The Anomaly Comes to Video Horror Society

After over three months of testing out in private lobbies, The Anomaly has made its official debut in Video Horror Society! Joining the roster of the four other monsters, The Anomaly has quickly become a favorite and has garnered much praise from within the Video Horror Society community and beyond. This monster has certainly brought more attention to the game with its unique look. However, it has also changed up the game to such an extent that new strategies have to be formed to effectively deal with a well-trained Anomaly player. Let’s hop right into the details.

Inspired by the 1982 film, The Thing, Anomaly boasts many powers that will be familiar to fans of the film while also having unique elements. The Disperse power allows the Anomaly to disappear for a maximum of 2.6 seconds and reappear somewhere within the range of its increased movement. When it reappears, the Anomaly spits out goo that hinders any Teens within range. It features three different Mutations that can change how players can use this ability, from creating a temporary short-range after image of Teens, increasing the distance of the goop range when emerging, and decreasing the cooldown of Disperse when activated in certain ways.

The Mimicry power allows the Anomaly to take the form of a Teen. This power eliminates the Tension Track of the monster and also eliminates the monster’s ability to have aura-reading and Danger Sense abilities. A single form can only be maintained for 14 seconds assuming that the player doesn’t end up running or taking damage.

Even if the monster’s disguise is found out early, the Mimic acts as a shield and can take quite a bit of damage without the Anomaly itself taking any of it. The mutations for this ability are all very effective. Malign allows you to have a reduced cooldown, but always look injured. Splitter allows two Mimics to be made with reduced duration. Lastly, Infectious gives the temporary ability to bust a teen with the cost of increased Focus Time to use Mimicry.

The final ability called Scour is a type of long-range radar where the Anomaly will detect all active teens starting with those furthest away and then detecting those closer to the monster over 6.5 seconds. While using Scour, the Anomaly will be blinded and reduced in speed, but will also recover the Disperse and Mimicry abilities at a rate of 300%. The three mutations that are associated with the Scour ability are Seething, Startling, and Slinking.

Seething will allow the Anomaly to gain 1% Rage every second Scour is used, but the other powers’ recovery rate will be reduced to 80%. Startling will cause unarmed Teens to be Jammed while armed Teens will gain +15% movement speed. Slinking allows the Anomaly to have an increased movement speed of 35% above base, but the auras of the Teens immediately disappear once Scour is canceled.

The perks that you can unlock by playing the Anomaly also bring a brand new dynamic to how monsters can mess with teens during the game. The Devour Spirits Perk diminishes a teen’s ability to gain Luma while the monster is feasting on them. Formless Insight allows the monster to see any station that a teen is crafting at during the Banished phase and allows for an increase in Speed movement. The final perk, Mending Malice causes Teens to become exposed if they are healing within a certain range of the monster. I can easily see Formless Insight becoming a perk that every monster will use over time.

The Anomaly also brings with it a new host of movies that allow players to unlock new cosmetic items for the game. This includes unique shirts for teens and overall looks for The Anomaly itself. With the cosmetics, players can also enjoy a brand new story associated with this creature. The first VHS description reads, “It’s been another hard arctic winter at Outpost K and the miners are eager for the changing season. But when an alien UFO is dug up from below, the Canaka staff must ask themselves what else lurks beneath the ice.”

Along with the monster is a brand new map called Outpost K. A true masterpiece from the artists at Hellbent Games, this map has two interior locations (the main facility and ice caves) that are connected through a cold outdoor area that is primarily lit by the burning wreckage of a downed helicopter. The main facility and ice caves that exist on this map provide a cramped feeling and plenty of cover.

As a result, there is not a clear advantage between teens and the monster chasing after them. The map also has some cool easter eggs here and there for those who are a fan of the 1982 film The Thing, and even the 2011 prequel. I will let you find those yourself though.

What do you think of The Anomaly and Outpost K? Are you having difficulty in dealing with the new monster and map or have you been able to hold your own? Let us know in the comments below! If you want more content related to Video Horror Society, check out my rankings of all the teen weapons in the game right here.