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
  • Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
  • August 31, 2021
  • Switch
  • June 1, 2022
  • PS4, PS5
  • August 31, 2023
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.

Gameplay

Ali pickpocketing a NPC. To successfully pickpocket the NPC, the pink needle has to be stopped in the purple zone.

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

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]

Reception

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

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
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

Notes
  1. ↑ Score based on 13 reviews.
  2. ↑ Score based on 9 reviews.
References
  1. 1 2 Hollis, Daniel (31 August 2021). "Review: The Big Con - A Charming Xbox Console Exclusive". Pure Xbox. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 King, Andrew (14 September 2021). "The Big Con Review -- Oceans '97". GameSpot. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 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. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  4. ↑ 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. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 Kobek, Patricio (17 August 2019). "The Big Con Looks To Make Thieves Of Us All". TheGamer. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Moore, D. M. (3 March 2020). "10 of the most interesting indie games at PAX East 2020". The Verge. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Allin, Jack (6 December 2020). "The Big Con currently in planning stage". Adventure Gamers. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (10 August 2021). "ID@Xbox Indie Showcase: Every Game Announcement". IGN. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Boddy, Zachary (26 March 2021). "Xbox March Event: Every announcement at the ID@Xbox games showcase". Windows Central. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  10. ↑ LeClair, Kyle (15 May 2021). "Skybound Games to Publish The Big Con, Coming This Summer - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  11. 1 2 Shankar, Bradly (1 July 2021). "Toronto-made The Big Con is a 90s con artist game highlighted by the Tribeca Film Festival". MobileSyrup. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  12. ↑ AG staff (16 June 2021). "Demo round-up for Steam Next Fest". Adventure Gamers. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  13. ↑ Boddy, Zachary (12 May 2021). "Indie game The Big Con releases on Xbox Series X|S and PC later this summer". Windows Central. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  14. ↑ Romano, Sal (12 May 2021). "'Teenage grifting adventure game' The Big Con launches this summer for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Helm, Jordan (22 July 2021). "Mighty Yell's The Big Con Gets August Release - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Romano, Sal (22 July 2021). "The Big Con launches August 31". Gematsu. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  17. ↑ Culafi, Alex (25 April 2022). "The 10 Coolest Games We Played at PAX East 2022 - Feature". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  18. ↑ Reynolds, Ollie (26 May 2022). "Nintendo Download: 26th May (North America)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  19. ↑ Bonthuys, Darryn (12 June 2022). "Biggest Games Releasing In June: Diablo Immortal, Mario Strikers Battle League, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  20. ↑ Shaver, Morgan (15 June 2022). "Shacknews E6 2022: Everything shown during the Shacknews Indie Showcase". Shacknews. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  21. 1 2 "The Big Con for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  22. 1 2 "The Big Con for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  23. 1 2 Ahmed, Emad (31 August 2021). "The Big Con review - the fun adventure of a 90s hustler". Eurogamer. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  24. 1 2 LeClair, Kyle (31 August 2021). "Review: The Big Con - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  25. 1 2 Ronaghan, Neal (27 May 2022). "The Big Con (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  26. 1 2 Mejia, Ozzie (31 August 2021). "The Big Con review: Pickpocket monster". Shacknews. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  27. 1 2 Teixeira, Miri (31 August 2021). "'The Big Con' review: a refreshing take on nostalgia and the art of the heist". NME. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  28. 1 2 Dompier, Miles (31 August 2021). "The Big Con review: A vibrant and touching blast from the past". Windows Central. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  29. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (7 January 2022). "Unpacking and Inscryption lead 2022 IGF Awards nominations". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  30. ↑ Wallace, Chris (11 January 2022). "Inscryption and Unpacking earn multiple nominations for the 2022 IGF Awards". MCV/Develop. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  31. 1 2 Vegvari, Steve (9 April 2022). "Introducing the Winners of the 2022 Canadian Game Awards". Canadian Game Awards. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  32. 1 2 "20th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Winners". Game Audio Network Guild. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  33. ↑ "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. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
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