Bloody Trapland (PC) Review

Bloody Trapland has a specific audience in mind, and is not for the faint of heart. First impressions invoke feelings akin to that of a children's game with bright, inviting colours. This friendly style creates a strong juxtaposition with the main theme, which is made clear on the first death: every mistake is ruthlessly punished.

Upon failing to clear a trap, the feline character explodes in a bloody fireworks show. Death comes often, but is designed to waste as little time as possible. This is done by simply respawning the character at the start of the level, as many times as it takes to finish.

All stages are confined to a single screen; there is no scrolling and no unexpected obstacles to cross. This helps with avoiding unpredictability immensely, and lends itself well to strategy. Players can stop at "rest areas," or safe spots between obstacles, and observe whatever it is between them and the level's exit. Due to this, the levels are all predictable in the sense that there are no surprises waiting off-screen.

In general, the pacing is well done. In the beginning, levels are relatively easy, giving players time to process new dangers. Armed with this knowledge from earlier levels, the difficulty naturally ramps up in a way that doesn't feel unbeatable. The difficulty comes from a combination of aspects: overlapping traps, demanding jumps, and puzzle solving by need of pathfinding amidst the chaos.

A single spike is simple to jump over, as well as jumping over a periodic projectile, or even avoiding a sawblade. However, jumping over several spikes, while jumping over bullets and ducking under a giant sawblade, very suddenly cranks up the difficulty. The mischievous placement of all these components feels inhumane, but looking into the design of each level shows meticulous detail.

The above scenario would only happen with well-defined openings in mind, and this is where finding a route comes into play. Depending on the interval that projectiles, sawblades, and periodic spikes are firing off, certain paths through the death become apparent. Finding these only requires patience and a keen eye. Of course, once a plan is formed, flawless platforming is the final step to overcoming any and all challenges that Bloody Trapland can conjure.

Aside from traditional jumping, jumps can be performed in mid-air as a means of reaching platforms that might be protected by spikes, walls, or other obstructions. There are a multitude of moments when this technique needs to be employed, and mastering it is fundamental to progress.

There are three main modes of play available: Adventure, Race, and Deathmatch. The bulk of the game exists in Adventure mode, which has multiple worlds, each with nearly a dozen levels. There are grassland, desert, and tundra worlds, to name a few, which all have unique identities.

The secondary modes, Race and Deathmatch, are more tailored to the multiplayer experience. Race is a time-attack mode that has a built-in scoreboard feature, while Deathmatch pits players against each other in grisly arenas, laden with traps. Both of them are available for local and online play, and due to Steamworks, matches with friends are a breeze to host or join.

Additionally, a level editor is available that is comprehensive and simple to use. Content can be shared between players, and only helps to further the replayability. This, alongside Race and Deathmatch are welcomed additions to an already complete experience.

For all the good that Bloody Trapland has, the main problem with it is inherent with the type of platformer it is. For anyone who finds difficulty discouraging, and failure frustrating, hardcore platformers such as this will not be enjoyable. For anyone who welcomes the challenge, there will come a time where a level demands too much. Whether that is a better plan, more patience, or worst of all, better coordination, it can be grating to fail a level repeatedly.

This title doesn't stray too far from the core mechanics of the platforming genre. Some might coin this as generic, but simple mechanics can prove to outshine convoluted ones. The focus adheres to what makes platforming enjoyable: navigating dangers while also rewarding skilful play. By keeping the controls and mechanics simple, there are less factors to dilute the experience.