It’s fair to say that within the past 6 weeks, (the timeframe I’ve only been aware of this studio’s existence) I’ve only associated Kalypso with these “Construction and Management Sims” like Tropico 5 … and Tropico 4. I’ve very quickly become nicely acquainted with the Kalypso team and their terrific catalogue and it was fantastic to be asked to preview their next project which couldn’t be any more farfetched compared to anything that they’ve released before, a strategy/puzzle adventure based in the funky 1970s, and no construction workers or angry diplomats in sight.
‘Crookz: The Big Heist’ is a tactical strategy game developed by Kalypso and SkillTree Studios that teaches you more about being a thief than ‘Thief’ ever did. Set in the sexy 1970s, Crookz brings the “slick and groovy” atmosphere of those flare filled dance floors to Steam and PC. In Crookz you control … well a band of crooks, led by criminal mastermind Murray who tasks you with stealing a precious lunar rock from a tightly secured Venice Museum, however in a dastardly plot Murray turns you all in for his own gain, giving all thieves named Murray a bad rep, which is really not on! 5 years later, Cleopatra and Bishop, the runner and locksmith of the group, try and get the gang back together for one last big heist in hopes of taking Murray down and giving him a taste of his own sodding medicine. Spread across 18 intricate, highly guarded levels, Crookz tells the tale of 5 friends with very unique abilities with nothing to lose and everything to gain, how well you complete each one is entirely up to you. Featuring a bizarre cast of comrades and a large variety of handy equipment, assembling the right team for each job is the key to getting out alive with pockets full of cash.
In order to achieve respect amongst your peers and a great score for your leaderboard, you must complete additional side quests before exiting each level. These side quests include stealing every piece of loot on the map or completing a secondary objective, and in doing so will increase your Crookz score as well as a delightful pay out to afford gadgets and perks; pilfering loot is worthless if you get caught with it, so consider how ghost-like you approach each objective in order to boost your score. The game begins with the ole humble tutorial, which goes through every basic command for every character and luckily Crookz isn’t a difficult game to understand, it’s just difficult to master. Selecting a particular character will give complete freedom in what you want them to do, so clicking anywhere in the map will instantly tell them to travel there, regardless of dangerous obstacles. The pause button (spacebar) will be used an awful lot as not only are you scored in finesse and visibility, but also in how quickly you pull the job off, so pausing the gameplay and selecting each character’s waypoint will lead to a faster, more successful execution. Placing waypoint markers throughout the map will issue a command to your chosen crook who in turn will make that move or complete that action; pausing the game to do so will give you a better vantage point to guarantee zero cockups. Once the tutorial is over, your next mission is to steal a replica of the treasure, and to do so you must break into a mob boss’ house, which is a small map to begin with that eases you in nicely. You begin with only 2 members of the squad to play as, Cleopatra, a foxy lady who acts as the runner of the crew, she travels swiftly and quietly to scout out the location to help plan your next move. Secondly is Bishop, a well attired hippie who acts as your locksmith, initially only unlocking doors he can be upgraded to tackle strongboxes and security doors. Later you bump into old friend Rufus, the muscle of the gang who can nicely knock out guards and keep them down for the count until you make your next move, and thus begins Crookz’ real level of difficulty.
Each map varies in size full of various obstacles that specific characters can overcome, which means you can revisit all of these levels once you’ve collected your remaining thugs to see how you can pull it off better. As expected the maps begin quite contained and easy to navigate around, but they soon become a treacherous mine field full of cameras and patrols that will require you to use those items you purchased before tackling the heist. Once you’ve unlocked your fellow Engineer Lobkowitz and bizarre Contortionist Rocket, you’ve now got too many team mates for your heist crew, so who are you taking out? Vents provide an easy access route for your contortionist to remain undetected, whereas locked security doors provide an easy feat for your locksmith. Guards on patrol provide docile targets for your muscle to knock out but surely you won’t need to when security doors and cameras can be hacked with your gadget man; selecting the right team will literally be the difference between success and imminent failure. As too will selecting the right equipment for your team, crowbars are great for getting through doors but they attract unwanted attention, adrenaline gives your slower guys some speed and the groovy ‘Sneaky Soles’ will let you glide past security undetected. With only 3 item slots per crook, you must chose wisely and have a vague idea of the plan before committing to the heist, as not purchasing the right item can put a hefty spanner in the works. Progressing through the game’s campaign will unlock bigger and more complex locations which will really test your wit and calculation, without going too much into them, they do get punishingly difficult, but who doesn’t love a good challenge!
‘Crookz: The Big Heist’ certainly seems to be coming along nicely and it’s great to see a strategy based puzzle game presented in such a way as this. With your mouse and WASD keys in hand, Crookz couldn’t be any easier to control and you’ll soon find yourself traversing through the maps in no time, sketching the layout in your brain and memorising each guard’s walk pattern. The maps are genuinely challenging and appear to get considerably more challenging as you progress, which honestly is both promising and daunting. With an accompanying Challenge Mode, players will have the ability to create and share their own challenges for the most skilled amongst you to attempt, with an invitation for you to do the same. Releasing during the quieter months of the year, I do hope ‘Crookz: The Big Heist’ stands out as a game to at least have a crack at, it may not be a AAA blockbusting title, but it is a game that’ll keep you engaged for many hours, plus you never know, it could teach you a thing or two.
You must be logged in to post a comment.