“Party Animals”: Cuteness overload mixed in with fisticuffs

by PEARL LEE

Senior Writer

On Sept. 20, “Party Animals” was released. With the likeness of “Fall Guys” and “Gang Beasts” in its brawler style, “Party Animals” pushes the genre forward by being both a brawler and a party game that is based in physics. In the game, you can choose from a wide array of adorable animals and pit them against each other in fast-paced multiplayer matches, or you can play as a team to achieve a common goal.

This game is so ironic and comical that I honestly couldn’t put my controller down with how much fun I was having. The optional tutorial level had me giggling at some parts because of the way it’s set up and how sarcastic the Irish announcer sounded while giving basic instructions on how to play. Even the loading screen had me chuckling with the ridiculous corgi flailing his arms as it tried to drag the image of a moon cake across the screen that acts as the loading bar.

The artwork for this game looks very childish from afar because when you see a cute corgi with the words “Party Animals” on it, a normal person would just wave it off because it looks like a game for five-year-olds. 

In reality, though, you play as these cute-looking animals that are beating the ever-living crap out of each other and throwing them down. As a result, “Party Animals” is a perfectly crafted oxymoron for the most unsuspecting of players.

The music adds to this sense of irony and oxymoron as it creates a laid-back environment with a tropical elevator-like music soundtrack amidst the chaos.

At the beginning of the game, you’re introduced to an orange cat and a corgi both sitting on a couch mashing away at controllers, attempting to explain to the player what kind of game they should expect without saying much.

“Party Animals” has two modes you can choose from, which are quick match and custom game.

Quick match throws you into a random matchmaking group of eight players and allows everyone to choose between three out of the 20 different maps. Meanwhile, the custom game mode allows players to create their own levels using pre-existing assets like maps and items and letting them play other players’ maps. 

There are three overall game types: last stand, team score and arcade.   

Last stand is a combination of classic ‘king of the hill’ and free play combined into one. It is fast-paced, and the maps use environmental hazards to create more of a challenge for the player in addition to the brawl itself. 

Team score is your classic team mode where you can play different sports like soccer or hockey, or you can go into an all-out brawl with the opposing team. Apart from sports and team brawls, “Party Animals” offers a wide array of options, such as one where the main goal is not beating up your opponent but working with your team to reach a goal. 

There’s a level called “Fluffy Redemption” where two trains are moving on parallel tracks. The idea is to work with your team to throw coal into a furnace to make your train move faster, and the level emphasizes coordinating with your team by having each player fulfill different roles rather than resorting to throwing fists to win. This mode is my personal favorite because punching isn’t the solution, but, of course, we did try to jump the gap and board the other team’s train to throw them off.

For the arcade style, well, it’s in the name. A classic arcade style means that the game is fast-paced and features constantly changing rules and maps. This format presents a four-on-four deathmatch style with the overall goal of survival.

When playing with other people, you are given 28 different animals you can choose from, with 11 available to you at the beginning of the game, and you unlock more as you level up.

There is also the option to pay with real money to unlock characters or costumes for your animal. In my opinion, having 11 different animals already unlocked is more than enough for a multiplayer game, and it offers a wide array for people who can’t really afford to buy other animals, which I really enjoy. 

The first mode I played was called “Gator Valley.”

With “Party Animals” being a multiplayer game, players are able to chat with each other, which made me feel like we were friends playing a game together. The game created a feeling that you already knew your fellow players, and, while I didn’t use a microphone, the other players cracked jokes and just talked to each other, which created a strong sense of camaraderie and even friendship. This type of conversation was a good break from the infamous obscenities and offensive comments that can be heard while playing other video games.

While I had a blast playing “Party Animals,” I also have deep gripes about this game, which are mainly the microtransactions that are pushed onto you and the lack of an offline mode. 

I deeply dislike the forced use of microtransactions in current video games not only because it is a disgusting way for these companies to make more money, but also because it bars players from being able to play with whatever character and costume they want. It’s even more heinous when the company keeps the best possible weapons and equipment behind a paywall because it’s basically telling players who don’t have the funds to pay for these weapons and equipment that only the players who have the money will be able to fully experience the game. 

Another critique I have is that I don’t normally have Xbox Live Gold, which is a subscription service that allows people to play online for $10 per month.

I was able to play “Party Animals” for a short time, but once my Gold membership runs out, I can’t play this game. Additionally, although this game is slowly becoming one of my favorite party games, it lacks an offline mode, which means I can’t even play against bots after my membership ends. 

“Party Animals” creates a sense of childish gameplay that lures curious people into the game where they find that it’s a fast-paced, laughing-your-head-off kind of party game. It includes the most ridiculous ragdoll physics you’ll ever see in your life, beating the crap out of each other as well as running around in ridiculous costumes. 

Deeper into the game, though, it shows a nasty core of money-grabbing tactics and a lack of knowledge of knowing what your audience wants. It’s quite disheartening that this game holds so much potential, so past the cute cuddly animals and laid-back nature, it’s lackluster. 

Overall, I would rate this game a 7.4/10.

Party Animals came out on Sept. 20 and is available on Xbox Series X&S, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.