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Tower defence games are a staple of video gaming, especially on mobile platforms, and the world has long been in need of a proactive spin on the genre. Anomaly 2 is just that — “Tower offense”. A sequel to the popular Anomaly: Warzone Earth from 2011, Anomaly 2 sees you pilot battalions of war machines against an invading alien force across an Earth ravaged by war. The interesting spin is that the units you command have defined movement patterns, while you run around the map directing, repairing and managing them. This setup is very unique and new, but is not without its flaws.

Anomaly 2 is a little sparse in story, though what is there is delivered in a stylish and effective fashion. The game is complemented by pleasing visuals with cut scenes interspersing levels, though the sound direction gets away from it at times. In particular, there is a “glitch” noise that occurs in some of the levels that is absurdly loud and blasts out at a volume higher than anything else in the game. The art direction and visual style of the game are simplistic, indicative of its mobile origins, but they are very effective and far from unpleasant.

The actual flow of gameplay is quite solid, with the puzzle-like nature of the levels demanding you come up with an appropriate answer to upcoming challenges in a pressured, but not overly stressful, time limit as your units approach danger. The controls are smooth and uncomplicated, likely because they were initially made for a touch screen. Your powers include fundamental things such as repairing your army and setting up decoys to distract enemies, as well as “transforming” your units between their different modes. Knowing which mode your units should use to fight which enemies and constantly selling, upgrading and switching out your units make up the bulk of the game. As a result, you’ll find yourself micromanaging your army and constantly making lots of small decisions. If that sounds like something that would appeal to you, Anomaly 2 is definitely worth taking a look at.

The game, while marketed as a mirror to tower defence, doesn’t really play anything like it. There is no sense of security and stability that comes with the genre, and the game instead plays like some sort of puzzle/action hybrid. It’s very clear that the levels, by their length, were designed for mobile play on iOS or Android and this can make them feel a little hollow and broken up on the Playstation 4.

All in all, Anomaly 2 is an intriguing game but is not compelling enough at its core to keep the player coming back for more. Levels are repetitive and attempts to spice things up such as introducing new enemies and units help remedy this, but the net result is underwhelming overall. Tower offence is certainly a genre in its infancy, but it may not be worth growing up with.