Multiplayer games are some of the most popular titles out there. A big reason for that, whether playing with friends or random players online, is a sense of interactivity that you don’t get in many other places. Many people will share the same emotions when in a match together, whether that match involves heart-pounding gunplay or hilariously wacky physics. Party Animals absolutely falls into the latter category, making use of its lighthearted style to make a title easy for literally anyone to enjoy.
Raining Cats and Dogs
Those looking for an overarching plot or hidden lore in Party Animals aren’t going to find much. As the name implies, it is simply a casual party game where cutesy animals beat the ever-loving heck out of each other. These battles sometimes involve collecting resources or playing sports, and quite a few of them include a lot of team-focused play. But it’s far from serious competition, and the game’s combat makes this fact apparent within the first few seconds of a match.
Party Animals has simplistic physics-based combat. Players will throw punches and kicks at each other, with almost none of them consistently knocking out opponents. This might draw comparisons to similar titles like Gang Beasts, but Party Animals includes something that makes it stand out. Outside of disabling them in custom games, players will often find weapons to use on their opponents. These weapons can occasionally change the entire outcome of a match, allowing one player with a cartoonish hammer to stand against four unarmed foes at once.
Party Animals is sickeningly imbalanced and a mess to play. And in all honesty, that’s part of what makes it so fun. Trying to win a match fairly will only result in frustration because it’s not meant to be played fairly in the first place. Every match at its best is a chaotic mess of mayhem, and those who are willing to accept that are certain to enjoy their time — even if they aren’t playing solely with friends.
Features for Friends and Foes
Party Animals is an online-only game, meaning it’s not possible to play without being connected. However, it does allow anyone to play on their own by making a custom game and adding AI opponents. These lobbies can be locked with a password or left open for anyone to join, even allowing for a number of spectators to simply watch the upcoming match. These settings make it easy to jump into the game even without others online, and the decent amount of content makes it tough to get bored.
Party Animals has twenty maps across three game modes, with each one offering its own unique hazards and gimmicks. Some focus solely on PVP combat while others can even make solo players struggle for survival. Mastering these maps allows for a bit of a skill ceiling even with the game’s focus on chaotic fun, which is good for the players invested in cosmetics.
Though Party Animals features in-game purchases, it also has seasonal rewards to help out anyone simply wanting to enjoy the game for themselves. All of these rewards are cosmetic, ranging from emotes to in-game currency, and many of them can be used to get rare outfits at no extra cost. It’s far from the most ideal setup, but at the game’s relatively welcoming price of around $20 USD, it’s far more reasonable than what you’d find in other modern titles.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t a whole lot to Party Animals, but there also doesn’t have to be. It’s a simple game where players can enjoy wacky physics-based combat with special twists throughout every match they go through. It’s not the game to play for those who want heart-stopping battles and in-depth mechanics, that much is certain. But it’s the perfect title for anyone looking to have casual fun in online multiplayer, whether they wish to do so with friends or people they’ve never met before.
