Lunch Freebie: Treasure Trap
Today on Lunch Freebie, we've got a browser-based title that let you play as the soul of a displaced monarch, one who wants nothing more than to keep his tomb safe.
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
"Who said games can't be art?" Someone exclaimed over Twitter last week. I remember cringing. Not that old debate again, I thought. Curiosity eventually won, however, and I found myself face-to-face with a new Adult Swim game. Phantom Pharoah's Treasure Trap, the title screen announced as eyes made out fly wings stared at me.I was intrigued.
Made out of soft gradients and an art style that, quite weirdly, reminds me of the old Pink Panther movies, Treasure Trap will have you attempting to protect your earthly possessions from would-be tomb raiders. Since you're a poltergeist of sorts, you won't be able to directly assault the intruders. As such, you're going to have to rely on the various traps and contraptions strewn about your domicile. There are levers to be pulled, blocks to be moved, torches to be doused: all in the service of delaying unwitting treasure hunters as the exits to your treasure room seal of their own accord.
It's, in a word, delightful. The various nefarious acts you can commit against passing adventurers are quite imaginative and the mortified look on their faces, when you've harassed them enough, is a satisfying expression to witness. Treasure Trap reminds me very strongly of Haunt the House, yet another awesome 'get-the-humans-out' sort of game. Except with less capitalism, of course. But, enough from me. Go get a falafel and then sit down, kick back and enjoy Treasure Trap.