The Swindle

Let me start off by saying I loved the swindle. Its fun, engaging, and a very good heist simulator. but I hated playing it. This game is buggy, like really buggy. And in some games that's ok. But in a perma death 1 hit and your out game it is unacceptable and left me raging at my screen as I died yet again from something that was not my fault. This game shines like a diamond, but only if you can withstand the constant unfair deaths. I wish the devs would come back and fix this game.

I'm not a great platformer player, but I do okay, and possibly more important, I pay attention. That said, it took me about two 4-6 hour play sessions before I started getting into the flow of the game, so that by my fourth session, I was actually able to break through and completed an entire playthrough, and thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of it, and can see myself replaying this again thanks to the map and enemy shuffling. Even if I don't play it again, the 20 hours I put into this point was very rewarding because of that initial learning curve. The Swindle is a 2D platformer game, but it's emphasis is on stealth (as in avoid detection, explore the puzzle, and exploit it to your advantage, all the while identifying and managing high risk w/ potentially high reward), instead of precision (making pixel-perfect leaps, lunges, landings, etc.). The thing is, each playthrough presents itself as a bit of a precision platformer in the first 30-60 minutes, b/c there's also an upgrade system that must be paid w/ level rewards before your thieves have the tools to employ a variety of stealth-exploration-looting tactics. Without those stealth tools, you must rely on some precision platforming (and smart play) to get by while you scrounge for the cash for upgrades. On top of that, the controls are deliberately clumsy, relatively awkward/sluggish, particularly before those upgrades are earned. So a lot of the early levels feel frustrating and hard, especially during the "player training" phase of the game, where a player simply gets accustomed to the deliberately-hobbled controls, before even tackling the issue of progress. But when that training finally clicks, when you start to understand what upgrades work well for you and how to use them, and you find yourself thrilled/amazed the first time you break into a new area (with even trickier enemies and obstacles) and manage to get in, get out, probably by the skin of your teeth, *that's* when the game comes into its own.

Really addictive!!

It is one thing to say that a game is hard, and there is certainly a market for that. The Swindle isn't one of those games. To clarify, the missions are randomly generated, and the algorithm doing so makes no effort at all to ensure the mission can actually be completed. The final mission is an exercise in frustration and luck, as you will need to blast your way through walls to reach your objective, but you may have to blast through more walls than you have bombs for. With maximum upgrades. And no way to replenish them mid-mission. This is not difficulty, it's shoddy design trying to pass itself off as difficult. There are better ways to spend your money.

While not quite being perfect, there's a lot to like in this stylish steampunk cyber crime "caper". It's hard from the beginning but allows you to proceed through a level or heist at your own pace. A masterclass in game mechanics development, you'll never get stuck on a level unable to go further as the same level won't be seen twice. You can give up and walk away at any time if you don't have the skills (either your own or your character's!) to complete a level but even if (and when) you die the frustration only lasts a few moments as you're presented with a new and different heist to attempt. It loses a star for slightly erratic jump timing that can be frustrating at times as you need pinpoint accuracy there and for lack of basic mouse support in the menus. It's pretty much a sandbox with how you approach your heists as you have to choose and buy every skill in order to get the most return. Some will make your life easier, others give more money with which to buy more skills, the approach is up to you. Sometimes, especially early on you won't have the skills or tools to complete a heist, but that just drives your next unlock/purchase decision.