The Big Con

 PC
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7

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  1. habened198
    Sep 20, 2021
    2
    The Big Con shows the player some genuine consideration by being irredeemably boring right from the start. Another game would trick the player by making the first few scenes fun, or by putting a gameplay hook near the beginning of the player experience. The Big Con does away with these notions early on and frees the player to decide whether they really want to plod through some pretty badThe Big Con shows the player some genuine consideration by being irredeemably boring right from the start. Another game would trick the player by making the first few scenes fun, or by putting a gameplay hook near the beginning of the player experience. The Big Con does away with these notions early on and frees the player to decide whether they really want to plod through some pretty bad writing and extremely bad gameplay for longer than the unbearably long opening location.… Expand
  2. mallfiend
    Sep 25, 2021
    0
    The Pros:

    1. the art style is very appealing The Cons: 1. the game play - extremely shallow, there is 1 minigame and it's so easy I just turned it off since there was virtually no chance of failure and it just slowed the game down. 2. the game play (cont.) - when ted takes you to the 2nd zone it almost feels like an assortment of con jobs was about to open up. I imagined    The Pros:

    1. the art style is very appealing

    The Cons:

    1. the game play - extremely shallow, there is 1 minigame and it's so easy I just turned it off since there was virtually no chance of failure and it just slowed the game down.

    2. the game play (cont.) - when ted takes you to the 2nd zone it almost feels like an assortment of con jobs was about to open up. I imagined grifting people at the mall, setting up a 3 card monte table or cobbling together trash to create counterfeit merchandise but it's just more pickpocketing.

    3 the game play (cont.) - there was some optional "puzzles" to complete at the mall but pick pocketing the comedian, which you can do immediately, gives all the money you need for the level so there's no reason to do them.

    4 the items - 90% of all the items you pick up are a waste of space you'll just sell at the end of the level, the relevant items are special collector items for the level and quest items. If you pick up every item on the level the game will combine the relevant items together for you so just mindlessly collecting items, pick pocketing, and talking to everyone will move the game along. I would have liked to combine different items, use them to create items to scam and con people with.

    5 mindlessly moving along is by design - it's clear the gameplay isn't the focus, the aesthetic and writing is. the point is to move you along and have you hear all the funny dialogue and characters. while some of the characters are charming and some of the writing is clever, it's not enough to stand alone

    6 the 90s setting is wasted - "the 90s" is just an excuse to be wacky and "radical". there's no real 90s references, no collecting of pogs, "pokemon" cards or beanie babies, no moon bounce shoes, or green slime or anything a kid who grew up in the 90s would have remembered. there is only a thin veneer of a vague 90s aesthetic and the really that is all the game has going for it.

    7 the dialogue boxes cover up too much of the characters during conversations, only Ali and Rad Ghost are properly aligned so the dialogue doesn't cover half their face or body. Also during conversations Ali will grunt or yell "WHAT?" abruptly and often it doesn't match the tone of the conversation well.

    Overall I think this game concept had a lot of potential but didn't really do anything with it. The writing and story is passable if it's just a foundation for interesting gameplay and mechanics but as the main focus it's a complete failure. If there was ways to craft and combine items to pull off interesting cons, it could be great, but simply running around the map spamming the pick pocket button is not interesting or engaging gameplay.    … Expand
  3. ronadi7368
    Nov 2, 2021
    4
    First, I skipped the needless filler gameplay. Then I skipped the needless filler dialogue. Skipping the the entire game was a natural next step.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Hey Poor Player
    Nov 11, 2021
    80
    The Big Con is a heart-warming coming of age story that will delight 90s kids, referential-humor enjoyers, and those with sticky fingers. Its relatable protagonist never loses her heart of gold, despite the horrible circumstances she finds herself in, which serves as a shining testament to the dev team’s ability to carefully craft a story using controversial mechanics. If you have $14.99 and 7 – 10 hours to spare, take a look at The Big Con — it’s bound to steal your heart.
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  2. COGconnected
    Sep 17, 2021
    85
    If you are nostalgic for the gaming scene of the 90s, The Big Con is a can’t-miss throwback. But even if you are maybe a little younger, or sick of wallowing in that most radical of eras, you may find a lot to like. It’s certainly a very cool con artist story, which is appealing to me. Funny and a little melancholy, The Big Con is exactly the sort of adventure game I’ve been wanting to play for decades.
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  3. Vandal
    Aug 31, 2021
    83
    This is a great narrative adventure inspired by the 90s, with funny, well-written dialogues and a very unique art style.
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