The Big Con Review: Heist With Heart
Let’s face it - between watching Goodfellas way too young or cruising around Liberty City when our parents weren’t around, us millennials all dreamed up hyper-Hollywood crime fantasies back in the 90s. Some of us dummies may have even lightly treaded into a life of petty crime; snagging a Tootsie Roll at the local grocery, playing Manhunt (not the video game) past the “No Trespassing” signs at private properties, or sneaking a dollar from our mom’s purse (don’t give me that look, you know you’ve done it). We wanted that pre-teen rush. Why? No clue. In my case, private Catholic school may have something to do with it. Either way, over 20 years later as we crawl towards Death’s grasp/our thirties, Canadian developer Mighty Yell has allowed us to live out our childish 90s crime fantasies one more time all wrapped up in a Nicktook fever dream.
Story (Spoiler-Free)
Ali Barlow is a teenager living in a small farm town who works at her family-owned video rental store during the summer. As Ali is ready to forcibly be sent off to band camp (no, the story does not go there), Ali overhears a conversation between her mother and two sketchy loan sharks. This initial exchange ends with the revelation that mom owes these two sleaze-balls $97k, or else the family business will close for good. Enter Ted, a grifter trying to make a quick buck who is willing to teach you the ways of Danny Ocean to “raise” the funds necessary to save the video store. Once you have the ropes down, he lets you in on a major score happening in the game’s version of Las Vegas, setting Ali off the titular Big Con.
A big fear going into The Big Con was the potential reliance of 90s nostalgia and references for cheap, surface level enjoyment. But thankfully, this wasn’t the case. Yes, the 90s nostalgia and references are plentiful, but what makes The Big Con so delightful are the characters and the journey you take with them. The core cast feels as if they were written for an episode of Hey Arnold. They’re caught up in this wacky hyper-90s world, but still feel grounded in a loose-reality that was common within television and film back then. This applies to the side characters, quest-givers, and NPCs as well, not to mention the world itself filled with fun nods to the glory days. Mighty Yell crafted a 90s time capsule with the utmost care, and its one I can imagine diving back into when I’m old and grey so I can just feel something.
As for the narrative itself, what started as a petty crime comedy soon exquisitely morphed into a heartwarming dramedy between a mother and her child, as well as quite the coming of age story for Ali. The first two acts are a delightfully goofy petty crime spree set within a Nicktoonized version of our reality. But throughout the third act, I found myself completely engulfed with the relationship between Ali and her mother. The relationship hits the cliche notes of any mother/child dynamic, but the cliche works so well given the setting. Think of any beloved 90s comedy; Mallrats, Liar Liar, The Waterboy, Major Payne. The biggest films within that genre at the time found success not solely with humor, but their heart. In this sense, the Big Con achieves its 90s vibe wholeheartedly. And most importantly, the entire ride is flat out fun to experience.
Presentation
The Big Con is as chaotic, self-aware 90s as it gets. And you know what? It works. It works quite well, actually. I’ve used “Nicktoon” a couple times as an adjective, and that’s honestly the best way I can sum up the game’s artistic design choices. The world is splashed with vibrant, bold colors as if it was colored with Kid Pix on Windows 95. The character backgrounds and “out of bounds” areas are splattered with the cliche 90s dots, squiggles, and “crinkle fry” shapes in the spaces between. The characters themselves feel as if they were pulled straight out of an episode of Doug, tossing out all the rules when it comes to color paired with expressive and sometimes exaggerated features. These choices not only fit the era, but in turn show vast representation for people of all shapes, color, and sizes.
Doubling down on the era, Mighty Yell made sure to toss as many references and nods in as they could throughout the world and within the presentation of the game itself. The nods span between film, television, and culture as a whole. Since a lot of the fun was discovering the little nods for myself, I don’t want to spoil anything of substance here. One highlight I do want to commend is the utilization of “the cool S” as a wipe transition between areas. I am a proud supporter of “the cool S.”
Monstrosa
The music throughout was serviceable and felt appropriate for the era, but was never a true standout. This, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing, but it would have been fun to hear a score inspired by those 90s television themes we all have ingrained into our psyche. Where the music does shine is with its credit track, “Take What’s Mine”, as well as the title track in the opening menu. Both songs performed by Toronto based alt-metal band Monstrosa, “Take What’s Mine” in particular represents everything I love about the late 90s culture. As credits rolled, I was immediately reminded of the big party at the end of Empire Records with Renée Zellweger and co. belting “Sugar High” on a rooftop. Monstrosa perfectly captured the feeling of an epic 90s journey coming to a close as I smiled through the credits with watery eyes.
The credits themselves are worth discussing as well here. In the Special Thanks section, the developers take a moment to thank the 90s parent for putting up with our weird millennial selves. Being a weird, mischievous 90s kid, this hit home and I found it remarkably sweet. But the truly highlight followed this sentiment, where the next section read “No Thanks to COVID-19.” This led me to cackle. The credits end with another incredible addition being the inclusion of The Games and Online Harassment Hotline; who they are, what they do, and how to reach out. This and the finger to COVID-19 are both credit trends I would love to see in near-future indie titles.
Finally, one quick special shout out is to Rad Ghost. As Ali’s inner monologue voiced by Dave Fennoy, Rad Ghost is chaotic 90s incarnate. There is a good chance you’ll see me with a Rad Ghost tattoo in the future.
Gameplay
The Big Con plays as most standard narrative adventure games would; walk around town, talk to folks, get quests, solve quests in a puzzle-like nature. Your goal in each area is to earn a certain amount of money or a particular McGuffin before moving on. You can do this in two ways; pickpocket or complete quests. The pickpocket mechanic adds to that basic narrative adventure formula without breaking it, aiding The Big Con in its moment-to-moment gameplay to make it stand out from the usual pack. As you’re roaming around exploring the world, you can walk behind a NPC to pop the pickpocketing prompt. Starting a pickpocket begins a mini game; hold the button as a slider moves left and right on a big bar, and let go at the right moment to avoid getting caught. While remarkably simple and hard to mess up, this adds slight active engagement to players who may want more than only clicking through dialog. Thanks to multiple AbleGamers Player Panels, Mighty Yell does take accessibility into account with the ability to turn the mini game off.
The quests themselves strike the perfect balance of that old school Double Fine-like challenge with more modern sensibilities. There were a handful of quests and locked doors I did not know how to handle. Instead of slamming a brick wall in front of me, there were plenty of other options to gain money and continue on with the narrative. But when it came to the quests or locked bags/doors I did complete, it was always welcomed with a fulfilling “AH HA!” sensation. Additionally, every quest and every encounter felt unique and precisely placed. Other than endless pickpocketing (which never got old), I never felt as if I was doing the same quest twice. This encouraged me to speak to everyone, eavesdrop every chance I get, and interact with everything. Even though you can skip quests or even moments, the more you give the game, the more it will reward you in terms of its gameplay and the narrative.
My only true critique with the game as a whole lies within mobility. There are times I felt clumsy walking around particular areas. For example, in the opening farm town, there is a little gazebo in the park. If you walk up to it, the game transitions to a more close up scene where you can interact with a character standing inside it. Because of the slight wonkiness, I kept transitioning in and out of that scene multiple times as I attempted to get close enough to trigger the dialog. While scattered similar moments throughout my time playing wasn’t a huge detriment to the game, it did spark a bit of frustration. Additionally, while in the biggest area of the game, I found myself lost to the point of feeling a bit overwhelmed. Eventually, I navigated where I needed to go, but a map would have been quite ideal.
Breakdown
Game: The Big Con
Developer: Mighty Yell
Availability: Xbox, PC
Reviewed on Xbox Series X
Pros:
+ Fun, nostalgic 90s aesthetic
+ The characters and their journey
+ Unique take on the classic narrative adventure genre
+ Quests never felt repetitive
+ Rad Ghost
Cons:
- Mobility feels clunky at times
- Map would have been helpful in the large open area
Final Thoughts
Ali’s coming of age journey wrapped within this nostalgic petty crime dramedy is nothing short of a joy to experience. Developer Mighty Yell not only finds utter success in the narrative adventure space, but also as a delightful 90s fever dream. Call the cops, cause The Big Con stole my heart.
Reviewed by Mike Towndrow