10 Games That Let You Embrace Your Animal Instincts

Yoku’s Island Express

Even animals need jobs in some worlds, and few positions are more important for communication than that of a postman.

In Yoku’s Island Express, players control Yoku, a dung beetle that just took over the postmaster position on the fictional island of Mokumana.

While the island is filled to the brim with a cast of colorful anthropomorphic characters, it also is also home to a looming calamity.

Alongside delivering mail, Yoku must adventure across the island via a combination of platforming and pinball mechanics in order to save the deity that protects it.

Though I can’t confidently say I’d be entirely too comfortable with a dung beetle delivering my mail, Yoku is certainly a capable mailman, even more so than some delivery services in real life.

Ape Out

No longer can humans contain this Ape, as Ape Out lets players control a gorilla that seeks freedom.

In order to escape, he must evade or kill gun-wielding enemies while traversing a procedurally generated maze.

While it isn’t necessarily required, escape is more likely when embracing the brutality the gorilla is capable of, smashing enemies into a bloody pulp.

Ape Out’s soundtrack is also animalistic, as the chaotic percussions of Jazz music react according to gameplay. The more violent you play, the more violent the music, ramping up the volume with each kill.

Gato Roboto

Ever wonder what cats dream about with all the sleeping and lounging around they do? Why controlling a mech and venturing through an alien underworld of course.

At least, that is exactly what Gato Roboto is about, centering around an adventurous kitten set on exploring a strange world.

With the help of a perfectly good catmech, track back and forth in this meowtroidvania.

Using a mixture of claws and cat wits, overcome obstacles and enemies alike amidst this furry animal’s alien escapades, with the end goal of rescuing their stranded captain and crashed spaceship.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

Another title revolving around controlling a monkey character, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey explores the more human-like aspects of these mammals.

Taking place millions of years before human existence, set in the Jungle, you control a member of a clan of primates whose sole goal of survival.

Alongside needing to manage health by eating, drinking, and sleeping, the apes must also fend off natural predators.

The scenarios really highlight how difficult it would be to survive in a jungle filled with dangerous creatures – including Machairodus, Metridiochoerus, Crocodylus, and much more.

Untitled Goose Game

For everyone that has ever wanted to indulge in their mischievous side, Untitled Goose Game is for you.

Take the role of a seemingly harmless goose, wandering around and exploring a middle-class English village.

Steal items, lock people in garages, and honk aggressively, crossing off oddly specific tasks that usually just revolve around annoying the patrons that call the village home.

While the game isn’t entirely too long, the time that is spent in Untitled Goose Game is a blast, especially since it isn’t happening to you.

The First Tree

The First Tree is a third-person exploration game that tells the story of a fox trying to find her missing family. Along the way, she uncovers artifacts pertaining to a human family that is falling apart.

While short and simple, this fox adventure has a touching story, exploring the meaning of life and death and the journey in between that occurs for both humans and animals.

A rich environment and soothing music accompany the story, making it easy to get lost in The First Tree’s world.

Shelter 2

Continuing the works of the original, Shelter 2 once again centers around a family of animals. Instead of a badger, the sequel is about a Lynx and her kittens.

Gameplay is straightforward, as you’ll look after the kittens, keep them safe and fed, and experience what it is like to raise them in the wild.

One of the most unique parts about Shelter 2 is its look, as it features distinct pastel-colored patchwork.

Arguably the best part about the game though is that you can name your kittens at the outset, making it easy to become attached to the wild big-cats very quickly.

Goat Simulator

Before there was the goose in Untitled Goose Game, there was a goat that just loved to stir up trouble.

Unlike any simulator before it, Goat Simulator places players in the hoofs of a Goat, free to roam about a suburban setting and complete objectives.

Those objectives range from jumping on a trampoline to biting people to even completing a satanic ritual.

While the simulation might not exactly be true to form in its telling of a goat’s life, it’s certainly an entertaining one.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden takes place in a far off, alternative future where humans have essentially become extinct. While some remain, they’ve largely replaced by humanoid creatures, known as mutants.

In both action and appearance, these animals are surprisingly human, even conveying the same emotions, just in duck and boar-shaped bodies.

Together, the mutants strategize with one another to combat against their hostile enemies, called Stalkers, and try to fix the deadly red plague outbreak that caused all of this trouble.

Anyone who loves games like XCOM will certainly enjoy this title, possibly even wondering what it’d be like to be a mutant themselves.

Hatoful Boyfriend

Ever wonder what it would be like to be accepted as the only human in a school full of pigeons? Well, your unique fantasy is now a reality in Hatoful Boyfriend.

Players assume control of the protagonist in this visual novel, making her way through this weird school, choosing through different dialogue options that lead to branching paths.

Alongside plenty of pigeon puns, the interactions and conversations that take place in Hatoful Boyfriend are hilarious and one of a kind.

The game also features plenty of variation as well, with multiple endings and even a full hidden alternate story mode that can be unlocked.