Animal Arena Game

Animal Arena is a local multiplayer platformer for up to four players on one screen, built around a single rule: land on top of another animal to score a point off them. Choose from a roster of collectible animals — there are 120 in total — and drop into one of sixteen arenas for a match that's mostly jumps, dodges and mistimed landings.

There are two ways to play. Timed Mode has everyone racing to rack up the most points before the clock runs out; Lives Mode strips a life every time you get bounced on, and the last animal standing wins. Either way, matches are short and chaotic enough to run several in a row.

Controls

• Player 1: Spacebar or W to jump
• Player 2: C
• Player 3: N
• Player 4: P

Tips

• Landing on an opponent's head is the only way to score — chasing them flat-footed just gets you bounced on instead
• In Lives Mode, hang back when the arena gets crowded; getting caught between two players is how you lose a life fastest
• Try Timed Mode first if you're new — losing a life in Lives Mode ends your round early, so there's less room to experiment

It only needs a one-button jump per player, so it's an easy one to hand around a single keyboard for a quick four-player match with no extra setup.