Super Animal World Preview: Cute, Cuddly, and Slightly Disturbing

Super Animal Royale isn't exactly a brand-new Battle Royale but it is probably the cutest one to date. Although it came out fully a few years ago, the dev team has been hard at work to bring a ton of new experiences to the game.

I actually got to sit down with the dev team and talk about some of these changes in this interview. They had a ton to say about this expansion; more than that, they gave some interesting hints about what's to come for the upcoming Super Animal World.

I got to go more hands-on with this expansion before it came out, and while I had some issues, I can definitely say I had a good time. The real question is how much of a good time did I have, and is it worth your time?

A New Cozy World

While the main aspect of Super Animal Royale (SAR) is still the various combat modes, the Super Animal World update offers a very different way to play. Instead of dealing with menu navigation between your rounds of combat, you'll get dropped straight into the actual world of SAR. This gives you a place to walk around and get familiar with the environment you play in during the combat modes.

The world is one-to-one with the combat modes maps, so you have the freedom to explore at your leisure without having to worry about getting gunned down by a dog in sunglasses. You'll get a chance to talk to all the NPCs around and do a few interesting activities like bug catching, fishing, and hamster ball racing.

Technically speaking, you can actually stay in the cozy exploration hub world for as long as you like, though some quests require you to do things in the battle royale mode. That's at least something to consider if you're planning on jumping in when the expansion launches. Many quests take place in the hub world itself and will help to teach you how to interact with the world, while others will lead you through the story and lore that make up the dark backdrop for the cute cartoony chaos.

A Super Story

This expansion brings a lot to the game, but most of all, it brings a story to a game genre where story mostly exists as a backdrop. Every character has something to say about the happenings of the world itself. All NPCs will offer up various lines of dialogue that don't seem to repeat on a loop, but rather go through several iterations, making each conversation more unique.

That doesn't just apply to the quest givers or interactable NPCs; each NPC in the game is interactable with. Pass by a cute character you're curious about? Talk to them and see what their deal is. Usually, they'll give you some information about themselves and some lore of the world colored by their own perspective, which can be pretty funny at times.

One of the NPCs who runs the collection section of the Super Sea Land is actually a fish. They're constantly joking about you catching them or various other fishing jokes. It's a little messed up because, well, they are in fact a fish, so there's a bit of dark humor in that. That isn't where the dark humor stops, though, as in your opening tutorial, which does set you to a default skin for a bit, you'll find out exactly how your character manages to survive each round of the game. Spoiler warning: they don't survive.

This is a theme throughout the story where cute cartoony elements cover up some rather darker truths, which makes for a much more interesting world to explore. The story here is the primary focus, but there are new activities to do and new secrets to discover. With the addition of three new activities for players to enjoy, you won't need to get your hands dirty to have some fun.

Just Some Cozy Chaos

Much like in Animal Crossing, you'll be able to walk around the hub world, fishing and catching any bugs you might run into. You can show them off to people around you to prove that you've got the best skills, or RNG, at least. Anything you catch, fish or bugs, can be put in a collection that'll be shown off when the building is finished being renovated. It's a pretty neat way of giving these activities a purpose beyond just grabbing some things to sell.

If neither of those strikes your fancy, they've added hamster ball racing, which is exactly what it sounds like: Mario Kart-esque racing in giant hamster balls. It's an intriguing mode that offers a fun break from everything, along with some competitive, good-natured fun. There are six tracks you'll end up racing on that take place in various areas around the map. All of them have some kind of shortcuts built in for players to find, making the races that much more interesting.

While I really enjoyed that, I was hoping for some more activities to do in general, but these are probably coming in future updates since the groundwork has been laid out for now. It's important to remember that this is definitely not the end of the road for Pixile Studios with SAR, and more updates are coming quarterly, hopefully.

SAR isn't just a blank slate where you'll be left all alone, and that's a really important thing to remember. You're surrounded by dozens of people constantly, and while you might be able to find some alone time while you're off questing, it's always better with friends. The entirety of this update is built around making something for the community to enjoy.

There's a little something for everyone here, and that's something I found incredibly cool. From things like the Super Museum of Modern Art (SMOMA), where players can view official and fan artwork, to the Hamster Ball Stadium, the official hamster ball racetrack, everything has been done to give the community a place to interact where they can explore and engage with each other and the world.

That doesn't just apply to world-building or writing. The UI has been changed drastically to keep players involved in the game rather than menu navigation. Anything players might need to do can be done through a new menu called BananOS, which allows you to check the store, quests, and everything else without having to go back to the main menu. It makes it much easier to stay involved in the game.

There's a lot of love packed into this game, and you can absolutely tell from the very beginning. I've rarely ever found a game that does such a difficult update to give players a brand-new way to experience the world. There's a ton more coming in the update, like respawn tanks, new animals, and new skins, but in the face of 140,000 words of dialogue and a heap of quality of life updates, they seem a little less important.

While Super Animal World isn't perfect, there's a lot to love with this update, most of all the freedom of play. If you've never played SAR, I can't recommend this update enough. It's the perfect starting point for your dive into the world of Super Animals and their super crazy chaos.