Party Animals review — A battlefield of fuzzy mayhem

Have you ever imagined getting completely right-hooked by a cute and fluffy corgi? How about being drop-kicked by an adorable orange cat? In Party Animals by Recreate Games, all this is possible and more. The chaotic mayhem-filled game is a fun twist on popular multiplayer titles like Fall Guys, Gang Beast, and Human: Fall Flat. With its unique spin on physics-based fun, Party Animals reshapes the rules of online and local multiplayer mishaps. It’s time to round up your friends, put your fuzzy paws up, and brutally knock out your enemies.

The first time I played Party Animals, I was taken away by the cuteness of the characters. The plump, round bodies, button-like noses, and thoughtless eyes blended well with the adorable and soft-looking animals. The colorful environment that the high-level graphics presented complimented the game’s goofy gameplay. I instantly chose the corgi, whose name is Nemo, and queued up into a match. No doubt, I was instantly stomped to the ground multiple times and while I should have been angry with rage, I could not stop laughing. By the end of the first match, I had tears of laughter and a sore stomach from the fun that this game offered. 

With an array of maps having the themes of Last Stand, Team Score, and Arcade there are plenty of gameplay options to experience. Maps in Party Animals are fast-paced and highly physics-based. Each map, no matter what kind, will harbor up to eight players in 2v2v2v2 or 4v4. The varieties of competitive and cooperative maps are well balanced; however, queuing up in one with the Quick Play option, you are more than likely to always land on a Last Stand map since many competitive players are ready to send you flying off the board. I will never understand much of the physics within Party Animals as most of them feel completely random. I wobble into a game and will either land satisfying punches or be flung into oblivion. There is no in-between. Most of the physics, to me at least, feel super RNG which in a way makes it fair, however, more experienced players will have a chance to topple you off the board. 

Last Stand maps, the roughest of them all, will have you and your team against the other team where the last team standing wins. There will be a series of knockouts including throwing each other off the board, completely KO’ing someone with an item, or being flung out of existence by an angry gorilla. These matches can last either a long time or cut short depending on the skill level of players in the lobby. 

Team Score maps contain mostly 4v4 teams pitted against each other in mostly sports matches where whoever gets the highest score gains the victory. These maps are super teamwork-heavy and require coordination to succeed. I feel like this team-heavy mode offers a more family-friendly environment as Last Stand maps can become overly competitive, making it rough on beginner players.

The last map mode is Arcade. This mode is also very fun, presenting a 4v4 deathmatch where the team with the most knockouts at the end of the timer wins. This mode unfortunately only has two maps available. I am hoping they add more because it truly is fun.

It is one of my favorite modes as you can keep returning after a KO and practice getting some satisfying knockouts in. Players will find unique ways to get rid of their opponents. From punching players into an oncoming train in the subway to throwing players out of a window into a terrifying snowstorm, Arcade is the most unique and dynamic mode out of the three.

Party Animals is a great game on the surface level. It is an easy pick-up-and-play type title and will always be more fun with friends. However, there is a main problem with these multiplayer mayhem games – they are short-lived. Ever since its release on September 22nd, 2023, there has been minimal content added including maps, skins, and characters. The company seems mainly focused on changing the way the shop works including ridding the microtransaction-heavy shop of the ‘on-click-buy’ mechanic. I have played since it came out and have exhausted my hope of developers adding new content.

Within the shop, you will see the same skin return more than once every couple of weeks. The developers are also focused on partnering with other video game developers to add in collaboration skins like Ori from Ori and the Blind Forest. Seeing the shop stay stale for many weeks can become tiring to look at the shop. I have won and bought most of the obtainable skins and the only skins that are left are the achievement skins which take a high level of skill and energy to pursue. Playing the same 20 maps in Party Animals can also become super exhausting because sooner or later, the game becomes a loop of the same mechanics.

My main gripe with the game is not the same humdrum maps or sketchy microtransactions, however. It is the modes such as Team Score that see players on teams actively going against their teammates and committing gameplay sabotage. It truly is disgruntling when events such as these occur as there’s no way to stop it unless you leave the match and suffer the two-minute penalty or report them and hope they get punished. 

Last Stand maps used to be a mode where cute and fuzzy animals came together to knock each other out by chance. Now these modes are sprinkled with players who understand the mechanics and will consistently get a win and in turn, bully and or leave rude remarks. I find myself queuing up with the same try-hards over multiple play sessions and it can be demotivating to keep playing.

Overall, Party Animals is a very robust and energetic game that presents multiplayer mayhem with online and local friends. It is an easy, pick-up-and-play type game with a variety of unique game modes, map mechanics, and heavily physics-based gameplay. The cute and fluffy characters are all super fun to play and look at, and can all pack a punch. They add to the game’s lighthearted and delightful atmosphere. 

With the game’s overall thrilling aspect, there are many problems. It feels short-lived, has not presented much new content at the time of release, and also the 20 maps in the game can become old if you have been playing since launch. Personally, I still play the game with friends because it is so easy to turn on and hash out a few punches before I cannot anymore. Therefore, it is worth it if you are looking for some stimulating and hilarious cooperative calamity with your friends.

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