Pickup artist

If it sometimes feels like The Anacrusis has forgotten it’s supposed to be a science-fiction game, then the best remedy is finding one of the pickups scattered around by the Director. Grenades offer a choice of pink goo and time-slowing stasis bubbles as a way of holding up enemies, as well as a throwable dome shield to hunker down within. Even the basic explosive – the Vortex grenade – comes complete with a neat singularity effect, pulling all nearby bodies in, then flinging them outwards. There’s also a slot reserved for limited-use special weapons: an autoturret, a laser beam that cuts through whatever it touches, and an arc rifle that does the aiming for you, sending over bursts of electrical energy at anything that gets too close. Expect arguments over who gets to pick up the latter option.