Gang Beasts is a whole heap of stupid fun – Review

I have a real soft spot for Gang Beasts. I played a really early version of it many years ago at EGX Rezzed and immediately fell in love with it. I have really fond memories of the immediate joy it brought to me and the complete strangers playing it.

This isn’t the most serious game you’ll ever play nor is it one that you’ll say is your favourite game of all time, but it’s definitely a game that I think anyone with friends should own!

Gang Beasts is basically a physics-based street fight with characters that look like they’re wearing morph suits. Players brawl with one another and then attempt to throw opponents out of the arena. Think of it like sumo wrestling where you can punch, kick, and grapple.

There’s very little seriousness to be found in Gang Beasts and your character controls like drunk marshmallow babies. The controls are so simple that anyone can pick it up; different buttons control different limbs.

There are no combos or special moves for you to learn in this game, making it’s really accessible. I’ve been able to play this game with friends and family members of all ages and varying degrees of experience with games and it’s rarely a problem. In fact, the biggest complaints seem to come from those who play games regularly.

The controls in Gang Beasts are sloppy as hell by design. Players who are used to pixel-perfect movement and inputting special moves in fractions of a second will probably get annoyed at the inaccurate controls as the avatars turn with the agility of an oil tanker and throw punches like a toddler just before nap time.

My biggest complaint when it comes to Gang Beasts is that there’s very little content in the game. The core gameplay is really fun, sure, but basically, you can have a fight across a handful of arenas and that’s it. While a lot of fighting games and beat ’em ups have huge rosters or plenty of fancy destinations to fight in, Gang Beasts doesn’t so it’s not really a game that you can play for hours on end.

The game also lacks polish and feels unfinished. I know indie developers don’t have the time, money, or manpower to polish their projects into a diamond but even though I love this game, it still feels like the early version I played years ago. Admittedly, that version was fun as hell but it still feels like I’m playing a proof of concept and not a finished game.

The Verdict

Gang Beasts is a great game for playing with your mates. I wouldn’t buy this game if you’re only going to play online with strangers or on your own as it still feels unfinished but if you regularly have friends over to play games, make sure you’ve got a copy of it and more than enough controllers for everybody!

Gang Beasts was developed by Boneloaf and Coatsink and published by Double Fine and Skybound Games. It’s available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.