The Anacrusis
To say that this is merely a retrofuturist sciencefiction version of Left 4 Dead feels reductive, but after two full runs through its surprisingly slight campaign and a brief tour of its additional modes, it’s a difficult conclusion to avoid. If you’ve played Valve’s classic fourplayer co-op zombie-grinder, you know exactly what you’re getting with Stray Bombay’s debut title, for better or worse. Although it hits its marks, by and large, it does little to make itself stand out from the crowd.
As easy as it is to nitpick about The Anacrusis, it is undeniable that it looks a treat, its disco-tinged ’70s vision of the future a joy to run around. Among the curved plastic furniture, shag carpet, conversation pits and lava lamps, you can practically smell the Hai Karate. The setting is a titanic – pun intended – cruise ship overrun by alien parasites that have zombified all but four of the crew. While some corridors can blur into one another thanks to the clean retro aesthetics, the bigger setpiece scenes – such as an 11-level tower mall connected via spiralling ramps – really stand out.