Smash and grab is the newest game from the developers of sleeping dogs and is a very new game for them. Rather than a single player story focused game, smash and grab is a online multiplayer game focused on well… smashing and grabbing.

The game consists of two teams made of 3. Each players chooses a kind of hero or champion and can also choose a second in command. Each character has different abilities. 2 abilities that can vary from offensive to defensive such as healing abilities or more aggressive abilities like a running shoulder charge or flamethrower.

The second in command and 3 gang members can also have different abilities. These can be chosen to compensate the abilities you choose, such as having yourself be an aggressive melee soldier and have your second in command and gang members be more support based so that you can be kept alive. There is also skills that you can unlock from leveling up, these are as you would expect from games like Borderlands with multiple trees that you can go down to level your characters up to suit your play style. While the controls are simple with there being 3 ability buttons, the normal movement buttons, a sprint button and then one for smashing and one for grabbing, the game’s controls feel easy while at the same time complex. With breaking into stores and basic attacks being just that. Basic. The controls then begin to be a lot more difficult and change from you mashing buttons to cautiously watching your opponent's moves. The game has a block and counter system that can be done using one button, hold to block and press at the right time to counter. It boasts a rock, paper, scissors rule with block beats smash, grab beats block and smash beats grab.

The game modes that were at least playable in the beta were ransack and take back. Ransack is what I would say is the defining game mode as it’s only goal is to smash and grab. Both game modes have the goal of reaching $50,000 to win the game. Ransack though has the only other goal to steal from the various shops and vending machines around the map. There's 3 stages that consist of shop smashing, then more shop smashing and then the final stage has the two big jewelry stores at either end of the map open up. Smashing into these grants the team huge boosts towards their money and can potentially be what wins them the game.

Take back however uses the same basic principles of gain $50,000 before the other team. Take back though has special drops that fall on the map. If you can get to these drops, open them up and take them back you receive a big chunk of money. I personally found this game mode more enjoyable as it had a lot more of a back and forth between the two teams fighting for the drop.

Smash and grab is going to be out in early access sometime in September and I'm going to keep an eye on this one. The beta has been fun despite some long wait times for a game. I hope the developers do well and keep the game going with new updates on a regular basis.

Smash and grab’s steam page.