WARM BODIES

The most useful animals to control

RACING DOG

Combining speed and long-range firepower are two things that remain effective throughout the game, so this rocket-firing turbo dog is certainly an improvement on man’s best friend. It’s one of the first ‘enhanced’ animals you’ll encounter in the game, and blasting around at speed pelting enemies with rockets is a fun way of introducing the game.

Heli-rabbit

Sure, you could go toe-to-toe with rocket wielding animals, but why bother when you can just drop them from above. For a game about moving around 3D space, the heli-rabbit feels a little like cheating, but when you’re able to obliterate enemies from above with minimal ease that’s not such a concern.

Ski Husky

There was something badass about this animal, a wolf-like dog wearing skis, capable of firing rockets and propelled either by a mystical force or its own combustion system (don’t ask). He might not have had the cool shades of the walrus or the strength of the polar bear, but there was something about this fella that just made him a riot to play as.

king PENGUIN

Any time a jetpack is added to a game, we’re happy. The king penguin – a fun play on the emperor penguin – is essentially the jetpack of Silicon Valley, while his jaunty crown makes sure everyone knows of this royal’s wild side. The fact that he can also issue commands to an army of snowball-hurling penguins makes him all the more brilliant.

tortoise tank

Perhaps the animal that looks the least like an animal in this game, the tortoise tank has an added advantage over the likes of the polar bear – whose turd landmines are, admittedly, kinda funny to use – in that it can hunker down underneath that shell at any time to avoid damage, popping out to fire off a cannonball or two.

lion

The king of the jungle doesn’t need gadgetry to reign supreme, especially considering he has a roar so powerful that it knocks him back a little. The lion is only playable on a single level, which kind of makes the animal more special in a way – especially when there’s so many other jungle creatures to defeat.

CANNON CAMEL

It’s a boonie-wearing camel with a turret on its back, what more do you want? Well, as it happens this animal can also warp rather than jump. But that cannon is actually one of the best in the game, and when combined with first-person view can be used to pick troublesome enemies off at a distance.

boxing KANGAROO

It might be a fairly contrived use of the kangaroo, but there’s something about the way this hopping, boxing marsupial plays that just makes him a delight to use. The fact that his springing jump and large size can get him over most walls is particularly empowering, changing the dynamic of any stage where you begin as one of the little’uns.