Video Game Review: Gang Beasts

Developer: Boneloaf

Publisher: Double Fine Productions

Genre: Party, Fighting

Nintendo Switch

When Gang Beasts came out on PC in 2014, it came with a small cult following. The silly and janky party brawler was a hit with streamers as the game slowly built a reputation leading up to its console launch in 2017. Now in 2021, Gang Beasts is finally making an appearance on the Nintendo Switch, a platform that Gang Beasts feels like it was made for.

I say that Gang Beasts was made for the Switch not because of any online or streaming purposes, since the Switch obviously isn’t ideal for that. Instead, the Switch is just a natural place for party games to land since the system is so easy to transport and dock on when needed. Gang Beasts is best when played with friends in the same room, and the Nintendo Switch version fully embraces that.

For those who aren’t familiar with Gang Beasts, it is a local multiplayer brawler with ragdoll physics and incredibly bulky controls. The goal is to eliminate rival players by pushing, pulling, or throwing them into various hazards such as cliffs, furnaces, or train tracks. The controls mostly consist of a few buttons that kick, jump, and headbutt, and triggers that allow for players to operate their character’s arms. The arm movement is where most of the skill lies, as players will need to coordinate their arms to punch, grab, throw, and climb out of bad situations.

The controls are likely to discourage new players who don’t have the helping hand of an experienced players. While grabbing a player sounds simple on paper, the chaos on the screen is likely to make it difficult.. Still, with some guidance from another player or a guide, Gang Beasts is delightful. As players get used to the physics, they will find themselves doing all sorts of intricate moves to eliminate players or save themselves from elimination.

The core melee gameplay mode involves eliminating other players, but there are a few other modes for players to sink their teeth into. There is a team-based mode for players to split up to eliminate the opposing team. There is also a horde mode where players cooperate to eliminate enemies. Finally, there is a sport mode where players battle in a hectic game of soccer. The other modes don’t have the staying power as the main melee mode, but they can all be entertaining as small distractions. The many stages do add nice twists to the gameplay as well.

Gang Beasts can be enjoyed online or on the couch with friends. The matchmaking is solid, and I didn’t experience much lag or latency while playing with online strangers. The lack of voice chat does take away some of the charm of Gang Beasts though. The game is just more entertaining when players can yell and scream through the mayhem.

The presentation of Gang Beasts is minimal, but that’s part of the fun. The lack of crazy visuals helps the gameplay. The simple character models are easy to follow and the mostly empty stages don’t distract. Even though the textures and character designs aren’t full of detail, the game still has tons of charm. The visuals and sound effects lean in on the game’s sense of humor, making the simple visuals easy to embrace. There are tons of costumes and colors for players to decorate their character with, adding just a bit more personality to the already wacky experience.

Gang Beasts is a tad barebones when it comes to content, so it doesn’t have the replayability that other big party games have. With the right group, it can be fun for many hours of mayhem. It doesn’t do a lot, but the little content that it has just feels special.