Penny Larceny: Gig Economy Supervillain
- August 7, 2023
- Fiction Factory Games
Get on SteamIn "Penny Larceny: Gig Economy Supervillain," play as Penny, a struggling catburglar, as she navigates a world of superheroes and supervillains. Using the gig-economy service Crimr, help supervillains with their evil schemes and explore multiple paths and endings. Customize your character's pronouns, alias, and comfort level in this accessible game with a diverse cast.
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Reviews
- The game features engaging writing with humor and depth, making it a delight to play through multiple times.
- Penny Larceny offers a unique blend of gameplay and storytelling, allowing players to explore various paths and outcomes while tackling serious themes in a lighthearted manner.
- The inclusion of diverse characters and LGBTQ+ representation, along with a charming sidekick cat, adds to the overall enjoyment and relatability of the game.
- Some characters lack depth and feel more like archetypes rather than fully developed individuals.
- The heist mechanics may not provide enough challenge or stakes, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness during gameplay.
- The game could benefit from more varied background art, as some locations feel reused and less visually stimulating.
- story98 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its humor, creativity, and depth, exploring moral complexities while featuring engaging characters and a lighthearted tone. Players appreciate the high replayability due to branching narratives and the option to include or exclude romantic elements. Overall, the storytelling is described as unique and thought-provoking, making it a standout choice for fans of narrative-driven games.
“Every storyline is so spectacularly written with hilarious and thought-provoking plot beats.”
“There's a lot of heart throughout each of these storylines, and it's great to see a story that focuses on how the people often left out of society have much more good in them than the systems that marginalized them would like to have you believe.”
“However, the story never feels heavy or overwhelming, since all that truth is balanced with plenty of hope for the future and just as much excellent humor.”
“Some cool ideas and characters, but terrible storytelling and idiotic choices.”
“I like the main conceit of the game being replaying the story in different ways to uncover the main mystery; that's very cool; the execution doesn't quite hit the way I'd like it to, mainly because the heists aren't fun in this version of the game.”
“The game requires four runs to get the full story, and there's not a lot of overlap between paths, which is very unique (and very cool) for a visual novel.”
- humor30 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its engaging and witty humor, featuring quirky characters and clever writing that often includes pop culture references and fourth-wall breaks. Players appreciate the blend of hilarious moments with thought-provoking plot elements, making it a fun and entertaining experience. Overall, the humor is described as light-hearted yet impactful, appealing to those who enjoy a comedic narrative intertwined with deeper themes.
“This game is a hilarious, fourth-wall-breaking romp through a bunch of entertaining heists.”
“The writing is witty and hilarious; I love the characters and the world they created so much (even the ones written to be somewhat unlikable are charming in their gimmicks, exactly like comic book characters).”
“Every storyline is so spectacularly written with hilarious and thought-provoking plot beats.”
- music30 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its catchy and diverse soundtrack, featuring jazzy, bouncy tunes, electro-swing, and moody noir elements that enhance the overall atmosphere. Reviewers appreciate the engaging compositions and express disappointment that the soundtrack isn't available for purchase, highlighting it as a standout aspect alongside the game's art and storytelling. Overall, the music is described as a significant contributor to the game's charm and appeal.
“The art is delightful, the music is jazzy and bouncy, and the writing and thematic work is absolutely rock solid.”
“(Oh, also the music is amazing, lots of cool electro-swing, fun heist/mystery tunes, occasionally some moodier noir-movie stuff for when the characters are introspective and bummed out about life, all of it really well done.)”
“The soundtrack is a lot of fun and adds to the atmosphere!”
“The music.”
“Truly criminal that the soundtrack isn't available for purchase.”
“Music and character art are just fine and nice even, but the backgrounds are heavily reused.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its unique storylines, multiple heists, and the ability to revisit dialogue choices, making it easy for players to explore different outcomes. Many users express a desire to experience all character arcs and endings, indicating a wealth of content that encourages multiple playthroughs. Overall, the complexity and variety ensure that players will find new experiences even after several runs.
“Characters that I want to see get good endings, so plenty of replay value to ensure I get those.”
“There is plenty of complexity and replayability hidden in this seemingly short game, enough that I doubt I’ll ever find it all.”
“Each storyline feels unique and the replayable factor is high, but the process is significantly smoothed with the ability to tab through any dialogue already seen and halt on dialogue response choices.”
“There are more heists than you can do in one playthrough, so the replayability is high.”
- emotional12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its skillful blend of heartwarming, humorous, and grim elements, evoking a range of feelings from laughter to tears. Players appreciate the genuine emotional impact and the sense of being seen and valued, akin to the experience of reading a well-crafted book. Overall, the writing is praised for its depth and ability to create a memorable emotional journey.
“I laughed, I cried, and at one point I whispered menacingly to myself, '[redacted] is the leak!' So yeah, I recommend this game!”
“Much like its predecessors, the Arcade Spirits series, it left me feeling seen, appreciated, and mildly emotionally drained in the way a good book that's well-written tends to do.”
“Some of them cause genuine emotional impact, while others are just a fun ride.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is designed to enhance the overall experience, integrating a scoring system that reflects player performance in a heist-themed narrative. While it incorporates elements reminiscent of classic video games and heist films, the focus remains on entertainment and exploration rather than traditional gameplay mechanics. Players can engage with the content at their own pace, making the interactive format a key aspect of the experience.
“Here, that process is baked into the gameplay, giving the replays purpose.”
“An attempt is made to inject some gameplay into the novel through the caper ratings, with some capers being better than others at how well you can figure out how to maximize your rating versus luck.”
“The game actively scores you as you engage in your criminality (using the in-world conceit of a gig-economy app that leaves a rating for your performance). The whole thing is simultaneously evocative of classic heist movies, but also feels like a classic video game with individual levels, set piece challenges, and to a lesser extent 'bosses', though that's more an aspect of the story than the gameplay.”
“But gameplay isn't really the point; it's a tremendously entertaining experience, and the interactive format lets you explore it on your own terms.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Penny Larceny" are praised for their stunning comic book aesthetic, reminiscent of the Spider-Verse, complemented by amazing artwork and a vibrant visual style. Reviewers highlight the game's dynamic characters and engaging storylines, which enhance the overall visual experience.
“As per with the wonderful Fiction Factory games, Penny Larceny has amazing artwork, a brilliant soundtrack, engaging storylines, and features a perfect range of dynamic, interesting, and lovable characters.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find that the grinding aspect of visual novels, which involves replaying to discover alternate paths, can become repetitive and tedious over time.
“In these types of visual novels, replaying to find alternate paths is part of the process -- but that can get repetitive and tedious.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is cleverly integrated through a gig-economy app that scores players based on their performance in criminal activities, enhancing the experience with a blend of classic heist movie elements and traditional video game mechanics. This scoring system adds depth to gameplay, featuring individual levels and set piece challenges, although the narrative-driven "boss" encounters are less impactful on gameplay itself.
“The game actively scores you as you engage in your criminality using the in-world conceit of a gig-economy app that leaves a rating for your performance. The whole thing is simultaneously evocative of classic heist movies, but also feels like a classic video game with individual levels, set piece challenges, and to a lesser extent 'bosses', though that's more an aspect of the story than the gameplay.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers extensive character development through customizable designs, featuring 30 skin tones and the option to create unique character aliases, allowing players to personalize their experience significantly.
“The custom character design offers an impressive selection of 30 skin tones to choose from, allowing for a truly personalized experience.”
“I love the fun character alias feature that adds a unique touch to my character's identity.”
“The variety in character customization really enhances the overall character development, making each playthrough feel distinct.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is significantly enhanced by a fun and engaging soundtrack, which users find contributes positively to the overall experience.
“The soundtrack is a lot of fun and adds to the atmosphere!”
