I do like a good heist game. I really enjoy planning, carefully picking the right tools for the job and carrying out a robbery causing as little chaos as possible. Professional and clean. Then there’s Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator, developed by Pewter Games Studios & LoPoly Games and published by Green Man Gaming Publishing. A heist game that is far and away from planning and carrying out a professional and clean job.

“Filthy Animals is a chaotic single-player/co-op heist game for up to 4 players. Become a mutant animal working for criminal mastermind Tony as you steal, fight, fall over, and eat tacos. Solve puzzles and avoid security before making off with the loot, ya Filthy Animal!”

If you have ever played games like Gang  Beasts, Human: Fall Flat, Totally Reliable Delivery Service and so on. You know, those physics-based, ragdoll games, then you’ll feel at home with Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator. Yup, this is a wacky, wobbly controls, (up to) 4-player clash of silly physics and humorous calamity. You play as one of four mutant animals getting used to upright standing and bipedalism, hence the wobbly controls. Overseen by a crime boss called Tony. Tony sends you out to grab loot from a variety of locations, spread over 21 levels.

On your mission to steal loot, you’ll have to contend with security systems, locked doors, overzealous guards and more. There is more utter chaos here than fine-tuning a careful plan. Each level will give you main objectives to complete and several side objectives. The main objective is usually to steal a set amount of money. Side-objectives vary from having to eat tacos to collecting letters to spell out F-I-L-T-H-Y.

Pretty much everything can be interacted with as you try (and fail) to be stealthy. This isn’t a game where sneaking around is going to help you out. Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator is stupidly over-the-top, a game where picking up a table and throwing at a security guard is encouraged. A game that offers buffs via drink that can make your character fart and go speeding around the level.

Speaking of the levels. You begin (after a tutorial) by robbing a small convenience store and build up to bigger places like banks, high-security secret bases and you even go to outer space. As I say, stupidly over-the-top. This is utter nonsense and a game created to give you a bloody good laugh along the way.

Around £17 and is available now for PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator can be played solo, but it really is designed to be played with a few mates. Honestly, I’ve never been much of a fan of these physics-based, ragdoll games. I’ve tried to play several and just never got on with them. This though, this is different. I really enjoyed my time with Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator and had a good chuckle too. It’s stupid but great fun. Get together with some mates and have a good laugh being the most unsubtle mutant animal thieves that you can be.