The Swindle

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Right at the top, I said that The Swindle should feel comfortable in the shadows. Its design, both in the short-term of each level and the long-term of the countdown structure, places it in the shadow of two games that it can't comfortably live with or escape. Even judged in isolation, however, The Swindle is a minor diversion at best, without the comic timing or cunning to turn anyone to a life of crime. A weekend of crime, perhaps, at most.

The Swindle is filled with moments of joy, success, and failures. More often than not my deaths were caused by my own mistakes, my own misjudgments, and not by faulty game mechanics. It was the thrill of sneaking into buildings, stealing all the cash I could carry, and getting back out before the police arrived that kept me logging on. The story laid within the game doesn’t drive the game, but that’s okay because there’s plenty of rogue-like goodness waiting to be found inside of Size Five Games procedurally generated steampunk heist simulator.

They say that crime never pays, but in The Swindle you can come out ahead if you play your cards right. In this madcap steampunk rendition London, a city of ludicrous buildings filled with robots and traps, the key is learning how to quit while you’re ahead. It’s all too easy to slip up and foolishly get spotted – and yes, the occasional glitch or quirk of procedural generation can feel unfair – but it makes each success all the more tense and rewarding.

The Swindle is a highly addictive and fun randomly-generated steampunk thievery simulator. It can be hugely frustrating and the controls aren’t as precise as they need to be, but after an hour of calming down following the loss of my £10,000 haul I was right back in for more punishment. The look is lovely and, crucially, practical, sound design is up there with the original Thief, and the catchy soundtrack compliments it all very well. The randomly generated levels can create some unfair o...

The Swindle is nowhere near an entirely negative experience. It’s a festival of moments, of anecdotes filled with failures and smiles. I found myself holding my breath as I hacked a computer with just enough time to dodge three heavy guards coming my way, jumped over two electricity traps, clung to a wall to let a patrol pass, and bombed myself a new escape route. These pockets of perfection kept me hooked, and made me boot up The Swindle again and again in order to preserve this world of rogues. That, and my dedication to you guys. Now, the Devil’s Basilisk is for all of us to share. You’re g...

Sometimes when you play a game, you’re left wanting more. It was good, but not quite what it could have been. Maybe one of the core mechanics didn’t feel right or some of the level design was underwhelming but whatever the reason, you’re not satisfied. Unfortunately this is the case with The Swindle. It has a lot of right things going for it, but ultimately what’s wrong with it will really drive you crazy.

The Swindle is a visually beautiful and enjoyable rogue-like game for the experienced, but may not be the best choice for players who've never tried games like Spelunky or Rogue Legacy before. The learning curve, especially if it's the first time someone has tried a game like this, may become extremely frustrating. If the player can't advance in the first 15 days or so, the increasing difficulty of enemy characters may make it nearly impossible to enjoy the game and progress at all. If you're new to the genre, we'd recommend trying another rogue-like game with a less steep learning curve. See ...

In the end The Swindle is an ambitious game that unfortunately just falls in at average. If you’re a die-hard fan of rogue-likes or if the premise sounds very interesting to you, it may be worth a purchase, as long as your expectations aren’t too high, otherwise it’s regrettably a game that can be passed over.