The Swindle Reviews
The Swindle is a game that many will end up playing for months to come. The gameplay is the perfect combination of stealth and action, and its difficulty, while brutal, is satisfying. Size Five Games, and publisher Curve Digital, have created an addictive game that needs to be played by anyone who loves a good challenge. Throw in cross-buy and cross-save compatibility, and you'll never leave your house without The Swindle in pocket.
So should you buy The Swindle? Absolutely; the game is, quite simply, fun. It has real stakes, and that makes every jump, every break in, every move all the more intense. With great gameplay, great visuals, and great music, it's hard not to suggest The Swindle; just keep in mind that it has got some issues, and it is not for the faint of heart.
Well, I'm still ambivalent, even after working through things in what has maybe become a longer review than planned. For the moments where the procedural stuff just works perfectly, creating a bastard-hard but ultimately memorable level, and for the world itself, which is lovely, The Swindle is worth dedicating a couple evenings to. It won't steal your heart though.
It's hugely clever, chaotic and funny, though there are downsides in the implementation of randomly generated stages and in some technical glitches and flaws. Despite some issues the premise, presentation, music and gameplay all work well together, making this a steal on the Wii U - just not the great heist it could have been.
The Swindle has some really cool ideas, and the sound and visuals make for one of the prettiest games out there. But, for players looking for something new or intrigued by the steampunk aesthetic, the randomized barrier to entry may be a bit too much.
The uncompromisingly brutal difficulty of The Swindle will turn many off, but for those up to the challenge, the reward of thrilling thievery could very well be worth the effort.
While the game is indeed varied and its visual environment is very well designed, it can often become very repetitive as it compels the player to repeat missions again and again.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Size Five's The Swindle has come to Nintendo Switch but a new console can't fix the same old frustrating controls
The Swindle is a good game on the cusp of greatness, but falters from a structural identity crisis that is hard to ignore.
The Swindle is a solid game, but it's a swag bag short of our full recommendation. As a title to play over a weekend – or between other games with more substance – it can't really be knocked, but don't expect to be feeling light fingered forever. This is a cunning con, a solid swizz – but it's been robbed of crime of the century status.
[D]on't let [the score] deter you if you enjoy other games like Spelunky or even Mark of the Ninja. If that's the case then The Swindle could quite possibly be just the game for you.
The Swindle isn't a revolution in terms of stealth games, but it does offer a compelling challenge for those seeking it.
I don't think this game is for those new to the genre, but if you're a fan of rogue-likes and crave something super challenging, then you may just want to take a swipe at The Swindle.
My time with The Swindle was littered with failure. I blame myself for plenty of those attempts, but the game roots against you in a way that's nearly unrivaled in the past two decades of video games. Not since the Wet Bandits attempted to invade the McCallister residence has burglary gone so laughably wrong. Yet still, it had its moments and surely there are those that will appreciate this sort of beating more than I did. Perhaps it hearkens back to a time when games didn't hold our hands as much, and if that's the case, perhaps I've been coddled by quick-time events and cutscenes that do the hard stuff for me. I don't believe that's the case, though. 2015 is my 20th year as a gamer and I have played few games that challenge your patience as much as The Swindle. Maybe the game's robots have achieved sentience and human-like emotions. That would explain all the menacing satisfaction they seem to derive out of my failure.
Everything adds up to a game with good ideas that is sorely lacking in refinement – the punitive flaws of The Swindle's meta-structure and procedural generation could have been ameliorated with minor tweaks. This feels 80% of the way to a great game, but that missing 20% soon comes to dominate the rest.
The Swindle creates a challenging environment for fans of the rogue-like game genre, with a wide variety of ways to achieve heists for maximum profit.
In a world filled with overly difficult titles, The Swindle knows how to blend its mechanics together perfectly to deliver one hell of a rewarding experience.
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.