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PG Connects - Massive touchscreen party game Tap Happy Sabotage! is joint Very Big Indie Pitch winner

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PG Connects - Massive touchscreen party game Tap Happy Sabotage! is joint Very Big Indie Pitch winner

Here at Pocket Gamer, we stretch the definition of 'pocket' games on a daily basis.

You can't fit an iPad into your jeans, for example. And having an Ouya in your pocket would lead to many suspicious glances as you walk down the street.

But Tap Happy Sabotage!, from Slamjet Stadium creator Alistair Aitcheson, takes the cake.

Multiplayer mayhem

This barmy party game is designed for lots of people to play on one monster-sized touchscreen. And Aitcheson used a 23-inch touch display to show it off on the PG Connects show floor.

In the game, every player has a target card (like a coffee cup or a pizza) and a trap card (like a broken cup or a mouldy pizza). Then, in crazy quick-fire rounds, players must tap on their targets and avoid their traps. The more players there are, the more manic it gets.

In other party games that crop up between rounds, you have to drag your card around the screen to avoid enemies, tap on three of your cards at once like finger Twister, or tap on your card as many times as possible in a few seconds.

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The 'Sabotage' bit is a reference to something that has always been a part of Aitcheson's cosy local multiplayer games.

Screwing with your opponent and all-out cheating is expected and positively encouraged here. Grabbing one another's arms and shoving people out the way is just part of the game.

If you don't have a touchscreen the size of a small car, by the way, Aitcheson is working on a way to lay out multiple small-screen tablets next to one another to simulate a giant single screen setup.

It even works cross-platform, so you can have a Surface tablet, an iPad, and a Nexus 7 all working in sync.

Tap Happy Sabotage! has no set release date yet. But if you spy it at a gaming event or show, make sure you play it. And be prepared to get a few new bruises and mortal enemies.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer