Welcome to Frantics™, a simple game of bonding, brawling and backstabbery. I’m ready to strain your friendships to the limits and obviously you’re ready to thank me for it.
Seeing as you’re all special little flowers – I thought I’d give you a bit of help to get the most out of your game. So generous! We’re going to have a splendid time together.
What are we waiting for? Let’s begin!
Download the app to your smartphone or tablet from Google Play or the App Store®.
It’s a really easy app to use; follow the step-by-step instructions on your smart device and you can’t go wrong – just make sure your smart device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your PlayStation®4.
1) Download the app from the Apple App Store® or Google Play Store on your phone or tablet.
2) Install the app and launch it on your phone or tablet.
3) Turn on your PlayStation®4 and start the game.
4) Tap “Play” to connect to your PS4™.
TIP: If your Wi-Fi signal isn’t very good, you can use your PS4™ as a Wi-Fi hotspot instead.
You’ll find this option in-game under “Help”, at the end of the app connection tutorial. But remember – when you’re connected to your PS4™ Wi-Fi hotspot, you won’t be able to download the free Frantics™ app, so you’ll need to have done that first.
And then you should be good to go!
A full game of Frantics™, also known as the ever-so-snappy title Fox’s Party Mode, lasts around 30–40 minutes and consists of a mix of mini-games, auctions and bonus challenges. To find out more about each mini-game, see here.
You can play by yourself or with up to three friends – and if you don’t have that many players, I’ll throw in a few of my own animal challengers to keep things nice and lively.
The rules are simple: You play a series of mini-games and the winner of each game earns a crown. Collect the most crowns to be in with the best chance of winning the Grand Finale, thus also winning Frantics™ (and earning my deepest respect).
Oh… and there are also coins scattered throughout. Collect them, they will be useful…
These are the overall points and show your current rankings in the game. However, they do not directly translate into who will win at the end if a full game is being played in my Party mode.
But the more crowns you have, the more chance you have of winning the Grand Finale as the crowns you have accumulated become your lives.
You can also win crowns in some auctions and bonus challenges.
Coins are a currency that can be used to buy items in auctions to give you advantages in a mini-game. In some auctions you also have the opportunity to bid for crowns using coins.
Make sure to save some money for the Final Auction before the Grand Finale. The amount of coins you have is only shown on your own screen, so watch out for who is looking over your shoulder!
Various different items can be won in auctions including the:
With good old-fashioned common sense and experience you’ll soon learn which items are best suited to a situation.
Time to spend those hard-earned coins – in an auction where either items or crowns are up for grabs to the highest bidder.
You’ll only bid once – at the same time as everyone else – so you’ll have to guess what your rivals will go for, and how much they will bid.
Auctions are a real test of your bluffing skills – if you’re the only one bidding on an item, you have the chance to win it very cheaply.
When everyone has made their bids, it is revealed who gets which item. You can bid any amount of coins you have, or even bid none on a particular item and stand the chance of getting it for free. Are you feeling lucky?
TIP: Coins are hidden info, so why not pretend you’ve got plenty of coins, or alternatively not enough?
Some bonus challenges are for everyone, others single out one or two players only.
Backstabbers’ Dilemma
Two players are chosen at random to stand holding an anvil between them that has two crowns underneath it. The players holding the anvil can either choose to keep holding it or let it go and grab the crowns, before I cut the rope.
If both players hold on to the anvil, they get one crown each. But if one player chooses to let go and grab both crowns, the other gets nothing. And if both players are greedy and let go of the anvil to grab both crowns, then it will fall, crush the crowns and nobody gets anything!
Secret Mission
Did I mention I’m incredibly kind and generous? Well, in this bonus challenge I offer one player an extra shot at getting a crown. If it happens to be you, I will call your phone. You will then get a private text from me stating the mission that you have to complete in the next mini-game to get an extra crown.
At the end of the mini-game I’ll reveal to everyone if you managed to complete my mission (and they can all point and laugh at you if you’ve failed).
Pass the Bomb
Hehehee, I love this bonus challenge! Hold the live bomb to earn coins. The longer you hold it for, the more coins you get. The only thing is it could go off at any time! Fiendish!
Tap to pass the bomb along to another player.
In the Final Auction, you will get the chance to bid on items to help you in the Grand Finale.
Getting the right item will be particularly important – you don’t want to end up with something utterly useless at this crucial point, do you?
The Grand Finale itself is a game of elimination set on an icy platform in the sky; very dramatic. The crowns you have accumulated become your lives and when you run out or lives, you lose.
But beware! The ice will start to break up and the barriers will slide away, so be careful not to fall off the platform or you’ll lose a life. Be the last animal standing to win Frantics™.
In this mode, you can choose from 14 mini-games to play individually for some extra practice or just to play the ones you like the most.
Create your own selection of four mini-games to play, or choose from a variety of pre-set options.
Not including the Grand Finale – which is its own extravaganza in itself – I’ve also put together 14 other magnificent mini-games, each lasting around five minutes for you to enjoy.
Office chairs and traps are a dangerous mix. Fling your animal as close to the bullseye as possible. You get two shots per round and also get the chance to place spring traps to trip up your opponents.
A classic battle atop an icy mountain. The last player or stack of players standing wins the round, and rounds continue until the time runs out. Tilt to change direction and stop your animal falling off the edges. But just to make things even trickier, the mountaintop gets smaller over time too.
Spike doughnuts with your lance to score points, but avoid the explosive doughnut. If you have the exploding doughnut at the end of the game you’ll explode and won’t get any points.
Tilt to change direction and tap to swing your lance around. Whack your opponents to make them lose their doughnuts – you get a point for each non-explosive doughnut you have when the time runs out.
TIPS: Your phone will vibrate if you have the explosive doughnut. Bump into someone to pass it on. Green doughnuts are worth three points.
Dodge obstacles and try to keep your three lives. Hitting an obstacle makes you lose a life. Swipe up to jump and left or right to move between lanes.
For some of the obstacles you have to co-operate with your friends, and for others you have to fight to be the one to get through – so choose your alliances wisely. You get a point for each heart you have left at the end of each round.
Tilt to change the direction of your space-hopper and tap to bounce. But watch out for spikes that will burst your space-hopper and dynamite that will blow you up. You get a point each time you’re the last one standing in a round, and rounds continue until the time runs out.
This mini-game runs in two phases – Upgrade and Race. In the Upgrade phase everyone gets an item – for example, square wheels or a jet engine – to give to one of the other players. When everyone has given out their items, the race starts, with everyone aiming to be the first to reach the finish line.
Aim to be the first to cross the finish line with as many of your three hearts as possible.
Tilt to aim in the direction you want to fly in, and tap to add thrust to your jetpack. Avoid the traps or you’ll fall behind – if you fall behind too much you’ll lose one of your hearts. You get points for each heart you have, if you’re still alive at the end.
TIP: It’s good to be in first place so you can trigger all the traps on to everyone behind you. Of course, that relies on you being able to get to first place to begin with…
Collect bombs to throw at the other animals and aim to be the last animal standing.
Tilt to change direction and tap to throw when you have a bomb. You get points for surviving each round, and rounds continue until the time runs out.
TIP: If you hold more than one bomb at a time, they combine to make a bigger bomb.
Collect the soup and bring it back to the start line. Sounds easy, right? Until you factor in the other players, spring traps and mines that will make you drop the soup.
There is only one soup to collect per round and rounds continue until the time runs out. Swipe to move your animal – you can only move one step at a time.
You will also be able to place mines to blow up other players, but remember where you put them or you’ll end up exploding as well.
TIP: Mines will light up just as they are about to go off. Make sure to avoid them.
Be the first to land safely on the ground to get the most points and win the round.
Tilt to change direction and control your speed while you are falling. The last player to unfold their parachute wins, but leave it too late and you’ll find yourself crashing to the ground – it’s all a matter of timing.
Score goals on others to make them lose their hearts, but make sure to defend as you also lose a heart each time a goal is scored against you. Tilt to change direction and tap to send shockwaves to push the ball around. You get a point for each heart you have left at the end of each round.
Be first to cross the finish line in your homemade rocket to win the round and get the most points.
Before the race starts, “Upgrade” other players’ rockets with items to help or sabotage them, depending on how friendly you’re feeling. Then when the race starts, tilt to change the direction of your rocket and tap to boost it.
TIP: Avoid the freeze ray unless you can get it to work to your advantage…
Aim to be the leader in the bike race to earn points, but remember to slow down for corners.
Hold down the button to boost and let it go to slow down and follow the road. Don’t get left behind or you’ll explode! The race continues until the time runs out.
Fight for space on the platform to be one of the two winning players. You need two, and only two, players to be on the platform at the same time. Stay on the platform long enough for all the lights to turn on to win the round.
Tilt to move, and drag and release the button to aim and shoot yourself through the air using the cannons.
You can also tap to swing your bat and hit other players. Rounds will continue until the time runs out.
Name: Fox
Name: Hound
Name: Chicken
Name: Cow
Name: Swine
Name: Horse
Name: Elephant
Name: Giraffe
Name: Baboon
Name: Elk
Name: Rhino
Name: Crocodile
Name: Platypus
After you have downloaded the app and are waiting for other players to be ready – you can choose an animal to play as and customize it.
If you shake your phone or tablet while you are waiting at this time, you will break your animal out of its crate, and if you keep shaking, it will also randomize your animal’s features, size and shape.
Why not have a play to change your animal character until it’s just the way you want it?
There are 34 trophies to unlock in the game – are you able to collect them all?
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Bronze: Sweet RevengeScore a goal when you have no lives left in Heavy Metal. |
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Silver: Too Hot!A player is sabotaged with hotsauce three times in one round. |
There are also some hidden trophies to unlock including:
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Gold: Cool burgerWin a game session (not just a single mini-game) wearing sunglasses. |
If you’re really good, like me, you’ll get that sweet Platinum trophy, “The Party Never Ends”, to prove it, for collecting every other trophy in the game. I’m looking forward to all my new challengers… good luck!
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Did you read this entire guide? Impressive! Now you’re almost as knowledgeable as I am. Almost.
By using this software, you agree to the licence terms. Our full licence terms can be read here: www.playstation.com/legal/software-usage-terms/. Here are some of the highlights: