A delightful little nightmare, and also the exact kind of difficulty spike I needed from Rimworld.
Dragon's Dogma 2 being a bit shit admittedly took a bit of the wind from my sails, giving me a hefty case of Gamer Block™ that's inhibited any attempts I make to start something new. Which is a shame, because I really want to play Library of Ruina.
Fortunately, for whatever reason, the games industry has collectively decided that April is update/DLC season, so every game I play on the side is shoveling new stuff down my throat. Between Dwarf Fortress, Ultrakill, Big Ambitions, CK3, an upcoming Total Warhammer 3 DLC and other stuff I'm probably forgetting, I'm hardly lacking in games to revisit.
But it's Rimworld's Anomaly expansion that's grabbed my attention the most.
I really like Rimworld. No matter what, I always come back and roll a new colony eventually. Compared to most colony sims, Rimworld manages to be an enjoyable experience even with very few colonists, and I'm eternally surprised at just how differently a lot of my colonies play out based on a combination of the colonists/map/terrain/storyteller.
But, sad as I am to say, once you've adjusted to Rimworld's particular eccentricities, it becomes rather easy. Each DLC can alleviate this in some way, but they don't offer much challenge beyond "mood debuffs" or "alternative humanoids to fight" on the difficulty front - even if their other offerings still make them worthwhile.
Anomaly, then, was much needed.
Somewhat uniquely for a Rimworld DLC, Anomaly does not initially fire when enabled. Besides an odd Monolith on the starting cell, some of the DLC gear appearing at vendors and the odd single Shambler (zombie), there are no real signs Anomaly has even enabled itself.
It's not until your curiosity gets the better of you, and the investigation of the Monolith starts, that Anomaly kicks in.
Anomaly's primary offering is in both difficulty and difficulty variety.
A single enemy stalking your base doesn't seem threatening, but it's invisible. Even a proximity detector only tells you it's hanging around, it won't show itself until it decloaks. It's smart, too! If you have pawns that work in separate areas away from one another it will absolutely wait until they're alone before decloaking and feasting.
Even then, there's a similar monster - the Revenant - that only comes out at night and snatches pawns away without picking a fight. For once, building separate bedrooms is no longer the safest option.
And sure, Rimworld has had events that boil down to "lots of things come to kill you" before, but Shamblers are uniquely terrifying in their volume. They also don't feel pain or suffer from organ damage, and while fire is effective against them it's also risky - wildfires are a very real threat, and if they breach your defensive lines it could be parts of the whole colony that go up in smoke.
There are lots of horrors in Anomaly, I won't go through all of them because some are best experienced blind, but my favourite is the Metalhorror which is... The Thing. Yes, that Thing. It slips into one of your pawns and goes out of its way to spread, and it is horrifically clever. If it infects a pawn on kitchen duty it'll slip food into the colony's meals. Infected doctors/surgeons will lie about examination results. Did you build a communal barracks to deal with the Revenant? Congratulationss! That's an infection vector!
Most basegame threats in Rimworld are easily subdued by catch-all solutions, which is was a huge contributing factor in the game being relatively easy even on naked brutality starts. Anomaly's threats not only require more specific countermeasures, but the threats you even receive are entirely randomized. There are no pre-prepare easy tactics, my friend.
Your reward for engaging with this threats is the ability to play Lobotomy Corporation, or Diet SCP. Unlike human prisoners, extradimensional horrors require much more intense containment measures in exchange for much grander rewards. Bioferrite is plucked from said horrors and makes for an excellent crafting material, and archeotech shards help turn pesky uncooperative prisoners into mindless Ghouls that regenerate all ailments/wounds absurdly fast and have no needs beyond raw meat - give them a Nuclear Stomach, and even that one need is moot. Take part in some dark rituals, and you can make colonists immortal by sapping the lifespan from an unwilling victim, or even warp a random person through the void to your colony for whatever nefarious reasons.
Despite writing 'reviews', I actually don't ever go out of my way to formally recommend things. I'm a glorified blogger yelling to myself, not a buyer's guide, I don't know your history or preferenes or exact mechanical icks or tolerance for girl guro.
That said, I don't recommend Anomaly as anyone's first Rimworld expansion. Not because of it's quality, no, but because it synergizes so well with Biotech (Sanguophages especially) and Ideology that it should come with a warning on the store page. Anomaly is phenomenal for 'evil' or unscrupulous colonies, and it adds so much to vampiric runs that I can't imagine one without all it adds.
Also, as a little post-gdocs addendum: Mechanitors feel infinitely more useful in Anomaly, in part due to robots lacking consciousness which makes them immune to the very concept of horror - and very resistant to Shamblers!
Lastly, if you're a prospective Rimworld buyer: Don't get Anomaly immediately. Or, if you do, don't fuck with monoliths. This is a hard DLC even for experienced Rimworld players, and it can feel 'unfair' at times. It's best bought once you're familiar with how Rimworld works, what makes a good colony, and how to handle disaster.
Ultimately, my only gripe with Anomaly isn't even a dealbreaker. Without touching the Monolith, Anomaly just doesn't activate. I would've liked to see toned-down versions of the various horrors appear as random events, but I can understand why given the ease with which they'd decimate newer players.
I don't really have a cool sendoff for this. You guys play uh, Balatro?
EDIT: Literally as soon as I posted this, Ludeon announced they were changing how Anomaly integrates. Amazing.
Dragon's Dogma 2 being a bit shit admittedly took a bit of the wind from my sails, giving me a hefty case of Gamer Block™ that's inhibited any attempts I make to start something new. Which is a shame, because I really want to play Library of Ruina.
Fortunately, for whatever reason, the games industry has collectively decided that April is update/DLC season, so every game I play on the side is shoveling new stuff down my throat. Between Dwarf Fortress, Ultrakill, Big Ambitions, CK3, an upcoming Total Warhammer 3 DLC and other stuff I'm probably forgetting, I'm hardly lacking in games to revisit.
But it's Rimworld's Anomaly expansion that's grabbed my attention the most.
I really like Rimworld. No matter what, I always come back and roll a new colony eventually. Compared to most colony sims, Rimworld manages to be an enjoyable experience even with very few colonists, and I'm eternally surprised at just how differently a lot of my colonies play out based on a combination of the colonists/map/terrain/storyteller.
But, sad as I am to say, once you've adjusted to Rimworld's particular eccentricities, it becomes rather easy. Each DLC can alleviate this in some way, but they don't offer much challenge beyond "mood debuffs" or "alternative humanoids to fight" on the difficulty front - even if their other offerings still make them worthwhile.
Anomaly, then, was much needed.
Somewhat uniquely for a Rimworld DLC, Anomaly does not initially fire when enabled. Besides an odd Monolith on the starting cell, some of the DLC gear appearing at vendors and the odd single Shambler (zombie), there are no real signs Anomaly has even enabled itself.
It's not until your curiosity gets the better of you, and the investigation of the Monolith starts, that Anomaly kicks in.
Anomaly's primary offering is in both difficulty and difficulty variety.
A single enemy stalking your base doesn't seem threatening, but it's invisible. Even a proximity detector only tells you it's hanging around, it won't show itself until it decloaks. It's smart, too! If you have pawns that work in separate areas away from one another it will absolutely wait until they're alone before decloaking and feasting.
Even then, there's a similar monster - the Revenant - that only comes out at night and snatches pawns away without picking a fight. For once, building separate bedrooms is no longer the safest option.
And sure, Rimworld has had events that boil down to "lots of things come to kill you" before, but Shamblers are uniquely terrifying in their volume. They also don't feel pain or suffer from organ damage, and while fire is effective against them it's also risky - wildfires are a very real threat, and if they breach your defensive lines it could be parts of the whole colony that go up in smoke.
There are lots of horrors in Anomaly, I won't go through all of them because some are best experienced blind, but my favourite is the Metalhorror which is... The Thing. Yes, that Thing. It slips into one of your pawns and goes out of its way to spread, and it is horrifically clever. If it infects a pawn on kitchen duty it'll slip food into the colony's meals. Infected doctors/surgeons will lie about examination results. Did you build a communal barracks to deal with the Revenant? Congratulationss! That's an infection vector!
Most basegame threats in Rimworld are easily subdued by catch-all solutions, which is was a huge contributing factor in the game being relatively easy even on naked brutality starts. Anomaly's threats not only require more specific countermeasures, but the threats you even receive are entirely randomized. There are no pre-prepare easy tactics, my friend.
Your reward for engaging with this threats is the ability to play Lobotomy Corporation, or Diet SCP. Unlike human prisoners, extradimensional horrors require much more intense containment measures in exchange for much grander rewards. Bioferrite is plucked from said horrors and makes for an excellent crafting material, and archeotech shards help turn pesky uncooperative prisoners into mindless Ghouls that regenerate all ailments/wounds absurdly fast and have no needs beyond raw meat - give them a Nuclear Stomach, and even that one need is moot. Take part in some dark rituals, and you can make colonists immortal by sapping the lifespan from an unwilling victim, or even warp a random person through the void to your colony for whatever nefarious reasons.
Despite writing 'reviews', I actually don't ever go out of my way to formally recommend things. I'm a glorified blogger yelling to myself, not a buyer's guide, I don't know your history or preferenes or exact mechanical icks or tolerance for girl guro.
That said, I don't recommend Anomaly as anyone's first Rimworld expansion. Not because of it's quality, no, but because it synergizes so well with Biotech (Sanguophages especially) and Ideology that it should come with a warning on the store page. Anomaly is phenomenal for 'evil' or unscrupulous colonies, and it adds so much to vampiric runs that I can't imagine one without all it adds.
Also, as a little post-gdocs addendum: Mechanitors feel infinitely more useful in Anomaly, in part due to robots lacking consciousness which makes them immune to the very concept of horror - and very resistant to Shamblers!
Lastly, if you're a prospective Rimworld buyer: Don't get Anomaly immediately. Or, if you do, don't fuck with monoliths. This is a hard DLC even for experienced Rimworld players, and it can feel 'unfair' at times. It's best bought once you're familiar with how Rimworld works, what makes a good colony, and how to handle disaster.
Ultimately, my only gripe with Anomaly isn't even a dealbreaker. Without touching the Monolith, Anomaly just doesn't activate. I would've liked to see toned-down versions of the various horrors appear as random events, but I can understand why given the ease with which they'd decimate newer players.
I don't really have a cool sendoff for this. You guys play uh, Balatro?
EDIT: Literally as soon as I posted this, Ludeon announced they were changing how Anomaly integrates. Amazing.
There’s not much more I can say about Anomaly that hasn’t already been said – I understand the people who love this expansion, and I understand the people who found it bland and uninspired – but for me, this has been an excellent experience. I love Rimworld, I always return to it after a break of a few months (or years) to try and extend the life expectancy of a band of space castaways. It still amazes me how the same game can offer so many different experiences. And yet, after almost 900 hours, Rimworld inevitably becomes easy and repetitive, and that's why the past expansions added new challenges and difficulties. It didn’t make sense, however, for this new expansion to follow the path of the previous ones – adding new mechanics, new creatures, new enemies – because that has already been done three times, and even with the depth each one has, it ends up being more of the same. Yes, in this case, more is better, more complex, more interesting... For a while. But more of the same.
And that’s where Anomaly comes in, which is more of a nightmare than an expansion, because it presents you with a small door to a world of extradimensional horrors in the form of a monolith. It’s just there, with a small blinking light, next to your colonists, and it can be ignored without much problem – but how are you going to ignore a terrifying-looking structure with a small blinking light? So you order your smartest guy to go and take a look, and after a couple of rounds inspecting its surface and some taps with his finger, space folds in on itself, the light distorts, and a psychic scream lashes the minds of your poor, innocent colonists. And apparently, nothing else happens, except that a fine gray mist that smells... like death? covers everything.
Little by little, all kinds of creatures start parading through your colony. Some recognizable, like a classic zombie horde, or some wandering ghoul, and others much more original, both in concept and execution.
Some of the new enemies in Anomaly rely on their numbers to ruin your life, while others manage on their own – surprisingly, a horde of 80 zombies incapable of feeling pain or fatigue (common tools in Rimworld defense) is no more dangerous than a single invisible and smart enemy. The zombie horde is a mundane threat because you deal with it with guns and a lot of fire (thanks to the new flamethrowers included in Anomaly), but the invisible (and smart) bastard forces you to rethink your strategy, not only to fight him but also for the normal development of your colony. When he attacks for the first time, you realize he prefers solitary colonists, away from the others, so now you can’t leave anyone alone. But it’s inevitable. You can’t watch everyone all the time. And when he attacks for the fourth time and you see him slowly but surely depleting your colony, something clicks in your head. I have to set up a hunting party, you think. You have no choice but to select your most skilled guys, equip them as best as possible, and send them out beyond the walls, in the middle of the night, on a search and capture mission. But that bastard holds out, hits hard, and runs faster than your fastest guy, so he comes in, hits, and takes off while you empty on him every possible magazine in the few seconds he gives you. But now your hunting party has to deal with a superior enemy and an injured member among their ranks.
I can say that chasing, and finally killing that bastard has been a terrifying, stressful, traumatic, and wonderful experience.
But not all enemies are external threats – the internal enemy is present, and you let it in voluntarily into your colony, only to realize your mistake too late. Just like with the invisible (and smart) bastard, many things in Anomaly force you to change your way of playing, and you have to adapt to an unexpected situation on the fly – forget what you’ve learned about your colonists, about how they work, about how they relate. A piece of peeled skin on the ground indicates that there is something inside your colony, and your colonists, for the first time, lie and deceive you, the player. Now you have to watch each one closely, seeing where they go and what they do.
And then there’s your human curiosity. Anomaly is aware that you want to see the new content, and that’s why it offers you the option to get into trouble head-on or play it safe. But we’re here to play, aren’t we?
And in exchange for dealing with all that crap (and much more) you get new weapons, new tools, new materials, new skills, new rituals, new situations... your colonists can be more powerful than ever by capturing, studying, and torturing (for the sake of science) the creatures that Anomaly includes. Of course, having a handful of extradimensional aberrations within walls isn’t easy, so Anomaly includes some containment mechanics so you can set up your own SCP, and you’ll decide if the potential benefits outweigh the risk of (trying to) keep those aberrations at home.
And besides, now you can do even more immoral things than Rimworld already allowed you to do with your human prisoners. Big words.
Anyway. Anomaly has offered me many situations where I thought "holy cow, this is SO COOL". And that feeling has kept me going, facing the void, and finally coming out victorious. And that’s something that, after almost 900 hours, I don’t think many other titles can say.
And now I’m leaving. It’s been a long time since I saw my cube.
I need to be with my cube.
Where is my cube?
WHERE IS MY CUBE?
-------
Favorite themes of the awesome OST:
https://youtu.be/1l3AymZiV58?si=o247wQHKyYAM53OC
https://youtu.be/DeHERLg1zvY?si=QjhJ_i1yUP077z1r
https://youtu.be/PQfnUuVmks0?si=WV_JUkF5xh2bt11G
https://youtu.be/nwJPy5jrW40?si=CAghMgYRP8xiDaFA
And that’s where Anomaly comes in, which is more of a nightmare than an expansion, because it presents you with a small door to a world of extradimensional horrors in the form of a monolith. It’s just there, with a small blinking light, next to your colonists, and it can be ignored without much problem – but how are you going to ignore a terrifying-looking structure with a small blinking light? So you order your smartest guy to go and take a look, and after a couple of rounds inspecting its surface and some taps with his finger, space folds in on itself, the light distorts, and a psychic scream lashes the minds of your poor, innocent colonists. And apparently, nothing else happens, except that a fine gray mist that smells... like death? covers everything.
Little by little, all kinds of creatures start parading through your colony. Some recognizable, like a classic zombie horde, or some wandering ghoul, and others much more original, both in concept and execution.
Some of the new enemies in Anomaly rely on their numbers to ruin your life, while others manage on their own – surprisingly, a horde of 80 zombies incapable of feeling pain or fatigue (common tools in Rimworld defense) is no more dangerous than a single invisible and smart enemy. The zombie horde is a mundane threat because you deal with it with guns and a lot of fire (thanks to the new flamethrowers included in Anomaly), but the invisible (and smart) bastard forces you to rethink your strategy, not only to fight him but also for the normal development of your colony. When he attacks for the first time, you realize he prefers solitary colonists, away from the others, so now you can’t leave anyone alone. But it’s inevitable. You can’t watch everyone all the time. And when he attacks for the fourth time and you see him slowly but surely depleting your colony, something clicks in your head. I have to set up a hunting party, you think. You have no choice but to select your most skilled guys, equip them as best as possible, and send them out beyond the walls, in the middle of the night, on a search and capture mission. But that bastard holds out, hits hard, and runs faster than your fastest guy, so he comes in, hits, and takes off while you empty on him every possible magazine in the few seconds he gives you. But now your hunting party has to deal with a superior enemy and an injured member among their ranks.
I can say that chasing, and finally killing that bastard has been a terrifying, stressful, traumatic, and wonderful experience.
But not all enemies are external threats – the internal enemy is present, and you let it in voluntarily into your colony, only to realize your mistake too late. Just like with the invisible (and smart) bastard, many things in Anomaly force you to change your way of playing, and you have to adapt to an unexpected situation on the fly – forget what you’ve learned about your colonists, about how they work, about how they relate. A piece of peeled skin on the ground indicates that there is something inside your colony, and your colonists, for the first time, lie and deceive you, the player. Now you have to watch each one closely, seeing where they go and what they do.
And then there’s your human curiosity. Anomaly is aware that you want to see the new content, and that’s why it offers you the option to get into trouble head-on or play it safe. But we’re here to play, aren’t we?
And in exchange for dealing with all that crap (and much more) you get new weapons, new tools, new materials, new skills, new rituals, new situations... your colonists can be more powerful than ever by capturing, studying, and torturing (for the sake of science) the creatures that Anomaly includes. Of course, having a handful of extradimensional aberrations within walls isn’t easy, so Anomaly includes some containment mechanics so you can set up your own SCP, and you’ll decide if the potential benefits outweigh the risk of (trying to) keep those aberrations at home.
And besides, now you can do even more immoral things than Rimworld already allowed you to do with your human prisoners. Big words.
Anyway. Anomaly has offered me many situations where I thought "holy cow, this is SO COOL". And that feeling has kept me going, facing the void, and finally coming out victorious. And that’s something that, after almost 900 hours, I don’t think many other titles can say.
And now I’m leaving. It’s been a long time since I saw my cube.
I need to be with my cube.
Where is my cube?
WHERE IS MY CUBE?
-------
Favorite themes of the awesome OST:
https://youtu.be/1l3AymZiV58?si=o247wQHKyYAM53OC
https://youtu.be/DeHERLg1zvY?si=QjhJ_i1yUP077z1r
https://youtu.be/PQfnUuVmks0?si=WV_JUkF5xh2bt11G
https://youtu.be/nwJPy5jrW40?si=CAghMgYRP8xiDaFA