I’m sure we all like shiny things here. Well Ohio Jack loves shiny things, and is after one in particular, the fabled “Cup of Eternity”. To this end, he is prepared to explore increasingly deadly dungeons in his quest for the treasure.
As you may have guessed, Ohio Jack is who you play as in Infinitrap: Rehamstered, a cheeky chap who has an unfortunate habit of falling victim to numerous enemies and traps in the dungeons he traverses. Dying doesn’t faze him however; it can actually help in some cases.
Jack is pretty nippy on his feet, and can jump, crouch and slide around the dungeons. The pace is fast, and you’ll need to wrestle with Jack’s slippy feet to make sure he doesn’t meet a premature end. Crouching is useful for avoiding certain projectiles which will fire from hidden traps in the walls you may activate, and sliding then jumping helps you clear the largest spike pits. He can also pick up items such as pots and bombs, which can be used to take out enemies and break down walls to find a path to the exit.
The dungeons themselves are fun to play, as there are nearly always choices in which way to go. Certain doors require keys to unlock, and items are scattered around which helps to reset your time taken in the dungeon, and reduce your death count back to zero. It’s also crucial to collect coins, as (a bit like Sonic) if you take damage you will lose them, and if you have none the next hit will be fatal. To help, there are checkpoints scattered about which are welcome because it’s unlikely you’ll see every trap coming.
Ultimately, through each dungeon you’re chasing down the Cup of Eternity, however by the time you find it you’ll not have seen all of the dungeon, which may prompt you to go back for another look. It all depends on how much of a completionist you are.
There are 30 levels in the main campaign which see you tackling varying themed dungeons. Away from the traditional dark and dingy crypt setting, there are frozen, ice-filled levels alongside others which more closely resemble a searing hot desert. The constant however, is that zombies will pop up at nearly every turn, determined to nibble on your flesh. Each dungeon also has an online leaderboard, perfect for those looking for a little replay value.
There are a few occasional boss battles too, which mixes things up a little. These are simple, straightforward encounters which don’t stall the flow of the game. This is a good thing as it’s entirely possible to speed run through levels if that’s how you wish you play Infinitrap: Rehamstered. Otherwise you can take your time and try to avoid dying, given the fact there is no real penalty for doing so (apart from your end of level score).
Dying is something you’ll be doing a lot in Infinitrap: Rehamstered, and the game isn’t afraid to taunt you for doing so. In fact, there is a counter up in the top corner of the screen, and your deaths will play out when you complete the dungeon in a gruesome little animation. You will also see your corpses from previous attempts litter the level as you go again, but interestingly they can be used as platforms to clear spike pits. As a result, dying a lot never becomes too frustrating.
Infinitrap: Rehamstered has a catty sense of humour, which never takes itself too seriously. This is apparent when Jack encounters the game’s other main characters, Culsu and her hamster. After a few rounds of cat and mouse, you start to get to know these characters a little better and find out more about the admittedly typical narrative which underpins the dungeon crawling action.
The game is well-styled, and visually matches the mischievous tone really well. However, a couple of times Infinitrap: Rehamstered has managed to get itself into a bit of a pickle, requiring a reboot. I’ve been chucked outside the level boundary on one occasion (spinning for eternity), and Jack decided he had found the cup before actually touching it, so got stuck in his victory stance on the other. These are minor niggles for sure, but it has meant a bit of lost progress each time due to the forced restarts.
There are a small number of custom levels you can play (only two at time of writing) which have been created (I assume by players) in addition to the main campaign. However, unlike its PC counterpart the Xbox version of Infinitrap: Rehamstered does not have the dungeon editor included. This is really disappointing as it could potentially be the best element of a game like this, sharing challenging dungeons online to test players around the world.
Infinitrap: Rehamstered is also more expensive for the Xbox, and as it features less than the PC version it’s hard to shake the feeling that console players have been short changed here.
Infinitrap: Rehamstered is a frantic little adventure game that almost makes dying fun. However, the Xbox release is a fairly meagre offering which falls short of its potential.
Hunt down the Cup of Eternity in Infinitrap: Rehamstered on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One now!
