Thieves' Gambit: The Curse of the Black Cat
- October 17, 2014
- Choice of Games
Get on SteamIn "Thieves' Gambit: The Curse of the Black Cat," you are a jewel thief trying to steal the unlucky Black Cat diamond from San Castellano's palace. With various methods and motives to choose from, and the threat of the curse looming, your choices determine your success. This 100,000-word interactive adventure offers diverse character customization and a gripping heist narrative.
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Reviews
- Well-paced and fun, providing an enjoyable experience for fans of heist stories.
- The writing is solid and engaging, with a charming premise that indulges in classic heist tropes.
- Offers a variety of choices that can lead to different outcomes, making it a decent interactive novel.
- Significantly shorter than other titles in the Choice of Games lineup, leading to a lack of depth and replayability.
- Many choices feel inconsequential, with limited impact on the overall story and character development.
- The game suffers from a lack of immersive elements, such as audio or illustrations, making it feel bland.
- story66 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story is generally viewed as a fun but short heist narrative that incorporates familiar tropes from the genre, leading to predictability and limited impact from player choices. While some players enjoyed the charm and simplicity of the plot, others found it lacking in depth and immersion, with many wishing for more substantial character development and alternative endings. Overall, it offers an entertaining experience for those seeking a light, interactive adventure, though it may not satisfy those looking for a more complex storyline.
“Honestly, I really enjoyed this story.”
“It has a great story and plenty of choices.”
“Personally, I enjoyed it a lot because it was what I was looking for -- simple, clean fun, and a charming albeit short heist story.”
“I figure this is more a cash grab than an actual story that the author had been wanting to write.”
“However, I would've still liked to see multiple alternative endings; the fact that your choices don't seem to affect the story much this time around is probably the biggest downside of this game for me.”
“This particular story, which I won't give away any details on, is rather short compared to some of their other offerings, and it feels somewhat singular and lacking in flexibility with little in the way of options or replayability.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is limited due to its linear scripting and dialogue, which can lead to frustration when players must re-navigate through content after failing certain rolls. Once players complete the first day and achieve all endings, there is little incentive to replay, as the story feels short and lacks flexibility. Consequently, many users find the replay value lower than anticipated.
“Kind of annoying to get to the end, fail a roll for unknown reasons, and be forced to either quit or click through all the dialogue all over again; replay value is lower than you'd expect.”
“Important consideration: there is no replayability after the first day; once you've gotten all the achievements and seen all the alternate endings, then that's that.”
“This particular story, which I won't give away any details on, is rather short compared to some of their other offerings, and it feels somewhat singular and lacking in flexibility with little in the way of options or replayability.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as mechanically simple and underwhelming, featuring only basic choose-your-own-adventure elements. However, the engaging premise of heisting and the overall fun factor compensate for its lack of depth.
“Mechanically simple choose-your-own-adventure game about heisting as a notorious thief.”
“Mechanically, it's nothing to write home about, with only the most basic of cyoa features.”
“Tl;dr: mechanically underwhelming and lacking depth, but premise and 'fun factor' makes up for it.”
“Mechanically simple cyoa about heisting as a notorious thief.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the emotional depth of the story may not match that of other games, players still find it engaging enough to foster some level of emotional involvement, highlighting the importance of emotional connection in maintaining interest.
“Not nearly as good as other stories, and yet it was still interesting enough for me to be involved at least a little bit emotionally (as all games of this type require, without which emotional connection there is no interest).”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as a cash grab, suggesting that it prioritizes profit over delivering a meaningful narrative or experience.
“I feel like this is more of a cash grab than a genuine story that the developers wanted to create.”
“The monetization strategy seems to prioritize profit over player experience.”
“It feels like every aspect of the game is designed to push you towards spending more money.”
