The Big Con (video game)
A 1990s-set adventure about a teen con artist saving her mother's store.
The Big Con is a 1990s-set adventure game from developer Mighty Yell and publisher Skybound Games. Players control Ali, a teen who works at her mother Linda’s video rental store. When Ali learns Linda owes $97,342.18 to loan sharks, she teams up with con artist Ted to travel the United States and raise the money. The game launched for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 31, 2021. A Nintendo Switch version arrived June 1, 2022, and PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions followed on August 31, 2023. Critics gave the Windows version favorable reviews, while the Xbox Series X/S version received mixed ones. In gameplay, the player guides Ali through locations where she must steal a set amount of cash. Once she hits that threshold, she can explore further or leave the area by talking to Ted. Ali pickpockets NPCs, each showing how much money they carry. A minigame requires stopping a needle in a target zone to succeed. If she fails, she must find a new disguise before trying that NPC again. After three failures, she rewinds VHS tapes at a video rental store to recover lost money. She can also earn cash by collecting items and selling them to a pawnbroker, or by completing sidequests. Mighty Yell, based in Toronto, set the game in the 1990s to make the plot “easier to believe” and allow a “bright and colorful” palette. Artist Saffron Aurora drew inspiration from cartoons like *The Simpsons*, *Hey Arnold!*, and *Doug*. Erika Ishii voices Ali, and Dave Fennoy voices Rad Ghost. The team won $50,000 at the 2018 Gaming Pitch Competition at EGLX. The game appeared at PAX West 2019 and PAX East 2020, and a teaser trailer dropped in 2020. It was shown at the ID@Xbox showcase in March 2021. In May, Skybound Games partnered with Mighty Yell to publish. Melissa Joan Hart presented the game at Tribeca Festival in June. A demo was available during Steam Next Fest. Rockapella performed the theme song, and Dan Rodrigues composed the soundtrack. The game was announced for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 12, with a summer release planned. Its August 31 release date was announced in July. Mighty Yell held a contest for a voice actor role, with the winner getting a copy and a T-shirt. The demo was playable at PAX East 2022. A Nintendo Switch version, *The Big Con: Grift of the Year Edition*, launched June 1, 2022.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Big Con
- Developer
- Mighty Yell
- Publisher
- Skybound Games
- Platforms
- Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5
- Released
- Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S · August 31, 2021 · Switch · June 1, 2022 · PS4, PS5 · August 31, 2023
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Dave Proctor
- Producer
- Yash Kulkarni
- Designer
- Jill Murray
- Programmer
- George Degenkamp / Josh Capelli
- Artist
- Saffron Aurora
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Big Con was developed by Toronto-based developer Mighty Yell. The developers set the game in the 1990s to make the plot 'easier to believe' and allow for a 'bright and colorful' palette. Artist Saffron Aurora used cartoons such as The Simpsons, Hey Arnold!, and Doug to form the game's art style. The team won $50,000 at the 2018 Gaming Pitch Competition at EGLX. The game was featured at PAX West 2019 and PAX East 2020, and a teaser trailer was released in 2020. In March 2021, it was shown at the ID@Xbox showcase, and in May, Skybound Games partnered with Mighty Yell to publish the game. In June, Melissa Joan Hart presented the game at Tribeca Festival. A Nintendo Switch version titled The Big Con: Grift of the Year Edition was released on June 1, 2022. The Big Con: Grift of the Year Edition was also released for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Reader's Guide
The Big Con is an adventure game where the player controls Ali, a teenager who must raise money to save her mother's video rental store. In each location, the player must steal a certain amount of money; once the threshold is reached, they can continue exploring or leave by talking to Ted. Ali earns money by pickpocketing NPCs, which involves a minigame where the player must stop a needle in a target area. If Ali fails to pickpocket an NPC, she must find another disguise before trying again. After three failures, she must rewind VHS tapes at a video rental store to earn back lost money. Ali can also collect items to sell to a pawnbroker and accept sidequests from NPCs. The game received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. Critics praised the vibrant art style and music, but some found the pickpocketing minigame confusing or repetitive, and the story familiar. The game received an honorable mention for Excellence in Narrative at the Independent Games Festival, and was nominated for Best Indie Game and Best Score/Soundtrack at the Canadian Game Awards, as well as Best Audio for an Indie Game at the 2022 Game Audio Network Guild Awards.
Did You Know?
- The game's debt amount is exactly $97,342.18.
- Ali is voiced by Erika Ishii, and Rad Ghost is voiced by Dave Fennoy.
- The Nintendo Switch version is titled The Big Con: Grift of the Year Edition.
More in Adventure Games of the 2020s, Part 4 1-24
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