Anticiziten Red is an upcoming post-apocalyptic third-person shooter by Aussie developer Queebly Software. Having already put itself on the map as a winner of the Digital PAX Aus 2024 Indie Showcase earlier this year, it was great to have a hands-on experience at PAX Aus 2024 and speak with the developers about the game.
Set in the far future of the year 2225, Australia has been occupied the American mega corporation Cold Corp. The city of Neo Sydney is torn between corporate oppression and biker gang warfare, and only one bloke is tough enough to stand against them. You play as Barnsey, said tough enough bloke, as you run and gun through Neo Sydney’s streets with an arsenal of weapons and cybernetic enhancements.
Despite being named after a Half-Life Alyx mod, the influence of Remedy’s Max Payne series (and by extension the heroic bloodshed filmography of John Woo which inspired those games in the first place) on Anticitizen Red is unmistakable. With the ability to slow down time at the press of a button and jump dramatically through the air to evade bullets and precisely snipe your enemies in the nuts, it’s hard not to get drawn into its sense of chaotic energy. Barnsey cannot reload equipped weapons, and is encouraged to discard any spent guns and pick up whatever his slain foe was carrying instead. While it is certainly distinct from the usual retro shooter trend of carrying an entire armory in your pocket, constantly switching weapons did keep the pacing up and I rarely found that I was forced to resort to my fists during a gunfight.
Anticitizen Red wisely goes for a more timeless retro aesthetic, capturing both the look and feel of a late-90s shooter. With foes, weapons and pickups being highlighted in the UI, the old-timey stylings didn’t feel like they impeded the gameplay, and if anything added to the sense of anarchic charm.
The Australian cultural influences also shine through, including difficulty settings such as “Bludger” and “Battler” and the appearance of iconic Sydney landmarks, like the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Centerpoint Tower. I am certainly looking forward to more of its narrative and quirky voice acting from the small snippets I was able to experience during the demo.
The game will launch with a campaign mode, where you play as Barnsey liberating Neo Sydney from the grip of the biker gangs and Cold Corp. In addition, Arcade Mode modes and maps can be unlocked through gameplay, giving you more opportunities to play around with Anticitizen Red’s combat system.
According to the developers, the game has been in the works for about a year and a half. Queebly Software has not yet landed on a firm release window. If you want to keep an eye out for any updates, Anticitizen Red can be wishlisted on Steam.
About the Author
Tom Quirk
he/him
Tom Quirk plays a lot of video games, but when he isn't, he is reading fantasy novels and watching way more television than is healthy.
