What if Gang Beasts was actually a good fighting game with an actual art style and intentional combat mechanics that weren't a result of purely random physics interactions. You get Mad Streets.

TL/DR: For 15$ EASY recommendation. A great combination of silly physics and skill based combat mechanics. One of the best physics based fighting games I've ever played. I love this game.

Longer Version:

This game uses completely physical animations to add chaos and randomness to an otherwise mostly traditional party style fighting game. Each character has their own move set. And each moveset is simple enough to master after just a few rounds. Some characters are boxers and focus heavily on punches, some characters specialize in kicks, some of them are a mix of both. You have big meatheads with tons of reach, and smaller fighters with surprising knockout power. There is sure to be at least one if not several characters you really gravitate toward. (Kid and Rich are my two favorites so far, but I truly enjoy playing them all).

The depth of the game comes from mastering the physics of the combat and game mechanics. You can grab your opponent and sock them in a clinch or throw them to move them around the arena. Objects around the arena can be picked up and used as a melee weapon or thrown at your opponents. You can block high and Low, as well as dodge to either side, back, or down. Perfectly dodging an attack gives you a counter window, that if an attack is returned and landed within that window, it sends the opponent flying. Depending on the character some attacks can be held to charge them and unleash an even stronger hit, and every character has a stylish ultimate move you can whip out to save yourself from a pummeling.

When you combine all these mechanics together with a solid knowledge of your characters moveset, you get an experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. It can feel so satisfying to perfectly dodge and weave around attacks responding with your own in what almost looks like a choreographed exchange. Due to the physics of the game, no exchange happens exactly the same way either.

Where things get crazy is when you have multiple combatants. Then much like a bar room brawl, the fight devolves into just crazy silly nonsense and fun. Understanding the mechanics certainly helps, but when you have more hands and feet flying than you can keep your eye on, your own attacks tend to be hail marys of their own. Dodging and weaving and blocking ends up being more prayers to the god of not getting knocked on your butt. The whole experience devolved into a silly chaos of limbs and kung fu sounds, and sometimes that is all you are really looking for from a physics based party game. Just some plain old silly fun.

Performance so far has been perfect, and although I haven't run into many yet, there might be a few bugs here and there as its a small developer. None have ruined the experience, and overall the game has been great, there are many game modes to play either alone with bots, with friends on the same system, online or through remote play. From 1v1 fights, to chaotic group brawls and even beating up cars. I sure hope this game gets the recognition it deserves.

Gang beats with actual single player modes (story/simple/one punch/horde/rumble) and the characters have different styles.

am going to spend a fair bit of time with this game I can tell.

most underrated beat em up

play this hidden gem

Could use a bit more polish but this is more than enough to scratch the "Power Stone" itch that major studios seem to ignore these days.

Great game,
please support keyboard and mouse.
Please add more fighters.

Devs abandoned the game almost immediately. Game was fun but nobody online ever. Hard to recommend this in the current state of the game.

followed the lead developer on twitter for years as he worked on this project: a spiritual successor to his work on the combat engine in Rockstar's BULLY game for the PS2 with wacky and clippable physics and limb-based combat.

it's a recipe for an ideal dumb party game a la Gang Beasts, but what sets it up to be better is the reactive controls (in a physics game??) where you guard high-low and have a devoted button-and-stick combo for weaving attacks like you're God Hand. The counterpunch system is tight and exciting and it picks the game up from bumbling gang beasts "hit them until they're limp then throw them" gameplay into something more exciting and engaging.

I won this in a twitter raffle and am writing this with only 30 mins or so of play because I want to support the developers and help them push through Steam's algorithms more successfully, but if long-term play gives a better impression, I'll update this review in the future.

With a dead multiplayer, there's nothing here to keep you entertained for more than 30 minutes. A change to Free-2-play might inject some life into the otherwise fun party game with some really interesting minigames and silly physics.

Awesome game, love the all the characters and moves.

Just hope to see Online improved as it's currently unplayable for people other than host to have a stable, consistent connection.

Yes fun good. Game actually has way more depth than one would think at first glance. Love all the weird characters, and they all even seem pretty effective at their own fighting styles once you get the hang of them. The only complaint I have is the perfect weave window is way too early, it can be achieved pretty easily just by pre-emptively weaving constantly, and you still get it even if you get hit. Kinda unbalanced cuz it gives the person weaving way more of an advantage than punishing it, which could put you in said situation. Many times I find myself trying to punish people's weave games and 2 piece them; It works for a bit until they actually get a perfect weave and send you flying. Weaving needs to be more punishable and the game would be well balanced. I love this game.