The Swindle
Overview -
'The Swindle' was developed by Size Five Games, a British company that develops indie titles and won a BAFTA a few years ago for a sex ed game, of all things. 'The Swindle', which has been cancelled at least once, experienced a small delay on the Xbox One but is now available along with versions for the PS3, PS4, Vita, PC, and someday the Wii U.
Video Review
'The Swindle' is set in a steampunk rendition of London in 1849, where clockwork and gears reign supreme. Imagine a dark, cartoonish style in the vein of 'Mark of the Ninja' infused with a healthy dose of steam gadgetry, springs, screws, and Victorian-style leather and contraptions. While the game is mostly free of framerate issues or artifacts, sometimes the platforming controls are a bit sticky, especially while jumping.
Audio Review
The score uses piano and horns with a distinctly vintage style, and much of the percussion is the ticking of a clock. A grinding mechanical noise constantly drones on in the background. During an alarm, the music becomes more urgent and takes on an almost electronic undertone. The sound effects are spot on with the steampunk theme.
Final Thoughts
'The Swindle' can be very satisfying, if you don’t mind its cruel difficulty and regularly mystifying level design. It is not a AAA stealth game with all of its fancy checkpoints and low difficulty levels and no death penalty. It’s not that those things are bad necessarily, it’s just that roguelikes are intended to be a very different experience, one in which success is distant, pain is frequent, and every reward is a joyous occasion.
