The Big Con

The Big Con
76
Metacritic
95
Steam
82.577
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$14.99
Release date
31 August 2021
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
95 (487 votes)

Hustle your way across ‘90s America as a runaway teen con artist. Choose how to make your scratch as you don disguises, pick pockets, and rip people off in this comedic crime-filled adventure. Experience the totally rad '90s in all its plaid and payphone glory!

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The Big Con system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 7 64-bit
  • Processor: AMD FX-4350 or Intel Pentium G4500
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7770 or dedicated equivalent
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
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dubori
dubori

I really had fun playing this game!! I spent almost 6 hours on this game but i couldnt get all the achievements the first run. I like the dad jokes and puns, the visuals are so fun, and i like they plot of the story. A lot of the side quests are final, meaning you cant go back to the location to redo them - you would have to restart the game if you miss certain things the first time. My main complaint is that sometimes its controls get wonky when trying to pick pocket people and the skateboard arcade game hurts my eyes lol. Otherwise, great game!!! 8/10 fyi there is a way to not have the minigame when pick pocketing people

hellhoundz_
hellhoundz_

This game is fucking awesome. I was hesitant to buy after the recent reviews were marked as mixed, however it was one hell of a deal (one could even say a con, lol) so I proceeded anyway.

This game is fun and at most times, low stakes. If you continually mess up, you should be given another chance, Not to mention a comedy, which makes the dialogue really charming. To anyone looking to spend a few hours, I definitely recommend, It was fun characters, an interesting story arc, and a satisfying ending.

I especially appreciate the conversation between Ali and Esme late game, it has overarching good message, even in a game about committing crimes. Be gay do crimes, I guess. Not to mention, there is a sprinkling of being gay in here as well, which *chefs kiss* we love some casual representation.

Igniculus
Igniculus

The art style is so fun! The gameplay is simple, but the story made me want to explore every corner, talk to every person, and reveal every stage.

spacey-interruptions
spacey-interruptions

Very repetitive, but has charm in excess. The stylised art, and the retro setting are like a time machine right to the '90s.
In that regard, The Big Con is a success.

Grab it on sale.

Krisys
Krisys

Gameplay: 9/10

Graphics & Sound: 10/10

Narration: 10/10

+ Great narration, with interesting and endearing characters, humour, emotion, and more humour
+ Excellent coherence between the gameplay and the storytelling
+ Colorful, unique, fun, and pleasant art direction
+ Very nice soundtrack
+ Cool rhythm, you never have an opportunity to really get bored

- Some minor bugs

Seriously, saying this game is great is kinda underselling it. Just play it. Please.

Popsicle Emperor
Popsicle Emperor

Absolutely delightful, whimsical and fun in every gosh dang way!

So awesome as well that this is a game made in Toronto! Awesome Canadian magics are work!!!!!

Do you want to rob people and cause chaos? while going on a wild 90's colour and style ride? THEN HOP INTO THIS GAME AND COMMIT CRIMES!

Seriously oodles of fun!

SirPacings
SirPacings

An amazing journey, with amazing characters and terrible 90's nostalgia that I love so much.

Based Cinderace
Based Cinderace

The big con, it's not that big really. Actually it's a short romp, the mechanics aren't that deep, you try to stop a line at the correct time to pick pocket. (You can turn it off.)

You aren't playing this game for the gameplay, it's really fun to just treat it more like a short movie, one set in the 90s with a retro vibe, a ton of references, and just some nice simple fun jokes. Sure there are puzzles, you have a lot more opportunities to make money than you think. It's a game that does what it wants to do, give you a simple straight forward plot, and a nice set of characters to enjoy it through and some you meet along the way.

I write this review coincidentally the day after its 1 year anniversary, I really enjoyed every moment of my time with it and laughed more than I expected going in, then again going in I really was not sure what to expect.

DragonElderX9
DragonElderX9

What a fun adventure! The 90s nostalgia is spot on: music, art style, and dialogue. Everything is super well done, a great story with minimal gameplay to support it.

Filthy_Gent
Filthy_Gent

I really wanted to like this game but there just wasn't much to the gameplay and the tone just felt inauthentic.

Sorrow the Monk
Sorrow the Monk

The thing is I have a "history" with the game. But, that'll come later for those who'd be interested anyway. So for short, despite some visual bugs, a couple annoying level and mission designs and the lack of detailed voice acting making some parts of the dialgoue heavy parts a bit boring to get through; the game shines in visual design, a mostly down to earth, fun, warm and entertaining story (despite the fact that the whole concept being a bit dodgy frankly) which makes up the most of the game anyway -and especially at the latter end of game- becomes really enticing so conclusively I think it deserves your money and time. Just don't expect cut-throat challenging gameplay and enjoy the cozy and fun ride the game offers with it's story and have some fun'n'chill time with the main minigame on the side. Oh and despite taking place in the 90's I can comfortably say it doesn't painfully try to shove meaningless nostalgia down your throat and actually utilizes it, and entagrates various concepts from that timeframe into certain missions and of course it serves as a backdrop mostly and those, I can certainly appreciate.

While it isn't the longest ever, I do indeed have a history with the game. I bought it (weird thing is I've had actually seen it in another store before buying it here, funnily enough), tried to play it immidately, succeeded too... However until a certain point and -luckily- it was at the beginning. After a certain point though, I just couldn't interact with anything in the game hence I was completely stuck and therefore couldn't progress. Tried almost everything but got the same result. Typed down my initial review stating my problem, sent it and I was done with the game for a while. Then the thing I'd expected the least at the time happened and one of the people from the developer team reached out. I've tried certain betas and despite none of them solving my problem that experience was really nice honestly (Of course now I've managed to actually play and finish the game so I can confidently say that they've solved whatever problem I had at the time). Nowadays triple-A games come out half baked and despite huge uproars developers are mainly unreachable and almost always make PR friendly "nothing-statements" probably because they are under pressure from investors and upper management staff. When it comes to indies like these (no matter how big the publisher is) when or if you have a problem, they reach out if they can and stuff like that reminds me why I like the whole medium and of course mainly, indie games and developers. Aaaand that's my history.

To come back one final time to the topic of the game I can gripe a little about some specific aspects with some SPOILERS so beware. And arguably the biggest one of them is one late game mission revolving around sneakily following someone from a distance to eavesdrop their conversations in order to gain information to progress with your mission, like an oversimplified version of the same type of mission from the Assassin's Creed series. And yeah, it was almost as tedious as they were in AC. The mission takes place in the biggest area of the game and to inquire about the location of the person you follow (because there is no map in the game unfortunately, and for that level it could've been very beneficial) you have to go to a specific part to talk to Rad Ghost. So if you happen to lose them, which isn't easy but can happen, you may have to travel to the other side of the map and considering your movement speed that can be a chore. The worse thing is, it ain't the only mission if it's kind. Secondly, like I've mentioned beforehand, the whole concept of stealing or "grifting" as the game puts, is dodgy to say the least. I won't berate the game by saying it is "made for children" or anything but the artstyle and the casual approach to gameplay definitely can bring in a younger audience and that can be problematic in my opinion. And especially thinking how at the end the game just glazes over that fact and practically just shelves the whole topic with one final line felt lazy to me. However I won't spend much time on my moral high horse as I'm not the biggest supporter of the "Think about the children!" craze and couldn't have cared less but just wanted to touch upon the subject as it bugged me a little. Maybe spending more time on the topic could've helped, but oh well...

I just realized how long this ended up being, and I think finally I'm out of things to say (Heard your sigh of relief there champ -_-). I recommend it, just know what you are getting into: A chill and mostly fun adventure which has it's highs and lows, not a masterpiece but not like that they've aimed to make one anyways.

MIW
MIW

7/10
The Big Con is pretty short (I did multiple playthroughs to collect everything in the game) but extremely fun, I found the SFX to be a bit annoying and repetitive but you can turn that off in the settings. The story from the beginning till the end was quite interesting and I loved the art style.

It made me reminisce about the days I used to play PS2 games that were very similar to this one.

eweyutirou
eweyutirou

easy to play.funny story. I just love this comic vibe. and also bring me back to the 90S.

quillpe
quillpe

This game was so awesome. The nostalgia and the game mechanics were everything!

Tea Thot
Tea Thot

Very fun, easy mechanics, good story

lokyinnn91
lokyinnn91

Enjoy every minute of playing this game. Fun, unique game with 90's aesthetics and decent music. Except that I lowkey hope Mari and Ali can be together at the end :p and that the game has only one save slot, which is really frustrating when you want to get all the achievements. But still I would highly recommend this game. Be gay, do crime, what's not to love?

fred
fred

oaoaoao my god this game, i was expecting like 1 hour of random indie gameplay but ended up with one of my favorite games of all time. 10/10 would smash my head into wall to forget playing this game just to play it again 5 more times

Thesamham
Thesamham

Definitely recommended, the game is so fun and charming. Besides the few glitches i encountered it was good.

ronny wester
ronny wester

I love their take on reinventing the adventure game. This game deserves so much credit for trying something new. It has great visual style and writing, but really its the open ended way they have allowed you to progress that makes this one stand out.

Frosty
Frosty

Charming little indie game about doing crime. Beat it in about 3 hours, so it is short, but sweet! I am a quick reader, so it may take most people 4 or so hours.

Great writing, great music, and it is generally just pretty silly fun. Would recommend it to anyone!

TheDeluxeTux
TheDeluxeTux

Clocking in at about 5-6 hours in length, The Big Con is an enjoyable, easy-to-swallow casual adventure game. Set in the height of the '90s, we follow Ali, a plucky 17-year-old small town girl whose mother is in deep debt with some shady loan-shark types that plan to buy out and close down her beloved family-owned video rental store. Desperate for the funds to save the shop, Ali befriends a shifty young conman, and decides to skip out on band camp in order to travel the country with her new friend, learning how to hustle along the way. There's also a rad ghost and everyone has backwards baseball caps.

Gameplay in the Big Con is isometric, and driven by keyboard or controller. The game is linear, and divided into about 6 areas, including a shopping mall, a crowded train, and a casino. In each area, your objective is generally to scrape together enough funds to get to the next one. Ali can eavesdrop on conversations, lie to people, and play people against each other in order to obtain information and cash. Additionally, most NPCs in the game can be pickpocketed via a simple (and relatively easy) minigame. Various hidden items and collectibles are also scattered around each area, which can be sold to the highest bidder or used to complete certain objectives. There's also quite a large number of just-for-fun cosmetic items you can find as well, which let you walk around with silly hats, fake mustaches, and the like. The best quests in the game are the ones that span multiple areas, and these are the most missable ones, so take your time and explore if you decide to play the game - Call your best friend at every opportunity for a sweet little story, encourage the fashion designer obsessed with periwinkle, be nice to the collector, etc, as being persistent with these throughlines definitely all have payoffs at the end.

The aesthetic is a major highlight of the game, as the game looks and feels very "90's cartoon", down to the geometric patterns in the out-of-bounds borders or the closeup conversations (I loved this). The plot feels ripped right out of a straight-to-television Disney film from that era, a statement I intend as a compliment. The soundtrack also hits this vibe perfectly, though while the whole soundtrack is decent, I wish all of it rose to the level of the opening and credits themes, which are fantastic. There is also an optional "laugh track" feature which is disabled by default, but I enabled it for my playthrough and felt it added to the experience.

On the more negative side of things, at this time the game does seem to suffer from a few bugs; none of the ones I experienced are game-breaking, but they were pretty noticeable. Some NPCs decided to stand in inaccessible areas, some quests could be completed out of the intended sequence, and some conversations could be repeated even when they were intended as being one-time-only. One NPC in particular is scripted to walk away/vanish after you complete his quest, but he also comments on a nearby object, If you interact with the object after he walks away, he blinks back into existence, letting you turn in the quest again and again for effectively unlimited rewards. The autosave also doesn't save very frequently, as a heads-up, you may want to trigger it manually by periodically hitting "save and continue" from the menu. These bugs may be addressed in future patches.

Overall, this is a fun game and I really liked it, even if it is a simple game without a huge amount of substance. The current asking price of $15 may be a tad high for the amount of content on offer, but this is a developer that I will be keeping on my radar.

Riandelle
Riandelle

Great game, loved the gameplay and story, would def recommend!

try it out!

Senator Armstrong from MGR:R
Senator Armstr…

10/10
p.s. Winners don't do drugs

Xarra
Xarra

The Big Con is a really fun game, the writing is pretty good and I like the characters. The story is goofy with some thoughtful bits and it's definitely worth playing. The biggest con (hehe) is that I was able to beat this game in 6 hours without rushing, I wish there was more of it. But for me, it's worth the 15 bucks.

Jack Daniels Sponsorship!
Jack Daniels S…

this is actually the best game i have ever played thank you mighty yell

poetfox
poetfox

If you like short, cute, and stylish adventure games, here's one for you to play sometime.

noe
noe

A satisfactory adventure. Although not especially enamoring it provides an engaging if not glitch filled experience.

As an adventure game it does a good job of making the gameplay feel interesting and unique even if the overall premise of the gameplay is not especially innovative. The world is colourful and the characters are fairly well scripted, although this experience would of benefited from having more unique recurring characters to it. The dialogue is decently humorous and the plot progression is solid, but the final confrontation could of used a lot more substance.

The game is steeped in glitches. I tallied up pages worth of glitches while playing, and it legitimately felt like I was a playtester throughout the experience. Besides that there are constant issues with layering throughout the game where objects will be infront or behind the protagonist when they're not actually standing in the right place for such to be possible; meanwhile a lot of the scene transitions are very abrupt and feel rushed. I encountered at least one glitch that straight up limited my ability to participate in a certain questline, and at another point I encountered an issue that almost made me give up due to a mandatory story character disappearing until they randomly appeared after I exited a certain building.

Overall the lack of many outstanding characters and the tolerable but not especially gripping story leaves this game potentially quite forgettable. The experience being a gallery of glitches and generally inadequate programming being quite disappointing as well. But in the moment it is a satisfying experience that does offer some level of enjoyment, even if it doesn't necessarily produce a lasting impression.

If you're interested in finding more games like this I've probably reviewed quite a few on my curator page here .

Mr.
Mr.

7/10: Fun and unique but, lacking in some important areas.
1. It needed more gameplay mechanics or a harder pickpocketing system.
2. Dialogue is charming with many references, no voice acting which would help.
3. My biggest pet peeve, fake choices. There are no story altering choices which is kinda disappointing because, the overall plot and characters were charming. With so little gameplay mechanics, the story needed to carry the weight which it clearly does not.

Games like Hades, Hollow Knight, Subnautica and many others changed the indie landscape, The Big Con just needed slightly more to be $15.

Woolean
Woolean

Great game, i loved the artstyle and the music, and the dialog was funny and cute. It has the perfect amount of lenght, too.

I encountered a couple of bugs, nothing too serious but one of them stopped me from completing one of the sidequests. And some dude appeared in the middle of the fountain in the latter parts of the game, and he never leaved that place. Besides that, only visual stuff, like weird perspectives and such

All in all, though, an amazing game.

blanksylvia
blanksylvia

charming visuals & music
short game w/ touch story abt a video store
just wish it was longer

SnugSmug
SnugSmug

kick the donation box for infinite hats

furrykef
furrykef

Pretty good. Not perfect by any means; it's got a fair number of minor bugs, the gameplay is repetitive, and I wasn't all that satisfied by the ending. Still, the game has a lot of charm and often made me laugh, so I still enjoyed it.

kattlame
kattlame

Really enjoyed this game. Way cooler then I thought itd be :))

X F R I M \\レベッカ\\
X F R I M \\レベッカ\\

This game has an option to enable a horribly cheesy laugh track ofcourse I'm going to recommend this game

haunted_droid
haunted_droid

Awesome '90 nostalgia trip with cool art and funny dialogue! If you love adventure games and/or pick-pocketing mini-games, this is the game for you.

solamon77
solamon77

Thank you guys! I really enjoyed my time with your game.

This game was fantastic! You really captured the pure radness of the 90s!
The Writing & Story: Hella Phat!
The Art: Da Bomb!
The Music: All that and a bag of chips! (I can't get the theme song out of my head)

Alright, seriously though, now that I got all those 90s phrases out of my system, you guys did a great job here. I had a wonderful time. I would love to see some more of Ali in the future. I especially loved how you had Ali and Linda's shop be a video rental store. This gives a certain ominousness to their future considering what we now know happened to video rental stores in about 10 years. I'd love to know what happens to them in the late 90s and early 00s.

I also loved how you referenced the difficultly of running a Mom & Pop shop and how easy it is to lose to the larger-moneyed interests in your industry. [spoilers]When I saw how Bean Spirit took over Two Scoops when I returned, it broke my heart. [/spoilers] I currently run a tiny little restaurant and we have to fight every minute to differentiate ourselves from all the giant chain stores around us. I really felt this on a personal level. Thank you for mentioning this.

The only negative criticism I can give is that I did run into a few bugs on my play through. The bugs mostly seemed related to events not triggering that should trigger: The mall cop not opening her door after I gave her popcorn forcing me to get the PIN # from the internet, the Horm guy not disappearing after I won his contest (letting me win it infinitely), Sneaky Dee's part of the sneaker quest disappearing from the game after loading. Normally something like this wouldn't be a issue, but your save system exacerbates the problem by not letting me have multiple backup saves just in case. I'd strongly recommend you avoid doing this kind of stuff in future games. It's just too easy for a single small bug to ruin an entire game.

Also, and this isn't really criticism, but I wouldn't have minded if the game had at least one or two more levels. Especially in between your two visits to Las Vengaza. I felt like the story would have played a bit better if this section was expanded somewhat... but I do understand that budgetary concerns mean that games can't be infinitely long and you have to spend your money on the things you can accomplish. So, not so much a criticism so much as a desire to have spent more time in you world!

Aside from that, to anyone out there wondering if this game is worth your time... I'd wholeheartedly say yes!

NoName
NoName

"Pineapple is the best topping of pizza"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Wait I am in Canada
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

TheFilthyWizard
TheFilthyWizard

Was super excited for this game after playing the demo and it did not disappoint. Has an interesting story, fantastic art style and soundtrack, and fun gameplay. I have just finished this game at 4.2 hours, so fairly short, but not too short for its price. I also still have a few achievements to get so I assume 100% completion will come at around 6-6.5 hours. The only bad part about this game is its lack of recognition, which I think this game and the developers desperately deserve.

svennoj
svennoj

Great game, a real gem. I love the art style, the dialog and the puzzles. The puzzles are just right, a well balanced game. What I liked best is, text dialogs! I can read at my own speed without having to wait for the characters to voice everything at a snails pace. The best of the 80s!

CardiacSumo
CardiacSumo

Absolutely charming and filled with character. I don't normally gravitate toward things for nostalgia but this game captures the 90s feel so well I can't help but grin like an idiot while playing. The art style reminds me of so many cartoons and sitcoms from the era, complete with (optional) laugh track. The music is fantastic throughout. The dialogue has an endearing sense of humor. The areas are fun to explore and puzzles fun to solve. And the game, at least as I played it, feels strangely and incredibly wholesome given it's a game about stealing.

Any bugs I encountered were very minor. For example, I distinctly remember one NPC being positioned in such a way that their text box showed up mostly off-screen and couldn't be read. And one of the side quests seemed to be a bit glitched, so I don't think I got the max profit I could have from it, but I was still able to complete it. Occasionally it feels like text boxes disappear too quickly or cut each other off. Didn't experience any issue so heinous it would keep me up at night.

All in all, I adore the game and think it's pretty freakin' rad.

PhotonCannonMAN
PhotonCannonMAN

If you grew up in the 90's, you owe it to yourself to play this game.

lost_world_
lost_world_

If there’s a morality score in this game, mine would be so low lol

<<AN>> RustyOvenMitts
<<AN>…

It's a classic RPG (think newgrounds.com) polished & perfected. RadGhost made this game me lmao

Out Of Time Traveler
Out Of Time Traveler

This game arrived at the time that my favorite local video store had to shut its doors, so it was a very cathartic game to play. Everything from the setting to the dialog to the gameplay is so fun and expressive (I have now saved a ton of screenshots to use a reaction images for my groupchats). My only regret is not having a sequel to dive into immediately after finishing the game.

iAltF4
iAltF4

I personally nominated for "Outstanding Visual Style." I love the 90's art style and even the colors of the game overall are nice. I like the story, but really love the styling and coloring of the game. Not the most crazy graphics, but looks amazing in a different light. Great game 9.5/10.

ecaldecott
ecaldecott

Love this game. Fun characters, funny/heartwarming plot and fairly easy gameplay.

pao 
pao 

who the fuck carries $900 in their pocket

Exciting Jeff
Exciting Jeff

It's pretty janky, and the nostalgia is very much a thing (albeit in a really accessible way, but the word they are trying not to say is "Nickelodeon") but... it's very funny. And funny in like and "I enjoy the art of comedy" way, rather than the "I RECOGNIZE THAT MEME" way. It made me laugh out loud and repeat the joke to my girlfriend who then laughed out loud herself. That's pretty impressive for a video game.

TheUnholyGodGaming
TheUnholyGodGaming

This game is great!

Excellent art style and story telling. Gameplay was simplistic but not tedious with side missions that are extremely comedic in nature. The main story really keeps you going with the way it is told and the side quests keep you extremely engaged. I manged to complete it in one session but played additional to get 100% achievements. The pickpocket mini-game is a novelty and I like that they added the option to disable it.

alibat
alibat

The Big Con is awesome game full of heart, 90's references and has so mush love put in to it. It's not a lot so if u have a few bucks to spare and a free afternoon then definitely buy it you won't regret it.

TESM
TESM

It's at a fair price, not too difficult, and certainly very 90s.

The gameplay itself is pretty mundane, so don't pick up this game for that reason. The puzzles are a little less interesting than they could be (e.g., giving the security guard popcorn > trigger alarm to store >> butter-fingered guard resets alarm >>> you get code based on butter-prints). In reality it's: give guard popcorn, be inviting into room and read code.

Just one example of many.

The atmosphere in the game is nice. It's enjoyable to see a 90's aesthetic as opposed to the trillion 80s ones out there. The music, characters, and style are a plus in this game. Reminds me a bit of Toejam and Earl and Doug--the pawn broker even looks like Roger Klutz, sort of.

Regardless, if this were more expensive, I'd say no, but at 10 dollars it was just fine.

IShipThat
IShipThat

Honestly no soundtrack for a game has made me happier than this one! The style gives me constant nostalgia, it was the tipping point in me buying a fanny pack but, dang it, I want to buy all the clothes irl too! Really cute, fun, and a great way to spend down time

OverallObligation
OverallObligation

A pretty simple concept that remains memorable due to the characters and the soundtrack. While there are some trickier achievements to get and moments to pass, it's pretty easy to breeze through the story with the base pickpocket mechanic. Definitely worth a rainy afternoon.

Moral Wiz
Moral Wiz

AARRRGH!

Okay. The Big Con is... a good game! It's good. The art style is phenomenal, the jokes land, it's engaging and fun. My playtime is low because I was having so much of a blast playing it I blitzed through - this is a good experience and worth your money.

That said... the ending annoyed me. For completely unfair reasons that are nothing to do with the devs, make complete logical sense and I'm being totally unfair about! And since I can't in good conscience not give the game a positive review over that, I'm reduced to ranting about it in a spoiler on this review! Okay? Okay! Review done - now it's rant time

Okay, yes. Con artistry and theft are bad. A vast majority of this money does not belong to Ali. (That $5000 gift absolutely does belong to her, but... side note). Still, the final conversation of the game going into how she's going to have to give all the money back...

It was a sour note for me. I guess I hung around Ted too much - yeah, it's true and fair but I the player spent hours getting all that money dagnabit! It made me kinda dispirited, even though the ending was on its own adorable. And I don't see the regular ending going much differently if you keep the truth from Linda at first - she's going to work it out between Ali having the deed and all this money.

It's the correct move in the story. It's logical and makes sense. But it invalidates all the time I spent playing the game and raising that money. It's weird - I guess the fact that this was a game kinda hurt that moment for me. If it'd been in a film I'd have probably been fine with it.

Seiran
Seiran

The game has lots of puns and I approve of that.

smit.1855
smit.1855

I love the art style of The Big Con, it's very colorful and sets the vibe of the 1990's really well! The story is also very wholesome, especially for a game about a cross-country steal-a-thon. The Big Con has a decent amount of content for the first play-through but it's also easy to speed through when achievement hunting on a second or third. This game absolutely qualifies as funky fresh and I highly recommend playing it.

egd
egd

I loved the game, A LOT! All the details i could check out and interactions with people and the story were lots of fun. It is a cute, fun and small game. Music and art style are absolutely rad! The dev team is also amazing and so fun, they were so eager to help with my issues about the game, props to them! I hope everyone who plays it enjoys it as much as i did.

Phauks
Phauks

Lots of fun, good graphics, good developer

Brambies
Brambies

Worth it for the music alone. The musical transitions are really outstanding

348 here
348 here

Not bad! Wish I didn't have to sit through the entire credits in order to exit.

Milae
Milae

This reminded me a lot of 90's kids channels, but it's an enjoyable game if you don't care about that.

It's very lighthearted and goofy (if you're stuck, your character imagines a super cool ghost named Rad Ghost who helps you) but has a little emotion (you're worried that your mom's video store will get closed down). And it has a happy ending! So I'd recommend it if you want a chill, fun game with a cozy vibe and not much challenge.

You can turn on reactions from a studio audience, which only increased my enjoyment. If your character makes a joke, you'll hear canned laughter. I liked it.

I wouldn't regret paying full price but it's your decision how much you're willing to pay for a fun 5 hours. Definitely a recommended game though!

Single Scoop Strawberry Cone
Single Scoop S…

Oh boy.

Let's start off with the positives:

1. The art style is amazing. Makes me wish the 90s even though I wasn't alive for it.
2. Music is pretty good, too. Not great but decent enough.
3. Ali is an interesting character, same goes for Ted.

The Bad:

1. There is only one mini-game throughout the entire game. Just one QTE for stealing and that is it. For a game about being a confidence man, I was surprised there weren't more mini-games.
2. Puzzles are rather simplistic, with very minimal thought being required to solve them.
3. Entire game is basically a glorified fetch quest. More often then not you simply talk to the person/eavesdrop, then either give them what they need or go steal whatever it is they just revealed.

The Meh:

1. This game could benefit from a map. Not too big an issue but still, would be nice. Especially for Las Vegas
2. Game is kinda glitchy. I was able to make a rather large amount of money in the mall by simply talking to an NPC over and over. One quest ended up not working so I was unable to do that part of the game.

In Conclusion:

Really eh, the same pickpocketing mini-game gets pretty boring (and it's not really that hard in the first place.) The game is almost entirely carried by its art style. I like the idea of this game, but the lack of properly fleshed out gameplay really ends up making this game feel like a 2.5D walking-sim. Also the fact that the game is 3.5 hours long for a $15 is almost criminal (which I guess is fitting).

Not terrible but also not really good or even that engaging or funny.

Pick it up for $5 one day.

Persephonyx
Persephonyx

Loved this little game. Really dug the art style, game mechanics, plot, etc. Would definitely recommend.

bilsantu
bilsantu

The art style probably is what carrying the game. The whole game feels like a cartoon of few episodes. Most puzzles are easy enough to figure out. A voice-over could have added more liveliness to the game. It also could have used more gameplay mechanics. I'm on the fence but I guess it somewhat deserves a recommendation in the end.

tredlow
tredlow

A fun adventure game with some minor flaws that hopefully gets patched soon.

big_bad_kaiju
big_bad_kaiju

Absolutely loved The Big Con. Awesome retro vibes while standing strong in it's own story & characters. Made me laugh and have all kinds of powerful feelings, ended up binging it in one sitting I couldn't stop myself.

Highly recommend this one if you need something light-hearted but moving.

ianfreeze
ianfreeze

I may not play a ton of games, but this was the most solid game I played in 2021. It's really funny, the characters are memorable, and it's really wholesome! The story was what made it great for me. The premise is fairly simple, but it honestly surprised me.

It also looks and sounds great. The charm is turned on in the main menu and doesn't go away. It's not just in the visual '90s style, but also in the music that fits every location and the moods as the story progresses. Also, I'm personally a big fan of when camera angles and perspectives change as I enter new rooms. Makes it feel cinematic and like I'm running around inside a movie, even though most of the game is viewed top-down.

Something else I loved about this game was that I felt rewarded by doing optional tasks. Not just by humor as there's also additional story to be found.

Really fun!

papaya
papaya

if being a gay criminal in real life wasn't satisfying enough...you can do it in a video game too

Snowkid
Snowkid

Pros:
Aesthetically pleasing (nice 90s vibes)
Decent Music
Ali is an interesting character that feels fleshed out
game has its own charm that sticks out from most games (tho aesthetics shouldn't be the only thing to make me play this game)

Cons:
Wish there was more than just the pickpocket mini games
Felt very repetitive which made me less engaged
Kinda wish there was something you could do as Ted
bugs *but that's fixable*
doesn't take long to complete the game which is pretty simple

I personally don't think id play this again after having beat it

Milnye
Milnye

An underrated little gem.

Explore vibrant environments packed with detail and charm as you lie, cheat and steal your way to saving your Mum's video store. Surprisingly full of heart for a game about committing crimes.

Mistique1108
Mistique1108

I loved everything about this game! The colours, the characters, the stories, EVERYTHING! One of my top favourite games now for sure. I desperately want more in this style and format, maybe with a focus on Ted (a redemption arc perhaps?). Either way, this game is amazing and I highly suggest EVERYONE play it.

Mika_Myers
Mika_Myers

I never write reviews on Steam, but noticing how little attention this game has gotten broke my heart a little, so here we are.

I bought this game because it caught my eye during a sale. If I could go back, I'd pay more than full price for it. For some it may seem short, but there is so much hidden and optional content to do and discover that I got completely lost in it. When I installed, I only intended to play the first level because I was bored, and at first I wasn't entirely into it (I don't often play games like this). This changed almost immediately upon meeting Ted in the first chapter. I've sat now for four and a half hours completely immersed, and it was a wonderful surprise.

The art style is incredible and breathes life into the entire world. It stays true to itself throughout. Not only is it cute, but it's beautifully vibrant. The writing is exactly the same. Everyone you meet has character, and you meet a LOT of people. I was charmed throughout the entire thing.

The dialogue is the perfect balance of realistic and funny. It captures teen "quirkiness" without being cringe as hell. The main character was relatable (although a lot ballsier than me, I'll admit) and I really felt a connection with her. My only qualm is how indifferent she is to stealing from the poor and children (not the Borblo kid though, his dad's rich - other dad deserved to get one good thing for his daughter)! Disguises/cosmetics were a really fun aspect to play around with - especially from the donation machine in Las Venganza!

All in all, the characterisation was definitely my favourite quality. The representation for the queer community was spot on, and I felt it captured the complexities of real life human relationships. There is a lot of homophobic rhetoric nowadays claiming that queer representation is "pandering" the moment a character is revealed to be anything other than straight, and queerbait runs rampant in many forms of media, but I felt that this game didn't try to do anything special. Characters didn't "come out", they were themselves all along. That, in a way, really normalised it, and it made me so happy I can't put it into words.

So, that's all from me. Thank you so much for all the love and effort you put into this game. It was beautiful and I loved every moment. :)

Margo
Margo

Super fun game. Love the 90's aesthetic.

aaguthridge
aaguthridge

I really enjoyed the big con. Funny how shooters don't give us pause, but stealing does. If you are bothered by that it's just a game and the story is great. The art style is so unique and fun, I love the brightly colored early 90s color palette of the game. The pop culture references are there and the music is spot on. You can tell this game was made with lots of passion, something that seems to be missing from all triple A games. While it may be a short experience, it feels complete and I will revisit it to pick up the trophies I missed. If you like adventure games give it a try. I feel you get the best experience with a game controller. I played the demo both ways and found the game controller a much more enjoyable play through. I look forward to seeing what this dev does next.

AloneRanger
AloneRanger

So basically this game trolled me thinking I ended up with a softlock only for the story progress to have been basically "go to a very not obvious location"

screw you devs.

Also, the luggage number mechanic is dumb and behind a discord meta without brute forcing. Otherwise the pickpocketing is nifty, but the game has some infuriating beats. Buy on sale.

3julyy33
3julyy33

I absolutely love this game! The art style is super cute and the music is a bit simple and repetitive but fits perfectly with the game. The game itself has a really engaging storyline and never gets boring! The gameplay is a good difficulty (not rage quit level but never gets boring). 10/10 would recommend!

thedarktoasteryt
thedarktoasteryt

This game is criminially underrated and if it wasent for youtube ads i would never have found this gem of a game

Dougie Jones
Dougie Jones

Fun 4-hr game (give or take, if you try to make a lot of money but don't sweat collectibles). Stylish, funny, and full of heart.

exi
exi

The Best 90's Cartoon Movie Special that never existed. Old School Point and Click adventure dripping in 90's pop culture references.

-Gameplay Lacking
-Very Short
-Low Replayability
+Fun Story
+Great Art
+Great Music

10/10 would steal from kids again \o/

Shanami
Shanami

Cute short story about a teenage thief. A little 90s gayness, a little tomfoolery. What's not to enjoy

Shankens
Shankens

The Big Con is one of those games where I legitimately laughed out loud during some of the parts. I highly recommend this game to anyone who can look over the sometimes awkward controls. The only bad part of this game I could find was that it didn't offer mouse support, but this can easily be overlooked with the great storytelling. Although it was cliche at some points, the cliches were done so well that they offered a refreshing story that made me happy. Additionally, at the time of this review, the discord is still active where you can submit bug reports and offer constructive feedback. The Devs are also still making updates and fixing bugs!

jaffemi13
jaffemi13

Fun game, fun writing, enjoyable plot.

guess ill die
guess ill die

This game was fantastic and I wish it lasted 20 more hours

kevsomeone
kevsomeone

neat little adventure game with a cool 90's aesthetic. There are some weird glitches here and there such as NPC's going somewhere they're not suppose to and becoming big when talking to characters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this a lot.

Graycor
Graycor

Really enjoyed playing this title. From the colour palette, language used, art style etc everything scream of the 90's era. No issues playing and hugely enjoyable from start to finish.

flowingabyss
flowingabyss

Cute! The artstyle and overall look of the game is pleasing and storywise well written. Easy enough to play but really had great dialogue that kept me interested the whole time. It had good pacing and everything was well developed, I really enjoyed it! Get it if you can :)

CorruptDictator
CorruptDictator

Short but satisfying, hit me right in the old. I think if they had tried to make more of the story it would have been too drawn out and boring. Overall I REALLY want to see more from this developer.

法治广场
法治广场

我超爱这个游戏。偶尔有点无伤大雅的bug,剧情画风什么的都恰到好处,对白很幽默有趣。

Just Doing My Thing
Just Doing My Thing

I love this game.
Some bugs needs fixin tho. Horm guy in the mall comes back after I won and keeps giving money, my life time supply of horms disappeared after the dialogue triggered, on the train I can buy milk twice and collector keeps on giving me money for it, etc. Nothing big since later in game the money I get makes these all inconsequential. Still a great game!

Menigal
Menigal

This is a beautiful, sweet, funny little game that is well worth the few hours you'll spend with it.

Nerdie
Nerdie

A delightful crime simulator about the teenage struggles of trying to be taken seriously, bad friends, poor decisions, and also conning rich people. As much as its aesthetic might make it come off a little nostalgia heavy, its also willing to talk about economic issues of the era and how things only get worse for mom and pop stores from here on out. Dove into it with glee and adored every second of it.

The Wilsonest Wilson
The Wilsonest Wilson

Well that was delightful.

The Big Con is a "Puzzle Game" based around scamming people to save your mother's video store. That's pretty much it. There really isn't that much to the game on the subject of story or gameplay, but it makes up for it with bottomless amounts of dry humor and visual charm. Plus going around picking pockets and ruining people's days is a brand of fun only a being of true malevolence can enjoy.

After finishing Omori 4 days ago this is just the type of upbeat, colorful, and positive thing I needed.

If your wallet hasn't already been stolen, consider picking up The Big Con. If you don't have a Horm allergy that is.

Matix
Matix

fun game, really enjoyed it :)

rjazz2
rjazz2

If making money was this easy, I'd steal enough to open a franchise of video stores that sold only 1990's DIE HARD 2 and 1993's THE FUGITIVE on VHS and BLU-Ray. Oh, and WHOPPERS candy.

Angsty boy
Angsty boy

i already had a negative view point for this game considering it gets insanely repetitive but i just tried to give it another chance and you cant even make a new save to restart

SourBirb
SourBirb

It feels like an old-school adventure game where you run around collecting weird items to solve weird problems. Pairing that with a slow walking speed and unnecessarily large areas to navigate make playing this game a bit tedious. You are also going to do dozens of quick time events before the game is over.

The art style and soundtrack are so era-appropriate and well executed. The story is decent and the humor has it's (VERY RAD) moments.

A decent snack of a game destined for a Steam Sale purchase.

RulerOfEverything
RulerOfEverything

i feel like the save option can be better but i really enjoyed everything about it

ChicagoTed1
ChicagoTed1

Fantastic little romp through an animated 90's wonderland. Fun mechanics, interesting story, plenty of side lines as well.

sparkers23
sparkers23

GREAT GAME! Super fun, funny and not high stress and still incredibly engaging. Very satisfying ending and worth every penny.

Archfd
Archfd

i love this game, it deserves all the love!

chungy bunny
chungy bunny

This game is super fun and the grift of the year edition adds a lot to the game. You can play at your own pace by exploring around more or just getting what you need and moving on. Overall a fun experience and more people should play it

Fire.Ant
Fire.Ant

I liked it. I really did. It's simple, baseline game on the Gameplay front, but it has lots of charm, can be quite funny and is stylish. Wanted to finish it as I am on like last episode, but one of the updates or Patches now gave the most mind-bogglingly idiotic option I ever witnessed in a game like this: Quit Without Saving - and it felt like it's default too, so after about 30 minutes of pickpocketing I wanted out, didn't notice it and lost the progress entirely. Decided it's not worth my time to try again due to how stupid this was :)

Who the fuck gives a quit without saving option in a story game XD