The Big Con (2021) · Tastebuds

Flex your inner teenager in The Big Con, an adventure game where you hustle across the country as a teen trying to save your family video store. In classic 90s con movie style, you'll get to persuade and pilfer your way to greatness using a whack of potential grifts.

Point-and-click Adventure Indie Comedy exploration interactive fiction 2d 1990s crime story rich hand-drawn colorful choices matterXbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One

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Nostalgic, unpretentious, classical in form and comic.

contemporarynostalgic
unpretentiousprestige
classical in formformally daring
gravecomic
warmbleak

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From the critics

A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.

God is a GeekChris WhiteAug 20218.5/10
The Big Con is a welcome nod to one of the coolest decades of all time, featuring some great writing, beautiful visuals, and fun gameplay.
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COGconnectedJake HillSep 202185/100
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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EurogamerAug 2021
A criminal scheme becomes a big hearted journey into the recent(ish) past.
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GameSpewKim SnaithAug 20216/10
It’s entertaining while it lasts, and developer Mighty Yell has absolutely nailed the 90s cartoon aesthetic. But The Big Con is devoid of much real substance. Had there been more narrative, better character development and more engaging missions, this could have been something special. As it is, it feels like an underdeveloped concept that falls short of its promises.
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GameSpotAndrew KingAug 20217/10
The Big Con is a unique take on video game nostalgia that takes players to the '90s, but not the video game '90s.
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Snippets via OpenCritic, where 75% of critics recommend it.

About the game

Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
Developer: Mighty Yell
Publisher: Mighty Yell, Skybound Games
Released: August 31, 2021
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Engine: Unity
Time to beat: 4 h main story

IGDB rating 6.9/10 from 10 ratings.

Screenshots

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