Summary
- A look back at the decisions made The big con, a strange and wonderful 90s nostalgia trip of a game, happen.
- It answers the questions of how the adventure games of the decade influenced it and what Rockapella is doing there?
- The big con is available for pre-order today from the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S and will be playable on August 31st.
I’ll write this shortly after we find out The big con has passed certification for Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S (where you can pre-order it right away!). It made me a little nostalgic for the past three and a half years working on the game, so join me on this journey about how we got here, right? (Insertion of “Wayne’s World” doodledy-doo screen effect here). Excellent.
All we knew when we started was that The big con should be a game about a cheater. Driving people, talking to people and ultimately building on the gameplay of adventure games from my youth – Day of the Tentacles, Zac McCraken, and of course, Monkey island. Games that were about puzzles and conversation, and especially games that made me laugh. While being a crook hounding people is fun, I hoped the game would make people feel like they were clever scammers and that it caused a few chuckles in the process.
A lot of games about criminals are played in the 80s or 60s or in Los Santos (ahem), but we knew that early on The big con belonged in the early / mid-1990s. It’s an odd, borderline time for the world: the internet hadn’t fully caught on, and almost no one had a cell phone (and those who did were real weirdos).
Imagine it. If, hypothetically, a teenage scammer walks up to you and tells you that she wants to sell you a rare Burblo, you can’t text a friend or quickly google to see if it’s up to par. All you had to do was give the kid your money and hope they got enough to save their video library, right? Wait. I get ahead of myself.
We knew the game belonged in the 90s. We were able to bring in bright, beautiful colors, vivid backgrounds and thick lines, and we did homage to cartoons and comics we grew up with, like “Doug” or “Ghost World”. We could use words like rad. use.
But we wondered who this mysterious impostor is?
In the 1990s, video rental stores were the fastest growing cultural phenomenon. There were a few mom and pop shops, but large chains quickly became the only VHS rental company in town. It seemed like a great premise: a doomsday event for a teenage girl from a small town.
So Ali was born, a funny young woman with a backward-facing hat who is able to solve any problem with a quick wit (or a sneaky hand). With Ali came her mother Linda, a pushy but loving small town video store owner who just wants her daughter to one day become a famous trombonist. Then came the gangsters who threaten to take everything away, and then the enigmatic crook Ted who shows her how to steal the money she needs …
And who knows, Ali was pretty funny.
That kind of snappy, not rude sarcasm was a perfect fit for Ali, and getting Erika Ishii as the voice for her seemed a perfect fit too; someone who is positive about everything she does and who can really bring warmth when she needs it.
And then there is Rad Ghost. Oh sorry, didn’t I mention there is a character called Rad Ghost?
Ali’s imaginary friend / voice in her head / spirit of a former MTV VJ is with her throughout her journey to provide pointers, support and remind her that the power is within her (for he’s all again a bright hallucination). When I described this, did you imagine the voice of Dave Fennoy? Since we’ve been developing this game for three years, and may I tell you, I’ve been thinking of Dave Fennoy the whole time. So hey, we got him on board. (I’m trying to sound cool, but I’m completely freaking out). No big.
So we’ve had some of the best voice actors in the business, an art style that makes people smile, and a cross-country trip to save a small town video store. We could watch people play the game and beat levels in different ways, choose who and how to cheat, and laugh our way through. We had to make great music, and that was before we hired Rockapella to make a music video … and then we got the message that we made it through certification and that the game was coming out for Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S this month.
They should all be trapped by now. I know it’s a lot. There are many feelings when you look at them all in a big outburst like this one. Three years of working on a comedy adventure game set in the 1990s taught me that there is only one word for this feeling.
The word is radical, people.
It feels great.
The big con
Skybound games
$ 14.99
Drift your way through America on a criminal road trip adventure as a teenage scammer in the 90s. Play as Ali, a curious and sarcastic high school student who gives up the band camp for a road trip across the country. But this is not a joyride! Ali is on an extremely important mission to save her family’s video library from the nasty loan sharks who are trying to shut down their store. Cheat on strangers, pickpockets and scammers in crazy 90s America. And – it should go without saying – lie to your mother about all of this. Pick who deserves to be betrayed and who might need a helping hand. The world is at your feet (and hey, pearls are worth a lot!). A fraudster does not deceive all fraudsters in your own way! Wear disguises, sneak around, overhear conversations, and learn how to approach each marker. You might think that pickpocketing can make enough cheddar. Or, look for more complex grifts that involve breaking in and entering, soft speaking, and more. It’s up to you to outsmart everyone and crack anything that stands between you and saving your mother’s video library. A Coming-of-Age Comedy If there’s one surefire way to discover yourself, it’s to go on an adventure. Fortunately for you, you have the help of a skilled crook to teach you the elusive art of charm. But a criminal life is no laughing matter! Not unless you turn it on the laughing track and turn it into a criminally funny sitcom. Get ready to talk your way into deals, hearts, and anger. And don’t forget to call home every now and then to get in touch with your mother. Sure, you could argue with her sometimes (mostly?), But you’re a teenager – this is your job! The Weird and Wack 1990s How You Remember Them Whether you were a 90s kid or not, this game is brimming with nostalgia. It gives you the perfect opportunity to relive your own embarrassing high school years, or if you sadly missed the ’90s, finally catching up on all of the classic teen movies that feel so old and out of date. Plaid, payphones, VHS tapes, and malls – THE BIG CON has all the outrageous fashions you remember (and some you want to forget) from the 1990s. But most importantly – you can drive the Hormipillar as often as you want!
