Byte Size – Heist Review (PC)

Sneaking its way in from Melbourne based Atomizer Games is Heist. A genuine stealth game which has removed all lethal options from your typical gaming repertoire. Leaving you with only a handful of distraction techniques. Will these be enough to enable you to score big? Just watch out, or you will be busted by the overweight security guards.

Time for some smooth Jazz

Set in the time of organised crime and with a soundtrack of smooth jazz, noir themed Heist has you working through individual areas, taking the valuables, and making your escape. All with little more than your wits to aid you. Often there is more than one path to your objective. So planning your route is as important as what gadgets you are packing.

Controlling your Heist

Controls are either via gamepad or mouse and keyboard. Using both control methods comes with the problem of getting stuck to walls. By pushing into walls you can sneak along them and stay in the shadows much of the time. If you get too close to a wall when moving from A to B you run the risk of being sucked into the wall. A particular issue when you are trying to move quickly across an area. Having a contextual button push would have solved this, which they have implemented for hiding.

The look is old school cool and will run on almost any PC. The top down isometric view allows for plenty of visibility and camera movement. Although the muted colour palette does hide things at times. The real star of the show is the soundtrack. The jazz style really does drop you into the noir era to the point you expect to run into a Humphrey Bogart looking dude in a trench coat and fedora.

Closing comments

Heist is a fun distraction, but in todays gaming world it feels more like a mobile game than a PC release. Although considering it comes from Atomizer Games, an Indie developer of less than ten people, I have to admire and appreciate what they have done. We need guys like this to keep the big boys honest.