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Anarchy Reigns, known in Japan as group=lower-alpha, is a beat 'em up video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the spiritual successor to the Wii video game MadWorld (2009), and was released in Japan on July 5, 2012, in North America on January 8, 2013, in Australia on January 10, and in Europe on January 11.
Leo runs into Jack, who fights him to try and draw Max out. The plan works, with Max briefly appearing before quickly leaving again, and Jack and Leo give chase. They track him to Hong Long, where they split up. Leo runs into Max, who suffers from varying degrees of amnesia due to prolonged substance abuse after Stela's death. He attacks Leo, not recognizing him, but fellow agent Sasha Ivanoff and team leader Nikolai Bulygin arrive to help. After fighting Max, Nikolai prepares to execute him, but Leo intervenes, demanding a fair trial for Max. While Nikolai and Leo argue, Max runs off, and Strike One begin tracking him. Later, Jack briefly teams up with the Baron, as the two find and fight Max, whose mental state is rapidly deteriorating due to the influence of his addictions. Jack nearly kills Max in revenge, but the Baron stops Jack, allowing Max to escape. The group follows him to Bari Shur, where they encounter Sasha. The Baron and Mathilda distract her, while Jack continues looking for Max. At the same time, Leo and Nikolai continue to argue over whether Max should be returned dead or alive, culminating in a battle between the two. After defeating Nikolai, Leo and a sympathetic Sasha resume the search on their own. Jack confronts Max, who admits one of his subordinates killed Stela, though he still takes responsibility. Jack subdues Max unconscious, before Leo arrives.
Leo continues to insist that Max should be taken home to get a fair trial, but Jack would rather see Max dead. The two fight one another until the Baron, Mathilda, and Sasha stop them. Another squadron of drones appears, revealing Nikolai as the one behind them. Nikolai, implied to be the real murderer of Ondine, orders the drones to kill the other fighters and nearly executes Leo before he is saved by Jack. The two team up to defeat Nikolai, with Jack delivering the final blow. The group take Max home to Jeannie and prepare to have Nikolai put on trial for his abuse of power.
Roger Hargreaves of Metro gave the PS3 version a score of nine out of ten and called it "An inspired reinvention of multiplayer brawling, that carves out a whole new action genre for itself and those brave enough to learn its ins and outs." Sean Bell of The Daily Telegraph gave the same console version four stars out of five and called it "an inventive, compelling online brawler, the likes of which you won't have experienced before. It is technical and spectacular enough that it accommodates both skilled players and those who just want to mash some buttons and watch the sparks fly." Todd Ciolek of Anime News Network gave the game a B and said, "If the best side of Anarchy Reigns may be short-lived, that's all the more reason to embrace it now. The mediocre single-player experience lacks the impact of Platinum's better works, but it's just a long and simple by-product of the richer multi-character clashes that await online. And when Anarchy Reigns hits that frenzied stride, few modern brawlers can compete." Mike Splechta of GameZone gave the Xbox 360 version 7.5 out of 10 and said it was "fun, frantic and filled with ridiculous characters and some awesomely bad dialogue, but this 'spiritual successor' to MadWorld comes up short when compared to other Platinum Games' hits like Bayonetta. Though for the asking price of $29.99, it might just hold you over until the next big rush of triple A games."
Luciano Howard of The Digital Fix gave the PS3 version a score of seven out of ten and said, "The single-player game is entertaining enough and full of replayability but the structure and narrative suggest it was an afterthought when the idea of a multiplayer only title, or the challenge of learning the game in an online arena, was deigned unreasonable." Paul Goodman of The Escapist gave the same console version three-and-a-half stars out of five and said that it "may not have an incredibly in-depth story and also has some nagging flaws that detract from its otherwise entertaining gameplay, but it's enjoyable enough to warrant a playthrough." However, Mark Langshaw of Digital Spy gave it three stars out of five, saying, "Developing a multiplayer-centric title is all well and good, but Anarchy Reigns could have been something more. Playing solo is a necessity for honing your skills and unlocking new options before you take the fight online, but those tight controls and enjoyable combat feel wasted during the hollow and repetitive single-player campaign." Jose Otero of 1Up.com gave the game a B− noting: "Understandably, some may find a lot of the content excessive and repetitive, thusly, Anarchy Reigns might not appeal to everyone, but its solid combat and multiplayer offering mark a promising restart for a genre many folks forgot about."
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