The Big Con | |
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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 |
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Genre(s) | Adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
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 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]
The 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]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | PC: 77/100
[a]
[21] XSX: 74/100 [b] [22] |
Publication | Score |
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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 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Windows Central | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
The 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 |
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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] |