Party Animals Review (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S & PC)

It wasn’t all that long ago I found myself swinging elastic fists around in Rubber Bandits for points and penalties. It wasn’t clear to me at that time, however, that I’d actually be needing those squishy arms for another series of exercises in a whole other ball game—a co-op brawler named Party Animals, of all things. But as luck would have it, I entered the latter experience armed to the teeth with a greater knowledge in the rubberized field, for I had used pudgy hands to rob glass banks, and I had used a plushie tummy to chest bump a Minion into an escalator. A weird flex, sure — but it certainly helped me grasp the basics when I first stepped into Recreate Games‘ latest online chapter.

Party Animals hasn’t been out all that long, and yet already I’m finding myself spending hours at a time chipping away at its stages for the sake of unlocking a friggin’ shark named Bruce. Oh, and not to mention a leather jacket for my crimson mohawk-sporting pig, Bacon. But you know, I’m getting ahead of myself here, so let’s rewind it back just a smidgen. Let’s talk about Party Animals, and more importantly, the journey that led me to believe that Recreate Games’ latest love letter to brawlers is, for lack of a better word, superior to, for example, Rubber Bandits.

The Life of the Party

From the moment you’re thrusted into the colorful world of Party Animals, you’re immediately given a wheel of cutesy characters to choose from, a Quick Match option, and an entire network of party mini-games to vote for. There are no lengthy contracts, rules, or sign-ups required (we’re looking at you, Payday 3); it’s just you, the game, and a hundred thousand active brawlers all present and accounted for. Simple. Why can’t it always be this simple?

Matches in Party Animals are all relatively similar, albeit in different locations or with a litter of unique obstacles and challenges. The main aim of the game, really, is to knock the other players from the board by using your flubbery knuckles, or with one of several weapons that tend to spawn around the map. And just to say, this isn’t the only type of game that you’ll find in Party Animals; there’s also soccer, as well — but that’s an entirely different ball game. Literally.

As far as actual gameplay goes, Party Animals adopts a classic physics-based format—one that involves having the player use several buttons and actions to complete even the most basic of tasks. Want to wield a tennis racket? Tough. Turns out, you’ll need to angle yourself in the exact location adjacent to the handle to be able to pick it up and use it. And boy, if you can’t figure out how to do this in a few seconds flat, then you’re sure to find yourself being flung from the board by another player who, annoyingly, managed to grasp it a bit quicker. Don’t fret, though — there are eight more rounds of it. Yes. Eight.

And it Never Ends

As it currently stands, there are a total of 20 maps in Party Animals, as well as three core game modes to compete in: Last Stand, a free-for-all that involves a total of eight players fighting to be—you guessed it—the last one standing; Team Score, which involves four teams of two working to complete a certain objective; and Arcade, which, again, involves two teams of four battling against one another to be the last unit standing. There isn’t anything particularly new here as far as modes go, but you know what they say — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

In addition to the aforementioned modes, there are also the Animals themselves—cutesy plush-type critters and beasts who share the exact same strengths and weaknesses. On that note, there isn’t a whole lot to work with, as each character is, more or less, on the same wavelength as the others. It all boils down to player preference, really, as one person may have an interest in beefing up an otter, whereas another may want to spend time with a unicorn. Either way, it doesn’t really make a difference; everyone is on a balanced playing field — so there’s no need to worry about who’s controlling who. For me, though — I immediately felt drawn to Barbie, possibly the grumpiest gorilla to ever set foot in the ring. Why Barbie? I don’t know. Why put a balaclava on a pig?

Pixar Doesn’t Approve

There are other Animals to unlock, too. But like a lot of other online multiplayer games with a catalog of skins, outfits, and general cosmetics to boot, many of them are hidden behind a paywall of some sort. Granted, it isn’t the heftiest paywall I’ve had to clamber over—but a wall is a wall nonetheless, and thus a slight knock on an otherwise near-perfect game. Still, I can’t fault it all that much, as there aren’t any in-game purchases that are vitally important, or even beneficial for the team, for that matter.

Having said all that, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the slightest bit underwhelmed when I noticed the in-game currency—a thing called Nemo Bucks. Of course, there’s the option to complete challenges in order to accrue a few Nemo Bucks, but with the sky-high prices of some of the items, it just “makes sense” to take the shortcut and buy into the premium currency, if only to skip over fifteen hours of additional legwork. And annoyingly, this is exactly what Recreate Games wants you to do. Suddenly those cutesy animals aren’t looking so cute, are they? Tut tut, RG.

No Backdoor Shuffles Allowed

There is one thing that Party Animals takes seriously — and that’s having a proper game with players who aren’t about to up sticks and leave at a moment’s notice. It takes it so seriously, even, that if a player was to leave mid-match, then they would automatically receive a Quick Match ban, which effectively withdraws them from ever being able to play in a public lobby again. A bit OTT, perhaps — but I can also see why Recreate Games decided to implement such a system. At the end of the day, nobody likes a deserter — much less one who’s abandoned a team two rounds into an event that’s several rounds from seeing its climax.

In spite of its rather strict rules when it comes to joining a game, the rest of the actual experience is a whole lot of fun, and not to mention crammed to the brim with enough enjoyment to keep you slugging forward regardless. Truth is, at no point did I ever feel that urge to abandon the squad—even when I was at the bottom of the leaderboard and a million miles from seeing the apex. Point is, it never felt like a loss, even during the times where I found myself losing to things that others would deem laughable. Simply put, I was there for the ride, and win or lose — I was often happy to just be there in the moment, having a laugh and taking a break from heavier games with harsher consequences.

There’s a lot to love about Party Animals, and the fact that it goes out of its way to make failure come across as a small portion of the journey is a boon in itself, truly. Don’t get me wrong, winning was great, but it was never exactly mandatory, either.

Verdict

When it comes down to it, all I can say is this: Rubber Bandits, you’d better watch out, because there’s a new fish knocking about, and it certainly isn’t taking half measures, either. To put it simply, Party Animals marks the culmination of decades of rubberized action brawlers — and it bleeds through its squidgy roots, tenfold. Sure enough, it’s cute, inclusive, and even a little dark, given its satirical humor and namesakes. And if you merge these three ingredients together, then wallah—you’ve actually got quite the little comprehensive banquet of goodies, and not to mention the foundations for a fantastic online multiplayer game that’s both sustainable and everlasting.

Truth is, Party Animals isn’t a tricky game, nor is it one that’ll scratch those itches for something story-driven or emotionally satisfying. But that isn’t what Recreate Games set out to accomplish; it wanted something silly, and not to mention something that would bring brawling fans together for a short while. To that I say, you know — well played. As it turns out, Party Animals is, more or less, everything it set out to be, and while it hasn’t exactly reinvented the wheel, as such, it has greased the cogs ever so slightly and given the brawler genre a tad more, shall we say, pizzazz.

The future is certainly bright for Party Animals, that much is clear. What’s more, with a whole ocean of characters to introduce, stages to build, and seasonal events to explore, it’s doubtful that it’ll be parting ways with us anytime soon, either. Fact is, it’s here for the long haul, so you might as well get used to swinging those pudgy gloves about, folks.