Battle Royales have been a gaming phenomenon over the last few years, completely dominating the industry. Now, we have seen huge games monopolise the market, and the games late to the trend, are usually at a disadvantage. Hyper Scape, even though I thoroughly enjoyed it, failed to even make a dent on the market. Fortunately, Super Animal Royale manages to provide a unique experience to the battle royale genre, filling the void left by the others.
Super Animal Royale follows the same premise as any other battle royale; drop in with up to 64 other players and fight to be the last one standing. There is currently no trios option, only Solos, Duos, Squads, and a few rotating modes. There is also a handful of the standard weapons you find in other battle royales; pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, and SMG. Fortunately, while it all seems quite similar, Super Animal Royale does a good job of making it feel different.
As someone born after the golden era of platformers, I have always struggled to appreciate 2D games. Luckily, Super Animal Royale‘s vibrant 2D design makes it incredibly easy to enjoy. Every area is beautifully crafted and distinctly separated. As you enter every area, you immediately know where you are and — thanks to the incredibly helpful arrow pointing to where the next circle is — where to go next.
“As much as I enjoy the game, the lack of Oceanic servers makes it easy to put down.”
The game’s top-down design also lends to the sporadic gameplay, allowing you to shoot in every direction. Weapons can also be found every step of the way, so you’ll never find yourself scrambling to fire back at your opponents. Like most games, some weapons are great, and some leave a lot to be desired. The shotgun or Jak-7 seem to be amongst the formidable pickups in the game, and for good reason, they absolutely decimate other players up close. However, other weapons like the Bow & Sparrow seem a little strange. Shooting an enemy with the bow will also highlight them with a sparrow on their head. In theory, it seems like a great concept but with movement in Super Animal Royale being so fast, it feels a little wasted.
The Super Skunk Gas —Super Animal Royale‘s storm or ring equivalent — moves a lot quicker than in other games. Fortunately, you’re left with a bountiful amount of transversal options to avoid it. The Hamster Ball is one of two vehicles player’s can use to get around the map. It’s quite deadly, and running over another player is probably one of the funniest things when you are playing with friends. Especially if you’re all in Hamster Balls. The Giant Emu is the second vehicle of mass destruction, and honestly, you can see why the Australians lost the war. Although it’s not as fast as the Hamster Ball — unless there are two players on the back — it’s more durable. Fortunately, if you can’t find any of the vehicles, you can Super Jump Roll instead of jumping which provides some very quick movement around the map.
“The Super Gas Snorkel and Cupgrade powerups are game-changers.”
As much as I enjoy the game, the lack of Oceanic servers makes it easy to put down. I usually sit at around 150 ping on Asian or American servers. This is an awkward number as it’s high enough for you to be at a disadvantage but not high enough that the game is unplayable. I would love for the developers to add servers to cater to the folks down under, but alas, the player base is probably too small.
Amongst all of the weapons, Super Animal Royale also presents unique gear choices to the player in the form of Super Powerups. These are excellent, and I’m constantly tossing up the decision on which powerup I want. Luckily, each has its own benefit, but I do actively avoid a few due to personal preferences. The Super Gas Snorkel and Cupgrade powerups are game-changers. The Snorkel helps you take less damage in the gas while also moving quickly through it, and Cupgrade lets you chug health faster. Both seem equally essential as I often take way too long looting for new weapons.
“Super Animal Royale is actually one of the more generous games, offering numerous challenges to unlock cosmetics without paying a cent.”
While there are some useful quality-of-life features present, there also seems to be some modern battle royale essentials missing. Players die very quickly, which is great in Solos. However, in Duos or Squads, this can be a bit frustrating. When a player is killed, they go into a downed state and need reviving. Except, it’s very easy to just finish the downed player, leaving the team to finish off the game with one less player. Other battle royales have opted for a respawn feature that allows living players to collect a banner or card on the deceased body. They then navigate to a fixed location where they can respawn their teammate. I feel like this could add an extra element to Super Animal Royale, extending the duration of games, while also, keeping it entertaining.
Unlike some of the triple-A battle royales, Super Animal Royale is entirely free. Moreover, no weapons are held behind unnecessary paywalls, and most of the microtransactions are strictly cosmetic. Super Animal Royale is actually one of the more generous free-to-play games, offering numerous challenges to unlock cosmetics without paying a cent. If you have a few hours to spare, you should definitely check out Super Animal Royale and its fun and whacky spin on the battle royale genre.
*Disclaimer: Reviewed on PC, code was provided by the Publisher.
