Cops and robbers may be common fodder in real life, but it’s a concept that’s not usually exploited in videogames. Bandit Trap, from developer PICOMY, is certainly trying to give their spin with a more family friendly take on the concept.
For the uninitiated, Bandit Trap is a 3v1 multiplayer game that pits three bandits against one trapper, as the burglars try to loot a specific area while dodging the Trapper’s, erm, traps. It’s all wrapped up in a physics-based system that ensures near endless hijinks and hilarity every match.
The team at SG got to try a match of Bandit Trap at Summer Game Fest between myself, our EiC Ains, and a developer from the PICOMY team. I got to try the Bandit side of the match while Ains played the role of the Trapper (essentially a digital Kevin McCallister). As a bandit, you coordinate with two other players as you select tools to infiltrate and dismantle the house to steal your designated loot targets.
Once you have your tools, you have to execute a time-based mini-game with them to find your objective. If you picked the right item, the mini-game will be rather easy. But if the item doesn’t correspond to what you’re trying to dismantle, it either becomes a slow trudge or doesn’t trigger anything at all. Coordinating with your teammate bandits becomes critical as you’ll have to be methodical in how you approach the house and what you go after. This is mainly due to the Trapper’s abilities and what they can do to stop you…
The Trapper is by themselves but able to set a wide variety of traps to completely thwart the Bandits’ progress. Everything that gives Bandit Trap its unique flavor is in the way the physics sandbox can be manipulated, both by the Bandits’ tools and the Trapper’s traps, resulting in a lot of hilarious pandemonium happening on screen. Sometimes, I’d be trying to dismantle a bed only for a random trap to surprise me, creating an explosion that would send me flying three rooms away. It’s those kinds of moments that ensure every match of Bandit Trap can devolve into hilarious, ragdoll absurdity.
The variety of traps is already generous at the outset (in the early demo we played). But, in speaking with PICOMY, it continues to expand to larger and crazier things. And, keep in mind, that’s taking into account that there are already giant boxing gloves, guided missiles, tornadoes, electric shock traps, and a lot more right from the get-go.
Bandit Trap provided a lot of laughs and the best kind of chaos during our play session. Given its cartoony-style and the potential for friends and families to challenge one another in rounds of chaotic hijinks, it feels like it has a lot of potential. Bandit Trap is scheduled to release later this year, and, as always, stay tuned to SG for additional coverage leading up to release!
