If you are a fan of classic video games and nostalgia, you must play The Big Con. This modern indie adventure game leans into the 1990s aesthetics and gameplay. It is a coming-of-age game that deals with matters surrounding self-discovery, crimes, and family.

You undertake an adventure as a teenage girl hustling and grifting through the crime-filled streets of America in the 90s. Developed by Mighty Yell and published by Sky bound Games, The Big Con runs on the Unity engine and is compatible with Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

Classic Gameplay Reminds Me Of The ’90s

You play as Ali, a curious and sarcastic high schooler who is scheduled to go to band camp but ditches it for a cross-country road trip. Ali’s mother’s store is in huge debt, and if you don’t do anything about it will be shut down. Ali loves her mother and aspires to be like her, so she learns how to eavesdrop on people and steal their personal belongings. It is not all criminality, as she helps some individuals she encounters. The game is simple: trick strangers, pickpocket people, and con commoners while lying to your mum about it. The goal is simple: $97,000, and your character gets to steal from anyone, including children.

The great thing about the game is that one con does not fool everyone. This leads you to think outside the box and con people in your way. This may require wearing a disguise, sneaking around, and learning to approach your mark. Good for you if you come up with an effective approach like breaking and entering or smooth talking, and it works. Pickpocketing is not complicated in The Big Con. Simply walk close behind a character and hold the right key. There is minimal stealth required to achieve this as it can be done in the full glare of others. The only tricky part of the game is that the loaded characters move much faster than the cash-strapped folks, which means you get access to small money rather than the big payoff.

This ease in swiping through the pockets of community members usually leaves you underwhelmed when you hit the money goal. It might leave you cold and wanting more. Aside from this, the game has a heart, captures the comedy of the times, and hits it right. The game has a very touching and relatable story that captures gamers. The character interactions are always interesting and useful. Speaking of interactive actions, Ali meets Ted, the charming con man that introduces her to this questionable lifestyle. The interactions with the characters are a testament to the great writing of the game and can pay off in touching or hilarious ways.

Do Good While Doing Bad

One of the charms of The Big Con is that, although you get into some messed up things for money, you also get to do some good. So, if you feel uncomfortable doing the wrong things, you can appease your conscience by helping people. You could convince someone to stop smoking or matchmake a pair of lovers. You could even make a child’s dream come through, and these good deeds are neatly pieced together across multiple levels in a very satisfying way.

Classic Point And Click Gameplay With Modern Sensibilities

The Big Con follows the inspiration of classic point-and-click adventure games, but with modern touches, it gives a more engaging gameplay loop. The game’s mechanism quickly gets stale after a bunch of interactions. The timing-based system used to regulate pickpocketing makes it repetitive. There were times when you stumbled in areas you could not return from.

As much as I loved to explore the world, stumbling into multiple conversations and doors that transported me to new areas before I was ready to make that switch. When you get embroiled in this, there is no way to return to your previous location. This is not a big deal for people who love to wander off and explore, not for a gamer with a clear plan.

Comic Book Animation Style Stands Out

The game is packed full of nostalgia for all generations of gamers. It would hit harder for people born in the 90s. The graphics and representation are surreal, with patterned backgrounds and repeated characters. It is great that you do not visit the same places more than necessary in this short four-hour campaign—this minimized repetition in gameplay but not in patterns. 

The Big Conis a great representation of the 90s pop culture as it mirrored the aesthetics of the times. Its cartoonish comic book effects also mirrored how animations were made at the time with strong, bold lines with minimal detailing. The fashion was a combination of punk and grimy America. Pastel swirls, bum bags, and catchphrases litter the gameplay, and you would be glad to relive those.

The developers tried to balance nostalgia and creativity as we meet characters with neon skin tones and distinctive clothing. It is an intoxicating four hours of great feast for the eyes.

Super Punk Rock Soundtrack Quickly Fades

The title music for The Big Con is really interesting. It has this punk rock feel to it. However, as you move into the main gameplay, it gets repetitive and gradually fades into oblivion. I also had issues with the fact that there was minimal voice acting. The little voice acting you get doesn’t fit the lines, which can be distracting.

This isn’t very pleasant when you find the list of star-studded casts of voiceover talents that brought this world to life, like Erik Ishii and Dave Fennoy. Their performances were reduced to minimal syllables to start the sentences. This negatively affected the enjoyment of the storyline significantly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The Big Con is not a highly complicated game. It may not task you physically or mentally, but it still delivers on being fun. The developers have built great cities for you to thieve through and some colorful characters to encounter while at it. The Big Con also has great pop-culture references and anecdotes that many people would love. It has stolen its way to the hearts of many people, and as you finish a run-through, it leaves you feeling excited.