Gang Beasts is a a very silly fighting game with an odd control scheme, reminiscent of Surgeon Simulator, that features some adorable, comically animated characters.
Bearing in mind that this is a very early build, as a fighting game it’s (intentionally) technically pretty terrible, with an awkward control scheme and clumsy characters that make the game extremely entertaining. There are a selection of interesting environments for you to fight on, such as moving lorries and Ferris wheels, with an aim to shove the other players off or into hazards, leaving you the last man standing.
Your characters move-set is pretty sparse, with the only actions available to you being jump, grab and pummel. Grabs are done with the shoulder buttons of an Xbox control pad (it’s best played with a control pad), allowing you to grab onto enemies, scenery and objects with your left and right hands. If you grab an objects or people with both hands then you’ll lift them over your head. That’s pretty much the extent of the controls at the moment and it can lead to some very silly, slapstick brawls, especially with 4 players playing at a time, trying to grab and position the other players so that they’ll fall to their doom.
The Pre-Alpha is obviously still very early in development and there are lots of improvements planned by the devs, including new fighting moves (such as kicking, elbowing and head-butting) and new game modes. Hopefully they don’t plan on changing the control scheme too much though as it’s perfectly hilarious fun as it is.
The current build is named 'NEW BUILD Gang Beasts 0.0.2 (Mac)' and can be downloaded by clicking the pink download button at the top of the page or using the following link Indiedb.com Reply Good karma +1 vote.
Visit the Steam Greenlight page HERE
Download the Pre-Alpha HERE (Mac & Windows)
Developer: Boneloaf
Release date: 2017
Version: 0.0.3 + Full Game
Interface language: English
Tablet: No pills
Platform: Intel only
To bookmarksGang Beasts is a multiplayer beat 'em up party game developed by British indie studio Boneloaf and published by Double Fine Presents. The game released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, and PlayStation 4 on 12 December 2017, following an early access period for the PC platforms that began in August 2014. It was also released on the Xbox One on 27 March 2019.
Gameplay
Gang Beasts is a multiplayer beat 'em up party game with gelatinous characters, melee fight sequences, and hazardous environments, set in the fictional metropolis of Beef City. At initial release it contained 8 multiplayer stages. The core gameplay involves using various physical abilities such as punching or kicking an opponent until they are knocked out, and then attempting to toss them over one of the stage hazards. Opponents that have been knocked down are not completely defenseless however, as they can fight back to be released.
Reception
Already in its freeware alpha state, as well as upon Steam Early Access release, the game was met with positive response from critics and fans. Comments include Keith Stuart from The Guardian calling it 'probably one of the silliest beat-'em-ups ever made,' Jessica Conditt from Engadget calling it 'a jolly good time,' and Steve Hansen from Destructoid highlighting how it's weirdness plays out well.
Outside of early access, Gang Beasts received mixed reviews from critics on both the PC and PlayStation 4 versions of the game. On Metacritic, the game holds a score of 67/100 for the PlayStation 4 version based on 8 reviews, indicating 'mixed or average reviews.'
The game was nominated for 'Excellence in Multiplayer' at the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards, and for 'Multiplayer' at the 14th British Academy Games Awards.
- Mac OSX 10.8.5