Smash Bandits (Free) from Hutch Games has received a very cool update this week, adding none other than the iconic A-Team van as a new playable vehicle via an in-app purchase. The A-Team was an early 1980s TV show featuring a group of vigilantes who are out to right the wrongs of the world by taking the law into their own hands. It was a campy, action-packed good time, just like most things of the ’80s, though there was a movie reboot released in 2010 and that seems to be where the in-game art of the characters is modeled from. Sorry, no Mr. T here, fool. Really though, I can’t think of a more fitting crossover than the A-Team being in Smash Bandits.
The A-Team van will cost you $2.99 to unlock, though you can try it out yourself once for free. With it you’ll unlock the van itself, the catchy A-Team theme song (which is currently stuck in my head), and a new power-up called the Jibba Jabba, which will emanate a devastating blow to everything surrounding your van with a tap of your finger. There are also new Agency and Military vehicles to chase you down, and a set of new challenges exclusive to the A-Team van.
Even if you don’t end up springing for the A-Team content, there’s still a lot in this latest update to enjoy. A new vehicle, the incredibly fast stock car Thunderbolt, can be purchased with 235k of the in-game currency, or 280 of the premium tokens (Pro Tip: I wouldn’t go the premium tokens route, it’s much, much easier earning the normal in-game currency just by playing). There’s also a new Gadget power-up called the Oil Slick, which does exactly what you’d expect: leave a slippery trail behind you to trip up your pursuers, Spy Hunter style.
Finally, if you choose to continue your run by stealing a cop car, both the SWAT Van and Agency vehicle are now available in addition to the stock blue-and-white cop car. Also, commentary has been improved and the female reporter now comments on what’s actually happening in the game in real-time, which is a very welcome change as her canned responses repeated often and could be kind of annoying.
I absolutely loved Smash Bandits when it released back in August. It took all of the novel concepts of the first game Smash Cops and improved upon them, while keeping the clever touch control scheme and moving all the action into a more friendly portrait orientation. It is my go-to game of choice when I have a spare few minutes, but I’ve also been caught spending hours just chasing down challenges and leveling up. However, as much as I loved the game initially, its game-stopping timer system was a total letdown.
Thankfully they found a way to rectify that problem with an update in October, and now I can happily spend as long as I want playing Smash Bandits without ever needing to stop. I’m really stoked to play around with the A-Team van and other new content, and I hope that Smash Bandits continues to evolve through updates well into the future.
