Trapt [PS2]

Most survival horror action games require a fair bit of hand-to-hand combat, but Tecmo's Deception series has always taken something of a "hands-off" approach. Instead of fighting it out directly, the games challenge players to setup a series of traps and lure unsuspecting opponents to their doom. Though the series has a decent following in Japan, it has gone relatively unnoticed stateside -- but Tecmo is hoping to change that with Trapt.

If you're confused by the blatant name changing, don't worry; you're not alone. Known in Japan as Kagero II: Dark Illusion, Trapt is the fourth game in the Deception series and a sequel to the second, yet features an entirely new storyline. But for most players, it'll be something of a new experience.

You play the game as the young princess Allura, just having witnessed your father murdered. Worse yet, your evil stepmother (who likely orchestrated the whole thing) has accused you of the murder in order to pave her way to the throne. Hunted by the castle guards, you must stay alive long enough to kill your would-be assailants and prove your innocence.

Once you get over the complete incongruity of a sweet, innocent princess being a master of murderous machinery, Trapt unfolds into an intriguing exercise in creative killing that promises to challenge your brain as well as your reflexes.

Before each mission, Allura is given the option to choose from her arsenal of death-dealing instruments. Split into three types -- floor, wall, and ceiling -- you can carry three of each type into a given mission. Once chosen, that's it. The only way to change your equipment is by quitting and restarting the level.

The object of each level is to eliminate your opponents. While this can be done early by setting the same trap over and over, it won't work forever. In the later levels your assailants smarten up and learn to avoid the simple traps. As a result, players are forced to concoct innovative combos.

For example, you can place a wall trap on a narrow walkway that pushes your victim into an immobilizing ground trap before slicing them with a sharpened pendulum that falls from the ceiling. While you can only have one of each trap type active at a given time, you are allowed to set a new trap at any time. Creative players will be able to line up massive chain combos by setting a new trap as soon as the first one is triggered.

In addition to the traps that Allura carries, some rooms will also feature natural dangers that can be used to your advantage. Some of the built-in traps can even be triggered by traps of your own, such as using a wall trap to trigger a pressure plate. It pays to be careful though as these traps can also hurt you.

New to this iteration of the game are the Dark Illusions. A sort of uber-trap, the Dark Illusions are extra powerful (not to mention quite graphic) traps built into some of the larger rooms. They are only usable once per mission, however, anyone trapped in one is more or less a guaranteed kill.

The first Dark Illusion we saw had a chain shooting out of the wall and grabbing a hapless soul by the foot. It then dragged him, kicking and screaming, into a room-sized music box and pulled the body through the gears as the music kept playing. Another had Allura knock an enemy off a ledge and into a cannon. The victim squirmed in vain trying to escape while the cannon shifted position and then fired her into the ceiling. The limp body stuck to the ceiling for a few seconds before falling three stories through stained glass windows in the shape of targets. It was decidedly vicious.

All in all, there are only 15 main missions to be found in the game. But an additional 30 extra side missions and four different endings promise a lot of replay value. According to Tecmo, players will have to make their way through the game at least twice simply to unlock all of Allura's available traps.

Though it isn't a huge departure from the games that have come before, Trapt has an undeniable appeal due to its reliance on strategic thinking. While the graphic nature of some of the traps will turn off more squeamish players, those looking for a mental workout will likely find a great deal of enjoyment here. We'll have a full review on Trapt in time for Halloween. Check back next month to see if it lives up to expectations.