Plush brawling 

Is it brawling you want? Then have at it! Party Animals, this new physics-based brawler, is here to show that an organized mess is possible. Choose your favorite animal, call up your friends, and fall into scenarios with crazy objectives to beat the crap out of your opponents and win not only the match but hours and hours of uncontrollable laughter. 

Released on September 20, 2023, Party Animals was developed by Recreate Games, published by Source Technology, and is available for PC via Steam, Xbox One, and Series X/S. 



Choose your pet 

With the aim of being a brawler/party game, Party Animals brings together the elements of well-known games such as Fall Guys, Human Fall Flat, Gang Beasts, and Wobbly Life and reintroduces them in an original way, with gameplay that not only adds cute animals to the games but also manages to create its own elements that make the game stand out from the rest. 

In Party Animals, for example, we feel that even the control of the characters contributes to the gameplay. The lack of fluidity in the controls makes the player feel the need to first understand how the movement works to feel more confident about playing. For those who like to take complete control, I have bad news: you won't.

Party Animals insists on making you feel like you're at a crazy party, where technique is left aside so that you can immerse yourself in the game in a lighthearted way. Instead of fighting with the controls and trying to play a more technical game, have you ever wondered what results you could get if you just ran out and head-butted a random fluffy cat at the back of the room? Cruel? Maybe. Fun? Certainly! 

And speaking of cats, the game has 12 playable animals, ranging from a playful corgi called Nemo to a dinosaur with an underbite and a fighting moose. But since everyone knows that you can never have too much cuteness, the game allows you to customize your beloved pets with charismatic outfits. If you're one of those people who loves stuffed animals, I'm sure you'd like to have every one of them on your shelf. Here's a tip, Recreate Games. 



But since cuteness doesn't generate gameplay, let's get down to business: 

Punch the plush!

Yes, dear reader... Party Animals will get the cruelest thing out of your soft little heart. Within its twenty maps, divided into three game modes, you'll find resources for punching, pushing, throwing, hammering, shooting, burning, freezing, sinking, and many other ways of being cruel to these animals. All in the name of fun. 

The worst part is that the more you delve into the mechanics, the more immersed you become in the game. There's no peace in knowing that there's a smart gorilla trying to steal your jelly beans! No way! Roundhouse kick him! 

Yes, Roundhouse is kicking! The game features combat mechanics (should I call them that?) that take the game out of the ordinary. As well as punching and grabbing, in Party Animals, you can headbutt, jump, run, and dodge blows with great quality. The game also offers you various weapons to contribute to the fisticuffs, such as sledgehammers, boomerangs, bows and arrows, freezing guns, and more. 



The scenery also contributes to the gameplay since traps will be present at all times, such as platforms that break and icebergs that can put you in a cold spell (unintentional joke). Within each themed stage, we find our own challenges that are completely in line with the theme. And as if that weren't enough, once you've defeated them, you can throw traps at your enemies (and maybe even your friends) to mess up the game even more. Want to make them slip? Why not throw a banana peel? Or maybe you're a bit more drastic and want to put an end to everything with a powerful bomb. Yes, you can! 

You shouldn't, but you can! And you will.



Among the three game modes, Party Animals presents us with Last Stand, Team Score, and Arcade Mode. In Last Stand, the last one alive wins. In Team Score mode, two teams of four face off to complete a certain objective. In arcade mode, two teams of four will face off again, but now with the pure and simple aim of eliminating the opposing team.

All three modes are equally fun, but without a doubt, playing with friends in Team Score will give you a completely different experience because the game has voice chat, so there's nothing better than laughing and despairing with your friends. Disclaimer: You're going to take a lot of beatings until you can laugh with joy and not despair. Good luck!

Describe the graphics in one word: "Cute" - Me.

Party Animals manages to convey the cuteness of your pets very effectively. With very colorful and smooth 3D graphics, the game immerses you in this plush fight with great quality. Just as the animals are charismatic, the skins contribute to this aesthetic by presenting beautiful and well-polished options. 

The game's soundtrack also keeps you relaxed and engaged, as it manages to convey the emotion of the gameplay while generating direct feedback with pertinent and well-crafted sound elements. 



However, the game does suffer from some technical issues. Party Animals require a connection at all times, which can hinder couch gaming experiences. With few servers, concentrated mainly in the United States, Europe, and China, the game also suffers from latency problems. Finally, although the characters are very pretty, I did notice some graphical glitches in the characters, especially those with a lot of hair, such as the dogs. Still, personally, I don't think this is a problem that affects the gameplay as a whole. 

For this review, Party Animals was played on PC via Steam.