When I reminisce about the ‘90s, I think about the rise of boy bands, the Nickelodeon Super Toy Run, and being such a rebellious scamp that regularly conned people into giving me everything I wanted. Okay, only those first two memories are real, but The Big Con will at least give me an idea of what it’s like to relieve hapless folks of their hard-earned money. As a con artist with a heart of gold (maybe), you’ll swipe, swindle, and steal whatever it takes to save a family business from ruin.
You control Ali, a, shall we say, resourceful teenager oozing ‘90s ‘tude on cross-country quest to save her mom’s video store from shady loan sharks. Ali is a con artist and must employ every dirty trick up her sleeve to raise as much cash as possible alongside her criminal buddy, Ted. The Big Con is a comedic narrative adventure game filled with puzzles and mechanics revolving around pickpocketing, donning disguises, sneaking, and other dubious tactics. If stealing the old fashioned way doesn’t work, you can use Ali’s power of persuasion to talk your way into getting what you want. Sure, you could also choose to help people, but that doesn’t sound nearly as satisfying. I might have a problem.
The Big Con comes from developer Mighty Yell and is being published by Skybound Games, who recently published the very good Before Your Eyes. It’s already making some noise as one of the eight upcoming games selected as part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s first Official Selection for games. With a presentation and fluorescent color palette that bleeds the 1990s (the different skin tones reminds me of Nickelodeon’s Doug), it’s easy to see why it would stand out.
If you like putting those sticky fingers to use and are up to embark on a totally rad road trip, be sure to keep your eye on The Big Con when it comes to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC this summer.