At PAX Prime 2015, I got to try out the PlayStation 4 version of Gang Beasts, a wacky brawler that is actually already out on Steam Early Access. But, since the PS4 version won’t be coming out until early 2016, it seems appropriate to offer a preview of the goofy game.
Blobby Battles
It’s actually a little hard to explain Gang Beasts, but I guess the best possible way to describe it would be like this: imagine a bunch of strange, boneless people wearing strange, colored costumes and trying to knock each other out of surprisingly everyday arenas. Weird image, right? Well, that Gang Beasts.
Here are some of the arenas I fought in: On top of a two speeding trucks, on top of a spinning Ferris wheel, and in a dangerous factory where there are lots of whirring, crunching machines. Not your typical arenas, no, but they are certainly a lot more fun.
Out of the Arena
Since the only way to win is to be the only blob? (Or is it creature? person?) left in the arena, players have to rely on punches to stun their opponents, and then grabs and throws to take hold and toss their opponents into dangerous traps or simply out of the arena. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, as all movement is sort of blob-by and slow, making it hard to get around.
Besides being beaten up and then thrown by my opponents during my time with the game, I also found myself accidentally committing suicide a lot. On the truck level, for example, I had almost defeated my three other opponents, when all of a sudden, the truck drove below a sign and it knocked my onto the road. I wasn’t all that upset over it, though, since the sight of my blooby creature being knocked off of the back of the truck was, well, hilarious.
And that’s why Gang Beasts is so enjoyable — it’s hilarious. Sure, the combat is entertaining and the matches are fairly quick and easy to get through, but the best part of the game is how funny it is.So far so good, it looks to be Double Fine is on track for one fine party game.
