Party Animals Review: Unleash Your Inner Party Animal (Xbox Series X)

Party Animals is the latest physics-based party game to come exclusively to Xbox Series X and Steam. We’ve had other party games such as Fall Guys and Gang Beasts come out in recent years, but Party Animals is a pleasant combination of the two and also brings a level of family-friendly fun that is adorably chaotic. From dropkicks in the air to swinging a pan in your cuddly opponent’s face, there’s no shortage of fluffy carnage in this game. Whether you’re playing alone or with a group of friends, there’s tons of maps and modes to sink your teeth into. 

You can play Party Animals on Steam and Xbox Series X for $19.99 USD. If you’d like, there is a Deluxe Edition on Xbox Series X for $29.99 USD that includes in-game currency and several character outfits. If you’re a subscriber of Xbox Game Pass, Party Animals will be available to play for free as a day one release.

Story – Story In a Party Game?

Being a multiplayer party game, there isn’t really a story or campaign in this game. But, it’s also not really necessary, Party Animals sells itself as a relaxing, cute game to sit down and play with your friends. There is a tutorial mode with a humorous narrator that will guide through several rooms as it teaches you the controls of the game, but that’s about as much story as you’re going to get. The game does have several mechanics to keep you engaged such as a leveling system and a shop where you can buy outfits with in-game currency, but I don’t recommend going into this game looking for a rich narrative.

Underbite the Dino, Carrot the Bunny, and Nemo the Corgi duking it out

Gameplay – Furry Chaos and Fun

If you were a fan of Fall Guys or Gang Beasts, you’re going to have a ton of fun with this game. Physics-based games usually have the capability of entertaining gamers on that premise alone, but when you throw weapons and map hazards into the mix, you’ve got a recipe for one heck of a time. Sessions can consists of one or multiple maps and can have up to 8 players. If you’re a smaller group or even a single-player, you can have AI players fill in the rest of the spots. You’ve got the option of either playing the tutorial or you can jump straight into a lobby and connect with anyone looking for session. 

The gameplay consists of you and your adorable avatar, sometimes with a partner, trying to incapacitate your opponents and knock them out of the arena. How you do this depends on the map you are on. Some modes are score-based and knocking out your opponents is simply a means to make scoring easier. For instance, the Ichiban map is the classic map, in my opinion. In this map, you simply knock out your opponents using kicks and punches or any of the several weapons that will drop, then you grab your opponent and toss them of the map.

Otta the Otter, Underbite the Dino, and Nemo the Corgi fighting in the Ichiban map

Party Animals comes hot out of the gate with 20 maps that all have their own unique spin. Buzz Ball is a frantic race to grab the ball in the center and toss it into the opponents goal, but be careful, if multiple people grab the ball it will build up energy and explode everyone nearby! Trebuchet is another interesting map where you have to load a trebuchet with explosives and try to bomb the opponents side of the river. You could play strategically and launch one of your teammates across to stymie the opponents attempts to load their trebuchet. It’s enjoyable and rewarding going through all the maps and finding ways to gain the edge. 

I mentioned earlier there is a leveling system and in-game shop. As you play with other people, you’ll gain XP and gain rewards as you level up. Each level reward varies, you could get a new animal character or avatar, and sometimes you earn in-game currency. There are two types of currency, Cookies and Nemo Bucks. Nemo Bucks are considered the premium currency and the only one of the two you can buy with real money. However, you can exchange Nemo Bucks for Cookies at a rate of 15 Cookies for every 2 Nemo Bucks exchanged.

Tiagra the Tiger, Underbite the Dino, and Nemo the Corgi playing Buzz Ball

There’s also tons of animals to choose from with at least several outfits and skins for each. The devs, Recreate Games, did a banger of a job making sure there’s a ton of stuff to get from day one. They also did a nice job of breaking the mold, such as the after-elimination mechanic where you can still participate and influence the outcome of a session by throwing items. The game is also in solidly made with little to no bugs or glitches, too often in recent times games come out buggy and need several patches to get them in a playable state. The most trouble I’ve encountered in Party Animals was a slight lag on day two, but that was likely due to server traffic. 

Graphics and Sound – A Polished Style and Satisfying Punch

Party Animals has a very distinctive (and adorable) art style. The animals look like plushes came to life, had a bit too much cookies and pop, and decided to have a brawl over the last cookie. I have one gripe with the game, and it concerns the UI. For the most part, the UI is simple, but the issue is the highlight of your cursor is the same color as the background, orange. This lead me to sometimes have to move my cursor around wildly to be able to see where it is. A small issue, but one that can be slightly annoying.

Barbie the Gorilla, Valiente the Cow, and Nemo the Corgi on the Trebuchet map

The sound in Party Animals is also top notch, with punches and dropkicks delivering satisfying pops. Weapons also give sounds that add to the fun. For example, the ice gun is accompanied with a perfect freezing sound every time you successfully freeze a combatant. There is also a taser gun that gives a great shocking sound, I loved when I tazed someone and they spread the shock when they touch another animal, there’s just so many opportunities to provide laughs.

Party Animals was reviewed on Xbox Series X.