Pixile Studios' top-down, animal-themed Battle Royale officially released in August of 2021 on consoles, though it appeared a few years earlier on Steam Early Access in late 2018. The game sees cutesy, cartoon animals battle to the death to be the last person standing out of 64 players. Lead designer and Pixile Studios co-founderMichael Silverwoodstated thatSuper Animal Royaleutilised the cartoony style to further the absurd humour and nature of the game.
With a unique visual style and toop-down 2D mechanics,Super Animal Royaledistanced itself somewhat from other Battle Royale games likeFortnite and Apex Legends. It was more comparable to a wackierBattle Royale likeFall Guys: Ultimate Knockoutin terms of styling, and this allowedSuper Animal Royaleto gain relative popularity among the gaming community despite a mixed critical reception.
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Recently, Pixile Studios have made further developments in makingSuper Animal Royaleaccessible to all players on every platform. This includes the announcement that PlayStation players will no longer requireSony’s paid online service PlayStation Plusin order to playSuper Animal Royaleonline. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, as it is often the case with most games that to use online modes on a console requires paying for that platform’s online subscription service.
Alongside the promise of dropping PlayStation Plus,Super Animal Royaledropped a set of cosmetic itemsfor those still paying for PlayStation Plus, featuring weapons and a t-shirt with a PlayStation blue colour theme. Xbox fans have a green version of these cosmetic items, though Switch fans are hoping for a red set to come soon. While the concept of a free-to-play experience was praised, some players have found that when trying to play the game without the service, they are being directed to the PlayStation Plus page and being asked to purchase the service. Though, this appears to be a Sony problem rather than something caused by Pixile Studios.
Removing the need for PlayStation Plus creates a more accessible environment forSuper Animal Royaleplayers, and a dedication to the community is usually a good sign for many Indie titles. Without AAA budgets, it can be hard to create an audience within gaming, yet many games such asShovel Knight, Hollow Knight,andUndertaleare just a few examples of Indie titles that created large followings. Through these communities,Indie titles such asSuper Animal Royaleare often enriched, so it is in some studios interest at times to create a true free-to-play environment.
Super Animal Royaleis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
