch co-op. However, it is possible to play via Steam Remote Play Together, even if your game partner is not sitting next to you on the couch. The story is about two heroes who fight their way through the game. Roy and Eileen have to complete the adventure together. If you don't have a partner to play with, the computer takes over the second character, and you can switch back and forth between the two at the touch of a button. However, Anima Flux only unfolds its full potential with a human player. This is also due to the fact that the computer-controlled player is sometimes a little stupid. It is also a little strange that the enemies always attack the player-controlled hero first and foremost. On the other hand, playing alone seems to be easier – more about that later.

You control two genetically enhanced soldiers, special agents of a theocratic regime, who fight against a mutant invasion. Strangely deformed mutants that look like giant insects have overrun the entire space city, only a small area is still occupied by humans and becomes our base. Both soldiers have different abilities and therefore play very differently. At first you make good progress with stupid button mashing (you don't really have any additional abilities either), but the enemies get stronger and soon you have to use your special abilities skillfully to survive. There are very few other humans to be found outside the base (ok, there are merchants to upgrade your armor, for example, like in every Metroidvania...), but the story has a few twists and turns to offer and you won't only encounter larger-than-life insects in the end. The story can be quite confusing, especially because your characters in the game obviously have some background knowledge, but you as the player don't know that... Rebels? Bioexperiments? NOX?

Roy is armed with a laser sword, which he uses to slice his way through his enemies in close combat. He is accompanied by the charming (not really) Eileen, who can provide fire support from a distance with her laser bow. If one of the two loses all his life energy, he can be revived by the other. Only if both heroes are knocked out is it game over and you are returned to the last automatic save point. In typical Metroidvania fashion, normal enemies respawn as soon as you leave an area. If you touch enemies, you won't take any damage, but you will slow down. The bosses are big, but not particularly innovative and, above all, all similar. They are quite difficult to defeat at first, but the more your own characters are upgraded, the easier later battles become. Defeating bosses unlocks upgrades that you usually need to progress further. Dash, double jump, smash attack... all have to be learned first. A map is automatically drawn (initially without descriptions on the map), and you can always unlock shortcuts to make it easier to move through the winding levels.

The handling in 2-player mode is really well done. In other games where there are two players on one screen, it is always a problem if the two players are too far apart. In this situation, Anima Flux first reacts in the “usual” way - it zooms the action further out. The camera moves further away from the action, making everything smaller but allowing a larger environment to be displayed. The special feature, however, is when the two players then move even further away from each other. And then a unique technique is used - player two is displayed on a small screen, like a picture-in-picture on the TV. This works better than if a split screen with a 50:50 split suddenly popped up or if player two disappeared from the screen completely. This allows the player in his small window to approach the other player again and the picture-in-picture disappears again. However, the game is not quite so perfect - it is more difficult in two-player mode than when you play alone. If you play on your own, the computer takes over the other character and reliably slaughters the computer opponents without constantly dying. If you play in pairs, you can both die quickly if you are not careful.

Conclusion:
It combines the usual Metroidvania gameplay (jump and run, hack and slash, explore the labyrinthine environment) with the additional feature of a local two-player mode. The difficulty level of the game is not too high, especially playing alone (!), the scope is manageable, the graphics are well done, especially the quite frequent comic-like cutscenes. If you fancy playing a (comparatively) accessible beginner's Metroidvania with second player on the couch, you should take a closer look. You can also play it alone if you prefer.

[table][th] [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/34907518/]Review by Games for Lovers[/url] - only GOOD local co-op games! [/th][/table] Is this game a masterpiece for hardcore players? There can never be enough good Metroidvanias, and this is another game from this genre. It is based on the familiar formula, but also brings an innovation to the game that has hardly ever been seen before. Anima Flux has been developed for two local players. There is no online mode, but it is exclusively intended for classic couch co-op. However, it is possible to play via Steam Remote Play Together, even if your game partner is not sitting next to you on the couch. The story is about two heroes who fight their way through the game. Roy and Eileen have to complete the adventure together. If you don't have a partner to play with, the computer takes over the second character, and you can switch back and forth between the two at the touch of a button. However, Anima Flux only unfolds its full potential with a human player. This is also due to the fact that the computer-controlled player is sometimes a little stupid. It is also a little strange that the enemies always attack the player-controlled hero first and foremost. On the other hand, playing alone seems to be easier – more about that later. You control two genetically enhanced soldiers, special agents of a theocratic regime, who fight against a mutant invasion. Strangely deformed mutants that look like giant insects have overrun the entire space city, only a small area is still occupied by humans and becomes our base. Both soldiers have different abilities and therefore play very differently. At first you make good progress with stupid button mashing (you don't really have any additional abilities either), but the enemies get stronger and soon you have to use your special abilities skillfully to survive. There are very few other humans to be found outside the base (ok, there are merchants to upgrade your armor, for example, like in every Metroidvania...), but the story has a few twists and turns to offer and you won't only encounter larger-than-life insects in the end. The story can be quite confusing, especially because your characters in the game obviously have some background knowledge, but you as the player don't know that... Rebels? Bioexperiments? NOX? Roy is armed with a laser sword, which he uses to slice his way through his enemies in close combat. He is accompanied by the charming (not really) Eileen, who can provide fire support from a distance with her laser bow. If one of the two loses all his life energy, he can be revived by the other. Only if both heroes are knocked out is it game over and you are returned to the last automatic save point. In typical Metroidvania fashion, normal enemies respawn as soon as you leave an area. If you touch enemies, you won't take any damage, but you will slow down. The bosses are big, but not particularly innovative and, above all, all similar. They are quite difficult to defeat at first, but the more your own characters are upgraded, the easier later battles become. Defeating bosses unlocks upgrades that you usually need to progress further. Dash, double jump, smash attack... all have to be learned first. A map is automatically drawn (initially without descriptions on the map), and you can always unlock shortcuts to make it easier to move through the winding levels. The handling in 2-player mode is really well done. In other games where there are two players on one screen, it is always a problem if the two players are too far apart. In this situation, Anima Flux first reacts in the “usual” way - it zooms the action further out. The camera moves further away from the action, making everything smaller but allowing a larger environment to be displayed. The special feature, however, is when the two players then move even further away from each other. And then a unique technique is used - player two is displayed on a small screen, like a picture-in-picture on the TV. This works better than if a split screen with a 50:50 split suddenly popped up or if player two disappeared from the screen completely. This allows the player in his small window to approach the other player again and the picture-in-picture disappears again. However, the game is not quite so perfect - it is more difficult in two-player mode than when you play alone. If you play on your own, the computer takes over the other character and reliably slaughters the computer opponents without constantly dying. If you play in pairs, you can both die quickly if you are not careful. [u][b] Conclusion:[/b][/u] It combines the usual Metroidvania gameplay (jump and run, hack and slash, explore the labyrinthine environment) with the additional feature of a local two-player mode. The difficulty level of the game is not too high, especially playing alone (!), the scope is manageable, the graphics are well done, especially the quite frequent comic-like cutscenes. If you fancy playing a (comparatively) accessible beginner's Metroidvania with second player on the couch, you should take a closer look. You can also play it alone if you prefer.