The Big Con is pure 90s nostalgia I'd love to travel back to (now, where did I put that hideous plaid jacket?)
Bring on the backwards cap
Having been born in the late 80s, I've always felt fortunate enough to grow up between two decades that each has its own distinct flavour. But while I'd like to think I'm pretty well-versed in plenty of 80s culture - due in large part to my older brother's influence on me - it's really the 90s where my childhood years were formed, so diving into the plaid-filled world of The Big Con was an absolute thrill for millennial me.
And it's not just because of the fashion (even though I'm pretty sure I had Ali's exact same outfit when I was a kid and have the photos to prove it) - The Big Con manages to infuse the whole point-and-click adventure with nostalgia in every corner. There's the funky beats, the incessant gum-popping, and the sarcasm every kid seems to be born with during that era. The aforementioned protagonist Ali even works at a video store, for crying out loud - and everyone knows VHS tapes are the quintessential 90s icon.
I actually would've been happy enough to play through the entirety of Ali's adventure just for the aesthetics alone, but this nostalgia trip somehow still manages to top it all off with an interesting premise, too. Essentially, you'll have to con your way through the streets, pickpocketing strangers to raise enough money to save your mom's video store from shady loan sharks. And when you're a sarcastic kid with questionable pals and an even more questionable skateboarding stress hallucination named Rad Ghost, anything's possible.
Honestly, the demo is too short a trial for what I'm sure is a grand and memorable adventure, and with what I've played so far, I'd say it's definitely worth shelling out $5.99 to unlock the whole thing. It's been a while since I've had a genuinely fun stand-alone experience on mobile that I'd happily spend hours tucked into, with plenty of feel-good vibes that'll last me all weekend. Ali is such a colourful character who loves stating the obvious ("Hm. I guess this is where the sidewalk ends."), which definitely adds to The Big Con's charm.
The little Easter eggs are incredibly welcome, too (is that a Troll doll I see?), all perfectly framing such a wholesome (or not-so-wholesome?) coming-of-age comedy.
Plus, I have no idea why there are just so many corn references everywhere, but I'm not totally against it. After all, From Husk Til Dawn, as Ali puts it, is one of her favourite corn-themed vampire movies of all time - and when you've got a corn cob with some snazzy sunglasses on smouldering at you on a VHS tape cover, there's really no reason it wouldn't be.
