The Big Con – GRIFT OF THE YEAR EDITION from Mighty Yell and Skybound Games is a rad 1990s-inspired adventure on Nintendo Switch. Check our The Big Con – GRIFT OF THE YEAR EDITION review!
The Big Con – GRIFT OF THE YEAR EDITION from Mighty Yell and Skybound Games is a rad 1990s-inspired adventure on Nintendo Switch. Your journey with Ali begins as she heads out to Linda’s Video Store – Linda being Ali’s mom. Ali is about to go to band camp, but before that, she and her mom must have the traditional movie night before band camp. To select the movie, Linda proposes a little competition: whoever manages to get the most rents will get to select the movie. After eavesdropping on what people are saying and selecting the right movie for each client, a pair of shady individuals pop into the store.
Even though Linda tells Ali to go to her room to pack, she remains in the store and eavesdrops on the conversation. It seems there’s a situation at hand! The thing is, Ali’s mom borrowed money from loan sharks, and she now owes $97,342.18 and must pay it back in 10 days, or she’ll lose the store. Unless she comes up with the money, Linda’s Video Store will soon be turned into the latest location for Videoville. The good news is that there’s a small ray of hope because Rad Ghost has sensed there’s trouble, and Rad Ghost is ready to help! He’s a hallucination based on a former music television gimmick host and arcade video game protagonist who’s an all-around nice guy. Be sure to always talk to Rad Ghost so that you can learn more about what you’re doing and what you should be doing next.
As for the controls, you’ll move around each area with the left analog stick, interacting with objects and characters with the A button. In classic point and click fashion, the items you collect can be used to solve puzzles. Just open up your backpack with the B button and find the right item to use in the right place at the right time. During conversations, you can sometimes press the X or Y buttons to determine the type of interaction you’ll have, which will lead you towards different conversation branches.
Press the – button to open up your notebook. Once in there, you’ll be able to review your To Do list for objectives, info on the people you’ve met, the stuff you’ve found, and the places you’ve visited. There’s also a sticker zone section where you can check out any of the stickers that have been added to your collection. And if you’re the type of gamer who likes to 100% a game, you’ll have to pay attention to each of the locations you visit so that you can find all stickers for each segment!
Your notebook will also allow you to keep tabs on the objectives you’ve completed and those that are still pending. Take, for example, a particular task you can work on from early in the game. After finding a suitcase and guessing the right combination to open it, you’ll find a note from someone you pranked. It seems said person is interested in you finding a pair of special sneakers. To work on this, your first step will be to find a payphone so that you can call the guy to learn more about the sneakers he wants. You should definitely work on this task because it could pay handsomely, and you really need the money to help Linda pay her debt!
You’re going to have to do whatever it takes to earn the money needed to save Linda’s Video Store, and that includes pickpocketing a lot of people as you move towards Las Venganza, where you hope to make it big and earn the bulk of the money needed to cover all of Linda’s bet. You’re going to be making some extra money along the way, obtaining this or that item and then selling it to the right person, selling valuable stock tips to another, finding out the combination for suitcases and bags that hold some extra money, or sell specific items to a shady individual who in each chapter will request items under a particular theme. And you can also sell him any leftover items before you move on to the next location.
The Big Con – GRIFT OF THE YEAR EDITION is a rad 1990s nostalgia-infused adventure with a lot of heart that is worth checking out on Nintendo Switch. The game’s colorful presentation does a great job of taking us three decades into the past on a quest to save Linda’s Video Store from becoming a new Videoville location. The Big Con – GRIFT OF THE YEAR EDITION is out on Nintendo Switch with a $14.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This The Big Con – GRIFT OF THE YEAR EDITION review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Mighty Yell.
