The Big Con is an adventure game developed by Mighty Yell and published by Skybound Games. It was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 31, 2021. A Nintendo Switch version was released on June 1, 2022. Versions for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were released on August 31, 2023. Set in the 1990s, the game follows Ali, a teenager who works at a video rental store owned by Linda, her mother. After learning that her mother owes $97,342.18 to loan sharks, she meets Ted, a con artist. They travel across the United States, earning money to save Linda's store. The Windows version of The Big Con received favorable reviews, while the Xbox Series X/S version received mixed reviews.
| The Big Con | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Mighty Yell |
| Publisher(s) | Skybound Games |
| Director(s) | Dave Proctor |
| Producer(s) | Yash Kulkarni |
| Designer(s) | Jill Murray |
| Programmer(s) | George Degenkamp Josh Capelli |
| Artist(s) | Saffron Aurora |
| Writer(s) | Dave Proctor |
| Composer(s) | Dan Rodrigues |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
edit
The Big Con is an adventure game where the player controls Ali, a teenager who has to raise money to save her mother's video rental store.[1] In each location, the player has to steal a certain amount of money.[2] Once the threshold is reached, they can continue to explore, or leave the area by talking to Ted.[2] Ali can earn money by pickpocketing non-player characters (NPCs).[2] Each NPC has an indicator that shows the amount of the cash that they hold.[2] To successfully pickpocket a character, the player will have to play a minigame where they must stop a needle in a target area.[2] If Ali fails to pickpocket a NPC, she will have to find another disguise before attempting to pickpocket them again.[2] If she fails three separate times, she will have to rewind VHS tapes at a video rental store.[2] Ali will earn back lost money after completing this task.[2] Ali can also earn money by collecting items and selling them to a pawnbroker.[2] Ali can additionally accept sidequests from NPCs.[2]
Development and release
editThe Big Con was developed by Toronto-based developer Mighty Yell.[3] The developers set the game in the 1990s to make the plot "easier to believe", and allow for a "bright and colorful" palette.[3] Saffron Aurora, the game's artist, used cartoons such as The Simpsons, Hey Arnold!, and Doug to form the game's art style.[3] Ali is voiced by Erika Ishii, and Rad Ghost is voiced by Dave Fennoy.[4]
The team won $50,000 at the 2018 Gaming Pitch Competition at EGLX.[5] The Big Con was featured at PAX West 2019 and at PAX East 2020.[5][6] A teaser trailer was also released in 2020.[7] In March 2021, the game was shown off at the ID@Xbox showcase.[8][9] In May, Skybound Games partnered with Mighty Yell to publish the game.[10] In June, Melissa Joan Hart presented the game in at Tribeca Festival.[11] The game's demo was available during the Steam Next Fest.[12]
The Big Con's theme song was performed by Rockapella, and the soundtrack was composed by Dan Rodrigues.[11] The game was announced for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 12. It was scheduled to release that summer.[13][14] The game's August 31 release date was announced in July.[15] Mighty Yell held a contest to choose a voice actor for a non-player character in the game. The winner would receive a copy of the game and a T-shirt.[16] The Big Con's demo was playable at PAX East 2022.[17] A Nintendo Switch version titled The Big Con: Grift of the Year Edition was released on June 1, 2022.[18][19] The Big Con: Grift of the Year Edition was also released for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.[20]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 77/100[a][21] XSX: 74/100[b][22] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | Recommended[23] |
| GameSpot | 7/10[2] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[24] |
| Nintendo World Report | 8.5/10[25] |
| Shacknews | 7/10[26] |
| NME |   [27] |
| Windows Central | [28] |
The Big Con received generally favorable reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[21][22]
GameSpot's Andrew King praised the "vibrant" art style and complemented the game's music. King felt that the pickpocketing minigame was "confusing" and thought that the story was "familiar".[23] Kyle LeClair from Hardcore Gamer felt that the game's con jobs provided "clever" puzzles and "fun" gameplay.[24] Miles Dompier from Windows Central called the game's story "touching" and "relatable", but felt that the gameplay loop became repetitive. Dompier recommended The Big Con for fans of adventure games.[28]
Eurogamer recommended The Big Con as an "endearing adventure".[1] Miri Teixeira from NME praised the "immersive" levels, but criticized the controls.[27] Nintendo World Report's Neal Ronaghan wrote that The Big Con was a "stylish" game with a "good balance".[25] Ozzie Meija from Shacknews called the game "intriguing" and described Ali as a "fun" character. He believed that the dialogue was "hit-and-miss" and felt that the pickpocketing mechanic became repetitive.[26]
Nominations
editThe Big Con received a honorable mention for the Excellence in Narrative award at the Independent Games Festival.[29][30] At the Canadian Game Awards, the game was nominated for Best Indie Game and Best Score/Soundtrack.[31] The game received a nomination for Best Audio for an Indie Game at the 2022 Game Audio Network Guild Awards, and received a honorable mention at the A MAZE. Awards.[32][33]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canadian Game Awards | Best Indie Game | Nominated | [31] |
| Best Score/Soundtrack | Nominated | |||
| Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Audio for an Indie Game | Nominated | [32] |
References
edit- Notes
- References
- ^ a b Hollis, Daniel (31 August 2021). "Review: The Big Con - A Charming Xbox Console Exclusive". Pure Xbox. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k King, Andrew (14 September 2021). "The Big Con Review -- Oceans '97". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Livingston, Christopher (11 June 2021). "'The moment you have to steal an old lady's wallet, people think there's something wrong with you'". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ Borthwick, Ben (13 August 2021). "Comic adventure The Big Con heads to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC later this month". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ a b Kobek, Patricio (17 August 2019). "The Big Con Looks To Make Thieves Of Us All". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Moore, D. M. (3 March 2020). "10 of the most interesting indie games at PAX East 2020". The Verge. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Allin, Jack (6 December 2020). "The Big Con currently in planning stage". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (10 August 2021). "ID@Xbox Indie Showcase: Every Game Announcement". IGN. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Boddy, Zachary (26 March 2021). "Xbox March Event: Every announcement at the ID@Xbox games showcase". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ LeClair, Kyle (15 May 2021). "Skybound Games to Publish The Big Con, Coming This Summer - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ a b Shankar, Bradly (1 July 2021). "Toronto-made The Big Con is a 90s con artist game highlighted by the Tribeca Film Festival". MobileSyrup. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ AG staff (16 June 2021). "Demo round-up for Steam Next Fest". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Boddy, Zachary (12 May 2021). "Indie game The Big Con releases on Xbox Series X|S and PC later this summer". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (12 May 2021). "'Teenage grifting adventure game' The Big Con launches this summer for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ Helm, Jordan (22 July 2021). "Mighty Yell's The Big Con Gets August Release - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (22 July 2021). "The Big Con launches August 31". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ Culafi, Alex (25 April 2022). "The 10 Coolest Games We Played at PAX East 2022 - Feature". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Reynolds, Ollie (26 May 2022). "Nintendo Download: 26th May (North America)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (12 June 2022). "Biggest Games Releasing In June: Diablo Immortal, Mario Strikers Battle League, And More". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Shaver, Morgan (15 June 2022). "Shacknews E6 2022: Everything shown during the Shacknews Indie Showcase". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ a b "The Big Con for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ a b "The Big Con for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b Ahmed, Emad (31 August 2021). "The Big Con review - the fun adventure of a 90s hustler". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b LeClair, Kyle (31 August 2021). "Review: The Big Con - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b Ronaghan, Neal (27 May 2022). "The Big Con (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b Mejia, Ozzie (31 August 2021). "The Big Con review: Pickpocket monster". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b Teixeira, Miri (31 August 2021). "'The Big Con' review: a refreshing take on nostalgia and the art of the heist". NME. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b Dompier, Miles (31 August 2021). "The Big Con review: A vibrant and touching blast from the past". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ Rousseau, Jeffrey (7 January 2022). "Unpacking and Inscryption lead 2022 IGF Awards nominations". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Wallace, Chris (11 January 2022). "Inscryption and Unpacking earn multiple nominations for the 2022 IGF Awards". MCV/Develop. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ a b Vegvari, Steve (9 April 2022). "Introducing the Winners of the 2022 Canadian Game Awards". Canadian Game Awards. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ a b "20th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Winners". Game Audio Network Guild. 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ "A MAZE. Awards 2022. Nominees, Honorable Mentions and Jury Announcement | A MAZE. / Berlin 2022 - 11th International Games and Playful Media Festival". 2022.amaze-berlin.de. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.