History VideoGame / AnarchyReigns

''Anarchy Reigns'' (known as ''Max Anarchy'' in Japan) is a multiplayer online [[BeatEmUp beat 'em up]] game by Creator/PlatinumGames for the PlayStation3 and the {{Xbox 360}}. It is a [[SpiritualSequel pseudo-sequel]] to the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii game ''VideoGame/{{MadWorld}}'', using several of the same or similar characters in a separate canon.

** One of Rin-Rin's lines is "[[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} You want to touch me? Come on]]". Becomes a superb ActorAllusion reference if you've played Bayonetta, as Stephanie Sheh was also responsible for voicing [[spoiler:Cereza, Bayonetta as a child.]]

** A potential CallForward to VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance: when Max makes his presense known at the end of the second area, he throws an uppercut aimed at Jack's chin that he barely manages to avoid by bending backwards. In Rising, Raiden attempts to do the same thing multiple times, although he's usually not as successful at it, causing his metal chin to take at least some damage in the process.

** A potential CallForward to VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance: when Max makes his presense known in Black Side at the end of the second area, he throws an uppercut aimed at Jack's chin that he barely manages to avoid by bending backwards. In Rising, Raiden attempts to do the same thing multiple times, although he's usually not as successful at it, causing his metal chin to take at least some damage in the process.

%% * ComboBreaker: The 360 spin gets you out of a ground combo and sends your enemies flying away at the cost of some of your life (except when someone equips the [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning spin master]] perk)

->''[[CallBack We don't help people.]] [[Videogame/MadWorld We KILL THEM!]]''

* MadeOfIron: While this would normally be self-explanatory to some degree, one of the videos has shown that the most often-used way to brutalize {{mook}}s in MadWorld, impaling them with a pole, has made it into this game as well. So in other words, you can throw traffic signs at other characters, they firmly lodge themselves through the target's head, and all they do is cause a minor amount of damage and dizzy them.

* CharacterBlog: [[https://twitter.com/blackerbaron Blacker Baron has an official one.]] It's used mostly for promoting Anarchy Reigns, but he will respond to anyone who tweets to him, including MadWorld RP'ers.

* TheRival: Jack and Leo. Also referencing ''MadWorld'''s ending, as [[spoiler:Leo was revealed to be the one behind the whole plan all along.]]

* SequelReset: The game is not a straight-up sequel to ''Videogame/MadWorld'', story-wise, though it contains some of the same characters, and characters whose designs are at least inspired by its predecessor. The game's engine, however, is basically a souped-up MadWorld with a combo system and additional attacks, the underground Hip-Hop soundtrack is back (with several artists returning from ''Videogame/MadWorld''), and the game is riddled with nods and throw-backs to ''Videogame/MadWorld''. Jack is still with the Chasers, along with his contact Amala, who references a prior rescue of Mayor Borras's daughter Naomi. Mathilda is, apart from a new robotic body, also the same. The Black Baron is back, and Blacker than ever, and Big Bull, Leo, and Rin Rin also make return appearances. Garuda's design also echoes [[GratuitousGerman Herr Frederick von]] [[BlowYouAway Twirlen]][[Videogame/MadWorld killer]], especially his arms, while Oinkie is an obvious nod to Yee Fung in many ways.

** Rampage Mode itself seems to be inspired by the Black Baron's second phase in MadWorld. The animation for going into Berserk is similar to the Baron's power-up sequence, and the dueling sequence initated when two Berserk characters clash is straight out of the final power struggle against the Baron.

* CastFromHitPoints: Each character has a 360 attack which involves them spinning around ([[CaptainObvious duh]]). These attacks will drain the user's vitality a little when they are used.

** Cybrid Joes are largely remiscient of Tiger Joes from GodHand, both in name, overall fighting style, and being the toughest human-sized enemies fought during the main storyline.

** In a multiplayer game, if the Baron is on the winning team, or is the winner, then he'll say "[[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} It's a]] [[DaveChappelle celebration]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitches!]]"

* Acrofatic: Oinkie is this; despite being grossly obese, he can easily outrun most of the main characters. Leo [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this after the battle with him.

** One of Bayonetta's lines is "[[Film/{{Scarface}} Say hello to my little friend.]]"

''Anarchy Reigns'' (known as ''Max Anarchy'' in Japan) is a multiplayer online [[BeatEmUp beat 'em up]] game by Creator/PlatinumGames for the PlayStation3 and the {{Xbox 360}}. It is a [[SpiritualSequel pseudo-sequel]] to the NintendoWii game ''VideoGame/{{MadWorld}}'', using several of the same or similar characters in a separate canon.

''Anarchy Reigns'' (known as ''Max Anarchy'' in Japan) is a multiplayer online [[BeatEmUp beat 'em up]] game by PlatinumGames for the PlayStation3 and the {{Xbox 360}}. It is a [[SpiritualSequel pseudo-sequel]] to the NintendoWii game ''VideoGame/{{MadWorld}}'', using several of the same or similar characters in a separate canon.

''Anarchy Reigns'' is the first title by PlatinumGames to contain multiplayer features. There are over ten different modes of play, including CaptureTheFlag, Deathmatch, Battle Royal (16 Player free-for-all), and [[BloodSport Deathball]].

* ShoutOut: Plenty, not just to many of the other games PlatinumGames has made, but to a bunch of other games as well:

** In the final battle of the first White Side act, Leo teams with Sasha to fight Durga and Garuda.
** In the first battle of White Side's act 3, Leo teams with Sasha once more to fight Fei Rin and Ai Rin.

** Every other character is also one of these, with Poison being the 4th one: this mostly comes in play with level 3 characters who can inflict the respective status aliment on their opponent with some of their attacks and in Deathball, where Superstar Shots can normally only be blocked by characters who share the shooter's element.
* FlatWhat: Jack gets in one during a scene that is freaky even for the game's standards.

* ImprovisedWeapon: From Signpost and tires to C02 tanks and cars.
* ItsRainingMen: If someone jumps off of something high enough they will start to catch fire and land on the ground just fine damaging anything or anyone they land on, next to or on the way down.

* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:Nikolai. Although he, Leo and Sasha were ordered to kill Max when they find him, Leo (and technically Sasha) want to bring Max in instead in the hopes that he'd keep his life. Nikolai, however, is all too eager to follow orders.]]

* LimitBreak: Rampage Mode, which makes you invincible and gives you unlimited Killer Weapon usage, as well as make it that your regular attacks quickly into RapidFireFisticuffs on whatever enemy you hit. This can quickly deal huge amounts of damage to other characters... But considering the sheer effectiveness of blocking and dodging, [[PowerupLetdown you're more than likely to not be able to kill anything.]]

* MadeOfIron: While this would normally be self-explanatory to some degree, one of the videos has shown that the often used way to brutalize {{mook}}s in MadWorld, impaling them with a pole, has made it into this game as well. So in other words, you can throw traffic signs at other characters, they firmly lodge themselves through the target's head and all they do is cause a minor amount of damage and dizzy them.
** Not to mention when it comes to kill weapons. Apparently, every character can survive being cut vertically by Jack's double chainsaw without as much a scratch.

* MechaMooks: [[TransformingMecha Gargoyles]]. Same robot model as Garuda, but with plasma arms instead of drills. [[spoiler:Also an unlockable character]]

** [[spoiler: The same kind of similarity and major difference also applies to Garuda and the hidden character, Gargoyle. Makes sense, since Garuda is of the same model as the latter.]]

* TheRival: Jack and Leo. Also referencing ''Madworld'''s ending, as [[spoiler:Leo was revealed to be the one behind the whole plan all along.]]

** One of the events that can occur during a large-scale match, on a couple stages, is an [[VideoGame/{{Vanquish}} orbital Microwave energy blast]](if you don't find cover, it will instant-kill you without exception, and even being in its targetting area when it charges up rapidly drains your life).
** During one wonderfully cheesy-in-every-single-aspect mission, [[{{Ninja}} Zero]], at one point while watching you fight more mooks he says "the combat rating is 8... no, OverNineThousand!"

** When playing Mad Survival in the Excavation Pit, Wave/Round 4 pits you against Jack, Baron, Mathilda and Rin Rin, all of whom are 100% [[DeliberatelyMonochrome monochrome black and white]]. [[Videogame/MadWorld Now where does that sound familiar...?]] For bonus points, the Subtitle for this wave is "Madworld" and even plays a song exclusively from the game's soundtrack.

** Cybrid Joes are largely remiscient of Tiger Joes from GodHand, both in name, overall fighting style and being the toughest human-sized enemies fought during the main storyline.

** One of Rin-Rin's lines is "[[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} You want to touch me? Come on.]]". Becomes a superb ActorAllusion reference if you've played Bayonetta, as Stephanie Sheh was also responsible for voicing [[spoiler:Cereza, Bayonetta as a child.]]

* SuperSentaiStance: In the third Survival level, the tenth round have five multicoloured Gargoyles that do one of these, complete with background explosion, no less!

--> [[spoiler: [[{{KnightTemplar}} Nikolai]]]]: Look at all these lawless people! Anarchy Reigns!

This game was released on July 5th, 2012 in Japan, but did not get a Western release until January 8th, 2013. In April of 2013, DLC was released, allowing players who didn't preorder the game to unlock Bayonetta and adding two more multiplayers modes, Mad Survival and Dogfight.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Doing an infinite loop or an extend combo online, while if you pull it off you have the bastards life in your hands but lag and other players will most likely get in the way of doing it. The only practical place to do one is a Cage Match but even then lag will most likely get in the way.

* BadGuyBar: The title screen is a bar where the playable cast hang around and do various things; Mathilda is the bartender, two of the Rin sisters play poker (Ai Rin is playing on a handheld instead), the Baron is watching a virtual poledancer, Bayonetta (if unlocked/downloaded) is shown from behind on a big screen, and [[spoiler: Gargoyle (when unlocked) shows up there as well in its flight form with the text "[[VideoGame/BadDudes Are you a bad enough robot to join the Gargoyles]]?" next to it.]]

** One odd example, however, is one where [[spoiler:pre-insanity Max]] literally appears out of the blue air to help Leo out against giant mooks and mutants. After the battle, he just simply disappears the same way he appeared. The mission description of [[spoiler: "Awaken memories of Max from a better time"]] doesn't make things any less bizarre.

* BossInMookClothing: Normal Bar-bots are mostly known for being cutscene {{Butt Monkey}}s and cowering at the sight of 3 generic mooks. However, Cybrid Bar-bots are ridiculously tough, pose a huge challenge even for a team of 3 human players and are never fought outside of Survival and Mad Survival.

* CombatPragmatist: The way the multiplayer works, you are encouraged to be an unfair combatant and attack weakened enemies from behind, kill steal, or even shoot your opponents with a sniper rifle or rocket launcher while they are busy fighting each other. There's no rules in anarchy after all.

* CompetitiveBalance: An unusual form of it. At the basest level, all characters fall into categories of [[FragileSpeedster light]], [[JackOfAllStats medium]], and [[MightyGlacier heavy]] characters. All characters have "Killer Weapons" which are PurposelyOverpowered and do ludicrous damage to other players. Adding to this is that a primary feature of the game is well, [[SerialEscalation complete and total chaos.]] When players in a Battle Royale are of about equal skill, the top spaces on the scoreboard is constantly shifting as random nuclear submarine nuke the stage, large groups of mutants run on a rampage, [[HumongousMecha Cthulhu]] isolates the top three players, players are marked for death(bonus points), and various other events constantly ensure that equilibrium is nonexistant. It's possible to have multiple events occur simultaneously, making things even more chaotic.
** This orgy of chaos is even displayed in the campaign, where every 20 kills in the hub areas spawns a formidable enemy or something dangerous enough to both scare off the roaming enemies and give the player a significant challenge. In missions though, the player experiences more tightly-scripted versions of these events.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Oinkie. He's fat, greedy, perverted and acts moronic, but is in reality and extremely accomplished physical fighter and a brilliant scientist.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Not massively present (Any mental or personality dysfunctions are credited to other more rational things). However, touched upon by "This Is Madness" and "The Hand of Science" from the soundtrack.
* DarkerAndEdgier: This game takes itself much more seriously than ''Madworld'': The player has a limited variety of ways to kill their enemies, there is less humor, most deaths are played out seriously, there are no announcers cracking jokes, electrocution is portrayed realistically (instead of having [[XRaySparks the victim's skeleton be visible]]), and there are also some TearJerker moments during the story.
** LighterAndSofter: On the other hand, the blood, gore, and bodycount is significantly lower than ''Madworld's'', the Leo in this game has a sincere belief in justice, DefeatMeansFriendship is in full effect, and the game ends on a more optimistic note than Madworld's.

-->'''Oinkie''': Whoa, whoa! Time out! Time out! That's two against one! No fair!.

** [[spoiler: It is implied that Zero does this the second time he is defeated in the Black Side campaign]].
-->[[spoiler: '''Zero:''' I am ashamed.\\

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] See GainaxEnding below.]]

* GainaxEnding[=/=]DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler: Subverted. During the Red Story, where both characters work together to kill Nikolai after he had gone mad, they win the battle. Just as the finishing blow is about to be landed, Nikolai ends up stabbing and killing both Jack and Leo, talking about how the winners write the rules to their corpses, and how he was the winner. PSYCHE... Nikolai was daydreaming before he got cut in half horizontally. They really end up bringing Max and the upper half of Nikolai back.]]

* GroundPound: As well as using the Strong Attack while descending from the jump, if a character falls from a high-enough distance then they quickly pick up momentum and can cause heavy damage if they manage to land on an enemy.

* {{Nanomachines}}: Sasha and the Rin sisters use these to operate their Killer Weapons. In fact it's implied that everyone in the world who isn't a HollywoodCyborg has nanomachines in them to counter the plagues caused by the war.

''Anarchy Reigns'' (known as ''Max Anarchy'' in Japan) is a multiplayer online [[BeatEmUp beat 'em up]] game by PlatinumGames for the PlayStation3 and the {{Xbox 360}}. It is a [[SpiritualSequel pseudo-sequel]] to the NintendoWii game ''Videogame/{{Madworld}}'', using several of the same or similar characters in a separate canon.

* ComboBreaker: The 360 spin gets you out of a ground combo and sends your enemies flying away at the cost of some of your life (except when someone equips the [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning spin master]] perk)

* AwesomeButImpractical: Doing an infinite loop or an extend combo online, while if you pull it off you have the bastards life in your hands but lag and other players will most likely get in the way of doing it. The only practical place to do one is a Cage Match but even then lag will most likely get in the way. Offline this becomes AwesomeYetPractical.

* SequelReset: The game is not a straight-up sequel to ''Videogame/MadWorld'', story-wise, though it contains some of the same characters, and characters whose designs are at least inspired by its predecessor. The game's engine, however, is basically a souped-up MadWorld with a combo system and additional attacks, the underground Hip-Hop soundtrack is back (with several artists returning from ''Videogame/MadWorld''), and the game is riddled with nods and throw-backs to ''Videogame/MadWorld''. Jack is still with the Chasers. Mathilda is, apart from a new robotic body, also the same. The Black Baron is back, and Blacker than ever, and Big Bull, Leo, and Rin Rin also make return appearances. Garuda's design also echoes [[GratuitousGerman Herr Frederick von]] [[BlowYouAway Twirlen]][[Videogame/MadWorld killer]], especially his arms, while Oinkie is an obvious nod to Yee Fung in many ways.

** After hijacking a copter drone, you can chose to send it crashing to the ground with a pile driver. The helicopter pile driver was one of the Yokuzuna's moves in ''Videogame/MadWorld''.

** In a multiplayer game, if the Baron is on the winning team, or is the winner, then he'll say "[[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} It's a]] [[Chapelle'sShow celebration]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitches!]]"

** In a multiplayer game, if the Baron is on the winning team, or is the winner, then he'll say "[[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} It's a]] [[Series/{{Chapelle'sShow}} celebration]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitches!]]"