Developed by British indie studio Boneloaf and published by Double Fine, Gang Beasts is a unique physics-based multiplayer fighting/party game. Players take control of gelatinous, colour-coded avatars and have to throw each other off of a variety of precarious arenas, ranging from a simple wrestling ring to a pair of moving trucks.
Surprisingly, the game has some All in the Manual Excuse Plot lore. Supposedly, all the characters live in the fictional metropolis of Beef City, which has an economy entirely based on meat-packing. An economic recession leads to mass layoffs and, in turn, violent gang brawls break out in the beaches, in the fields and in the streets.
Gang Beasts provides examples of:
- Beating A Dead Player: It's possible to keep hammering already unconscious opponents.
- Bloodless Carnage: Characters can be beaten up, ground to paste or burnt alive without bleeding at all.
- Button Mashing: Wanton button molesting can be as good a strategy as any in this game. However, disposing of unconscious opponents after you've beaten them takes some skill and coordination.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The player characters are distinguished by differing colours as well as customisable outfits.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Some stages have surprisingly brutal death traps, including meat-grinders and large furnaces. If this game were even slightly realistic, it would probably have an M+ rating.
- Drunken Boxing: All of the characters are slightly off-kilter and slovenly in their fighting styles, so they look like drunken rabble-rousers.
- Excuse Plot: As said in the above description, "something something Beef City, something something FIGHT TO THE DEATH."
- Free-Floor Fighting: Several stages have moving hazards and one has you fighting on wobbling ice sheets. The giant fan stage does technically have a fixed floor but the wind will suddenly lift all the combatants in the air and slam them down again after a few seconds.
- Giant Mook: Especially brawny NPC enemies appear in "Waves" mode who can easily launch an unsuspecting player across the map with a single punch.
- Guest Fighter: Rick and Morty appear as costumes for the characters.
- Made of Iron: The characters are very resistant to blows, in fact the only way to defeat an opponent permanently is thrown off a cliff or into a death trap.
- Non-Lethal K.O.: Exaggerated, getting knocked out is not only not lethal, but the character can be up in a few seconds and continue fighting without problems.
- Party Game: Has gradually built up a substantial cult following as a rare newbie-friendly party brawler.
- Ring Out: The only way to defeat enemies is to hurl them out-of-bounds.
- Shout-Out: The Subway stage is likely one to the Mortal Kombat series, which has featured Subway stages in many games (complete with "Stage Fatality" potential involving passing trains).
- Taking You with Me: A common tactic involves dragging opponents with you to their doom.
- Threatening Shark: A constant hazard on the Trawler stage is a shiver of sharks who seem to have no other purpose but to bite you and drag you down to your death. There is a shark cage that you can hide in, but it can become a death trap if it falls overboard.
- Traintop Battle: One of the most iconic arenas that has been in the game since its original beta launch, "Trucks," takes place on the back of two moving lorries that drive along an endless road. Later, an actual "Train" map was added that follows a similar principle.
- Wrestler in All of Us: The game is mainly based on scrum-style grappling but it is possible to pull off more elaborate wrestling manoeuvres, as well as dropkicks and body slams.
