Trash Bandits is a puzzle platformer as well as a hotel management sim in which the gamer leads a group of urban rodents through a series of heists. Interestingly, it was the game’s narrative consisting of a passive-aggressive adversarial dialogue that attracted the most attention and praise during the Steam Next Fest demo.
The video game consists of a dapper raccoon thief in a suit named Ricardo who is the character the gamer impersonates and controls. There is a handler named Chuck, a skeezy rat who has the task of setting up contacts and providing intel. The team recruits a skunk tech guy and a cryptic elder opossum whose work is made out of the mangled texts we read.
The game represents the characters through gibberish and provides a sense of their personalities. The formation of the crew seems to be without consent and they work out of necessity rather than choice. They might be deceitful but are delightful making us root for their success.
A Fun Adventure By Trash Bandits
Rick has the ability to jump and climb the sides of walls with a four-to-five-second grip and has access to a grappling hook that swings him. Trash Bandits require us to collect items or unlock secrets while enduring obstacles. The gamer is rewarded with trophies at the end of each level which maintains their motivation.
The first levels of the game are located in a massive garbage dump. The game needs to be applauded for its magnificent pixel art and heavy arcade soundscape which becomes prominent amidst the game’s retro aesthetic.
The Trash Bandits demo did not include any of the management gameplay and hence, missed delivering on that promised function of the game. It was not that the demo was unable to charm its audience but it would generate further enthusiasm if the characters could show their expertise on that part of the experience of the game.
