When comparing Magicka vs Gang Beasts, the Slant community recommends Gang Beasts for most people. In the question“What are the best 4-player local multiplayer games on Steam?” Gang Beasts is ranked 2nd while Magicka is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose Gang Beasts is:
Gang Beasts features local co-op for up to 8 players, which makes this a great game to play when many people are around such as at a party or large gathering.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Chaotic gameplay that results in amusing friendly fire
Since the main gameplay mechanic of casting spells is skill based on how quickly you execute a certain key combination, there's a high chance of misclicking or mistargeting and accidentally attacking your ally. There’s nothing quite like thunderbolting or summoning death on your friends.
Pro The spell system is pretty unique
Magicka has a unique spell-casting system based on adding elements such as fire, water, and stone to an action queue.
There are eight basic elements (each assigned to a key), of which up to five can be queued at a time. Some elements can be combined in the queuing process (such as fire and water to create steam). The effect of the spell changes to match the elements you add to the queue. Additionally, there are four casting methods: beam (right-click), area (shift+right-click), self-cast (middle-click), and imbue weapon (shift+click).
Pro Funny story and music
Story twists and music create an fun and easy gameplay atmosphere.
Pro Two different gameplay modes
Other than the standard campaign mode there's also a survival mode that's your standard affair with increasingly difficult waves of enemies. There's also an online leader board for survival mode.
Pro Casual fun with friends
Not too complex gameplay allows hilarious time with friends even if they don't know the game.
Pro Works great as a party game with large gatherings, thanks to the large number of players allowed by the built-in local multiplayer
Gang Beasts features local co-op for up to 8 players, which makes this a great game to play when many people are around such as at a party or large gathering.
Pro Outlandish ousting of opponents can be quite a surreal experience
Players can throw their opponents into huge industrial shredders or under the wheel of traffic to hilarious and gross effect. This is the goal of the game: taking out one's opponents in any way possible.
Pro Easily play on multiple platforms thanks to it being available on multiple operating systems
Gang Beasts is available on both Windows, Mac OS and Linux systems.
Pro The game engine can lead to unexpected outcomes.
From funny to just outright weird glitches along with random mechanics can lead to a replayed level to have a completely different outcome, regardless of button mashing skills.
Cons
Con A bit of a learning curve
With the number of spells you have at your command comes the challenge of discovering and remembering them all. But once you know them, you'll be able to counter anything that's thrown at you.
Con Memorizing spells is extremely difficult
The vast combination of elements make it all but impossible to blindly figure out what spell combos the game has and even the wiki page has no usefulness in finding spells for your play style.
Con Optimization could be better
At certain times during competitive play, the game can lag or slow down (not rare for an online game), which may mess up the timing of skill shots in the game. Being that timing is highly important to the gameplay, having a poor netcode that fluctuates during play can be upsetting, especially if it results in a loss.
Con Not child friendly
While the graphics are cartoon-like and seemingly geared towards children, the gameplay is anything but. This is definitely not a game for small children due to the violence found within.