Gang beasts goes gangbusters on fun

Introduction

In an era of increasingly precise fighters, it's nice to have a game that's just silly. Gang Beasts is one of the more ludicrous brawlers on the market, tossing skill out of the window in favor of sheer absurdity. It's not the world's deepest game, but it's definitely something very special.

Concept

Gang Beasts feels like a mascot fighter, even though there are no mascots involved. Instead, players take on the role of semi-customizable humanoid blobs, each of whom has the same general move set. There's not a story so much as there are a few different set-piece levels, most of which feature a few clever environmental obstacles. The only real goal in the game is to toss the other players away after beating them down, something that is far harder than you might imagine. If you took Super Smash Bros. and removed the recognizable characters and precise controls, you might get something like Gang Beasts.

Graphics and Audio

Gang Beasts has a fairly minimal presentation. Everything looks like a game that has just barely made it through Early Access, which is actually a fair assessment of the game as a whole. There's nothing particularly bad here, of course, but nor is there anything particularly special. The game looks about as good as it needs to look to be playable, with nothing else thrown in. The sound design is very much the same, with a few neat sound effects and a lot of nothing throw around in-between. This game is all about the game-play, so the barebones approach isn't too much of a detriment.

Game Play

There's a host of games out there that rely on touchy controls to provide fun. Games like QWOP and Surgeon Simulator are fun because of how hard they are to play, and Gang Beasts is very much a game in that same genre. It's a hilarious fighter as long as you don't take it too seriously, functioning more like a party game than anything else. This is one of those games that's great for a casual player but that is going to drive a fighting game fan nuts, which might be a good enough reason for some people to invest in the game. It's funnier than it is fun, but that's not always a bad thing.

Conclusion

Gang Beasts is a game that can't be judged by the same criteria as most others. From a purely subjective standpoint, it's a broken, ugly game that punishes players who try to take it seriously and absolutely defies the conventions of standard fighting games. If you can take it as it is, though, it's a game that manages to provide players of all skill levels with a good time while not taking itself too seriously. It's a fun way to waste time and it simply doesn't pretend to be anything more.

Summary

Gang Beasts is a flawed, frustrating game that knows its audience and exactly what it wants to be. It's not great, but it definitely makes for a great experience.