I initially played this with my daughter as she was keen to try it out and despite having a big steaming pile of backlog sitting on the counter featuring some triple-A games we were due to play, we couldn’t stop playing Gang Beasts. This is where the unpredictable side of things comes in to place, and it’s an absolute blast. Sounds easy but when your opponent can grip onto you with one arm and punch you with the next, it often results in you both falling to your doom. You can pummel your opponent to wear them down, but what you will mostly do is grab hold of them and throw them into the abyss. It’s a free-for-all battle royale where the last one standing is crowned the winner. The move list is punch, kick, headbutt, jump and kick and the indispensable grapple. There aren’t any health or stamina bars to monitor or a power gauge to unleash a special move. There are a handful of modes to choose from, but the concept remains the same: beat your enemies to a pulp, minus the KO factor. So why on earth is Gang Beasts so much fun? You’re never sure if you’ll be able to pull off a move that throws your opponent into an oncoming train or off an airborne blimp. Again, this is inaccurate and very hit and miss. Headbutts are a little more accurate, but to get anywhere in the game, you need to implement the grapple technique.

The square button unleashes a kick, according to the pause menu, but it couldn’t stomp on an ant wearing stilts and sporting a top hat. If you want to punch your opponent, it’s sloppy, sluggish and inaccurate. I’d honestly have to say that it’s one of the worst examples of fighting mechanics I’ve ever experienced. If you haven’t already played it, let me give you the skinny and tell you that Gang Beasts is ludicrous. Gang Beasts has been doing the circuit for five years now but has an imminent physical release on December 6th. Gang Beasts is a beat ’em up published by Double Fine – those who dished out the Day of the Tentacle remasters (and others), as well as their own IPs – Psychonauts, and one of their latest currently on my playlist, Rad. What the hell is this? First off I misunderstood the name of the title and was pleased to find out I was wrong in thinking this was something else.

Gang beasts local multiplayer