Gunplay is satisfying, with mutation powers and deep weapon customization
Liminal Showa-era zones are atmospheric and full of personality
Reona's character-driven story gives the action real heart
Weaknesses
Resources are so generous that survival tension evaporates
Repetition and long walking routes test patience in later zones
The $49.99 launch price is steep for a mid-budget game
How we score: this verdict is our editorial take, based on launch coverage, critical reception and community feedback.
ANOMALITH is the kind of game that is easy to describe and hard to grade. FuRyu's first survival horror shooter, developed with Winning Entertainment Group, sends 17-year-old Reona Minazuki into Anomaly Zones that warp ordinary Japanese places into something stranger: Showa-era hospitals, shopping malls, and residential streets bent out of shape. She is searching for her friend Arisa, who vanished when an Anomaly Zone swallowed their trip to the mall, and she does the job as a Diver for the government-backed Anomaly Zone Countermeasures Office. This ANOMALITH review verdict is that of a flawed, charming game that earns its fans despite itself: a 7 out of 10 that is more fun than many 8s.
ANOMALITH review: the shooting carries the game
Start with what works, because a lot works. The gunplay is satisfying in a way that carries long sessions: weapons feel punchy, damage numbers pop, and the customization runs deep, with more than 70 gun parts and hundreds of equipment pieces to chase. Reona also has mutation powers, including a parry that can answer even huge enemy attacks with a heavy melee counter, as long as she has the anomaly power to spend. When the game clicks, it feels like a dungeon crawler wearing a horror game's clothes: clear a distorted room, loot everything, feed the loot back into better gear, and push deeper.
The enemy design helps too. Individual enemies rarely threaten you alone, but getting caught in the middle of an angry mob forces real decisions about positioning and target priority. One memorable enemy behaves like a Weeping Angel, harmless while you look at it and lethal when you turn away, which is exactly the kind of tactical pressure survival horror thrives on. The zones themselves are the other star. Empty, liminal spaces with retro Japanese dressing have a specific eerie charm, and ANOMALITH leans into it hard. Exploring every otherworldly corner is a genuine pleasure, and the pulpy dialogue between Reona and her handlers gives those spaces personality instead of just atmosphere.
Where ANOMALITH undermines itself
The central problem is the economy. Ammunition and upgrade materials become so abundant, and firearms so powerful, that mutation is often unnecessary. What should be a desperate fight for survival turns into a power fantasy where most monsters are target practice. That is fun in its own way, and one outlet famously called the game the best 7/10 game of the year after dozens of hours with it, but it does mean the survival horror label promises more tension than the game delivers. You are rarely counting bullets. You are counting loot.
Repetition is the second issue. The shooting and upgrade loop stays satisfying, but the routes between objectives can drag, with long walks back through cleared zones that test patience, and some encounters repeat their tricks too often. Late-game polish is also rough around the edges, with uneven systems and dated visuals in places. None of this is fatal, but it explains the critical consensus: the game sits at 69 on Metacritic, a mixed-to-average score built from reviews that praise the same strengths and flag the same weaknesses.
The third issue is price. ANOMALITH launched October 29 on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2 at $49.99, with a Digital Deluxe Edition at $69.99 and a 10 percent launch discount running until November 11. For a mid-budget game with rough edges, that is a lot to ask on day one, and the honest advice is to try the free demo first. The demo covers the opening section on all three platforms, though save data does not carry over to the full game, so treat it as a trial, not a head start.
Who should play ANOMALITH
Fans of FuRyu's peculiar design sensibilities will feel at home immediately, and so will players who like their horror more action than dread. If you enjoyed the Raid modes of the Resident Evil Revelations games, or you have been waiting for something in the spirit of Parasite Eve, ANOMALITH is the closest recent thing, with a heroine worth rooting for and a world worth exploring. The story, written with real character by scenario writer Romeo Tanaka, is the strongest reason to keep shooting, and Reona's search for Arisa gives every zone a personal stake.
It is also worth comparing with the month's other horror releases. Tenebris Somnia went for pixel horror with real blood in its veins, while Hellraiser: Revival leaned on glorious gore at a fair price. ANOMALITH is gentler than both and stranger than either: a teen anime action game about grief and mutated spaces that happens to have excellent gunplay.
Our score is 7.0. Buy it on sale, or grab it now if the demo hooks you and the price does not scare you off. ANOMALITH is full of flaws and full of things to appreciate, and that combination is rarer, and more memorable, than a safe, polished 8. For the full critical picture, Metacritic's ANOMALITH page collects the launch reviews, and Tech-Gaming's review breaks down the gameplay, controls, and value scores in detail.
