What Rubber Bandits is
Rubber Bandits is a physics-based party brawler for 1 to 4 players where the goal is to steal, smash, and scavenge as much cash as you can. You pick from a lineup of criminal characters and fight with wacky weapons across highly destructible levels built around classic heist themes like The Bank, The Museum, and The Dock. Combat is loose and slapstick: you can bash rival bandits, dodge deadly traps, and race away from the cops while trying to bag the loot. There are 20 weapons to choose from, ranging from baguettes and leaf blowers to rocket launchers, and they do more than deal damage. Some smash, some zap, and some turn enemies into giant ice cubes. Between rounds you can customize your look with disguises that include a cowboy outlaw, cat burglar, rubber onesie, and banana suit.
Playing together
You can team up with friends or go against them, both locally and online, and crossplay lets you battle across platforms. Local co-op and online co-op let you build a criminal crew, while PvP puts you in direct competition with other bandits. The game runs on eight game modes, each with its own shape: Pork Pursuit, Snack Attack, Brawl, Team Brawl, Heist, Carnage, Dodge Bomb, Bomb Panic, and Arcade. Some are about grabbing loot and running, others are about pure fighting or surviving bombs, so a group can switch between modes depending on the mood. The destructible levels matter in group play, since you can smash through the environment to open routes or disrupt opponents.
Before you start
Expect chaos rather than precision. Physics-based combat means fights are unpredictable, and weapons behave differently enough that you will want to try several before settling on favorites. The modes are varied, so a first session is best spent sampling a few to see which ones your group enjoys. Destruction is a core mechanic, so levels change as you play and cover does not stay intact for long. The tone is family friendly and cartoonish, with comedy built into the character designs, disguises, and weapon choices rather than into serious combat.