The Massive Con is a recreation that tells a compelling story a couple of teenage woman, her single mother, being a runaway, and making powerful selections. Set within the ’90s, the sport makes a number of references to that point. Whereas it’s billed as an journey title, The Massive Con’s main energy is its narrative.
My favourite component of The Massive Con is the storytelling. You play as a snarky and rebellious seventeen-year-old woman named Ali. As the sport begins, you study extra about her relationship along with her mom, a single mother making an attempt to make ends meet by operating a video rental retailer. As with every good story, the pivotal second is once you study Ali’s mom owes $97,000 to a mortgage shark. If she doesn’t pay again that cash in a brief period of time, she’ll lose the video retailer. Ali needs to assist her mom by making an attempt to boost the cash herself. In fact, that’s some huge cash, and Ali runs into one other teen, providing her a chance to make some huge cash by pulling some cons.
The sport handles the problem ranges properly. At first, you begin by pickpocketing folks. The mechanic is comparatively simple. As you stroll nearer to an NPC, you will note a pockets icon within the lower-left nook; the more cash within the pockets, the tougher the carry. To steal the cash, you maintain down the Y button and let go of it when it’s within the purple zone. The more cash the person has, the smaller the realm might be. In case you get caught, you possibly can placed on a disguise that you simply discover and try the heist once more. Whereas I feel it is a intelligent mechanic, it did get previous after some time. You do have an choice to show off the mechanic so you possibly can simply stroll up and steal the cash with out the minigame, however that additionally felt too simple. Nonetheless, it’s good that the devs acknowledged that this gameplay may get tedious.
As you proceed, you study of different methods to earn cash. You may eavesdrop and eavesdrop on conversations to seek out out what folks have on them or what they most need, after which both steal that merchandise (to promote it to another person) or discover the factor that they’re in search of and earn cash that approach. This added a little bit of puzzle-solving to the sport, and I loved this facet. There have been a couple of instances once I didn’t determine the clues; I used to be allowed to proceed with out finishing these, however it actually provides to the problem for completionists.
You may also do fetch quests for the pawn retailers. Once more, these are non-compulsory, however they pay fairly a bit for every merchandise. Every metropolis may have a store with the identical proprietor (which Ali has some snarky feedback about). One other approach you may make cash is by distracting the clerks once you ask if they’ll break money for you. Watching their cues hints at whether or not it is best to inform them a joke or a bizarre reality. The more cash you attempt to break, the extra advanced the situation.
All these conditions are dealt with by way of fast wit and humorous banter. The subject material is darkish, however the humor actually lightens the temper. This is without doubt one of the first video games in a very long time that I really linked with the protagonist and felt terrible for a few of the selections she makes. Perhaps it’s as a result of I used to be a teen throughout the time this recreation takes place, however Ali is a relatable and humorous character, and I didn’t need something unhealthy occurring to her on this story. At first, I used to be a bit delay by the artwork. It’s harking back to exhibits like Doug, the place the characters have blue or inexperienced pores and skin, however the animation is a bit rougher than Doug. Nonetheless, after attending to know Ali and enjoying extra of the story, the artwork didn’t hassle me; in truth, it was a part of the allure of The Massive Con.
The Massive Con is self-aware of its darkish and emotional story. There’s an non-compulsory scene the place you possibly can swindle cash out of one of many clerks. Through the dialog, there are references to the unhappy existence of a facet character in a online game. It’s a humorous scene, breaking the fourth wall, however on the finish, the clerk says to not let the humor distract from the heavy matters.
