Some levels can be more complex than others, but you'll always be focused on pummelling the. Some are part of the fabric and make things funnier, like hitboxes that are frightfully inconsistent, or a climbing mechanic that’s more chance than skill.
With a game that’s this gloriously unpolished, there are bound to be issues. Sometimes, as I found here in a wholly luck-based one-on-one victory, the seeming champion can often become the loser in a heartbeat. It makes the game so much more exciting when you know that falling over an edge isn’t game over, so long as you’re capable of clutching a wall, bar or railing on your way out.
Grab isn’t just for fighting–it’s for saving your skin. But most of the time, the fight’s not over. Despite the luck often required to get this right, it feels incredible when you finally do it. Throwing is one of the most difficult things to do in Gang Beasts: presuming your enemy is unconscious, distracted or having a hard time with the controls, you can pick them up and, using your momentum, let go at the right time and have them plummet to their death. Again, this’ll knock an opponent out for a short period of time, and that’s when the main mechanic of the game comes into play. Similarly, landing a nice, clean headbutt at the beginning of a round is a game of luck, but when you manage to nail it, it feels more powerful than the magnum from the original Halo. Bouts in 'Gang Beasts' will almost immediately descend into madness.