Gang Beasts thrives on the constant back and forth as your characters flop over each other and try to gain the upper hand. If you could easily toss another player out of the level it would be too quick and not that exciting. Even if you punch and kick at someone dangling from your body you might not always shake them, and this leads to the double-edged sword of Gang Beasts’s action. Someone might be tossed off only to have the other person grab on to the other player before they plummet and it can actually be hard to break the chain of neither player really being able to chuck the other to their doom. Being knocked out doesn’t last long and isn’t always going to trigger even when someone is smashing their fist into your face repeatedly, so many fights become more about winning the constant grappling mayhem near the edge. Grabbing is actually the most important action your character can take, this not only necessary for carting other players to the dangerous areas of an arena but the best counter for being grabbed.

In Gang Beasts there is no health meter to wear down and your attacks mostly serve the purpose of trying to knock someone out briefly so you can grab them and carry them towards their doom. You also have some extra abilities like a drop kick that has a bit of odd timing to activate properly, the ability to go limp if you like, and a simple run, but most of your options don’t come close to the utility of being able to grab things. Your main methods of direct attack are a headbutt with short range, a kick that can be hard to tell if it made contact, and the more reliable punches that have good reach and clear indications of when they hit. Luckily, you won’t constantly be tripping over unless other players are hitting you with some direct aggression. The floppy characters are made to be tossed around like rag dolls and move around with almost the same uncertainty as a toddler, always looking like a good push could knock them off their feet. The game does appear to hold together well, players never seeming to outright fall through the level or anything truly disruptive, but you might find yourself slipping between the bars of a railing, grabbing someone by the mustache so you don’t fall off the stage, or twisting into unusual knots as you try to grapple someone as they grapple you.

Must of the action has the physics deliberately out of whack to try and trigger ridiculous circumstances. In fact, the combat in Gang Beasts is deliberately skewed not to hinge on skillful play or strategy. They don’t feel like they have such a huge impact you’ll be punished for not grabbing one with some potentially helpful accessories though so you can at least embrace the chance to be silly in how you choose to dress for combat. Giving your character a cape gives people something extra to grab, but that also makes it harder for them to get to your body for a proper hold. You can make your own custom suit by mixing and matching pieces from others, but there is definitely a wide variety of options and while they mostly are there just to look silly, some can confer small advantages or even hinder you in the battles.

The costume selection is actually quite broad, ranging from clothes tied to professions to animal-themed onesies to even pop culture references like ones based on characters from Rick and Morty. Squat and squishy, these characters don’t have many features beyond their eyes and whatever costume you pop on them. There aren’t many rules or complications and your goal in the little brawls is always just to get the other players out of the arena, but the simplicity that makes this easy to pick up also leads to some of its issues.Ī regular round of Gang Beasts has every player enter the fight as colorful little characters. Rather than trying to make a game with some unique idea to draw in players, Gang Beasts essentially just hands the players some floppy colorful toys and tells them to make their own fun. Gang Beasts isn’t the kind of multiplayer game that will hook you with its competitiveness.

Gang beasts controls xbox punch