Quezon City, Philippines – Indie developer Benjamin Intal today is pleased to announce the launch of the Indiegogo campaign aimed at crowdfunding his game Pocket Grifter. The planned game is an ambitious, retro-look, interactive sim, where players learn to be a confidence man, also known as a grifter. Gameplay involves exploring the whole city and pulling off cons to increase the player’s bankroll. With a pixelated, retro style art style, the game lets players set up a 3-Card Monte table, steal cars, pickpocket passersby, rob banks, and more. Indiegogo is known as “The world’s funding platform,” and the service offers individual and business contributors worldwide the opportunity to support projects, causes, and people they are passionate about.
Mr. Intal of Gambit Technologies currently has six successful games in the App Store, and he is seeking funding with the goal of making Pocket Grifter a free game. He recently commented, “Making games is expensive, and your contributions would go a long way toward Pocket Grifter’s development. Funds would be used in three main areas: creation of graphics and audio assets, development, and aggressive marketing.”
Running cons is the primary activity of the game, and there is a wide variety to choose from. Each con is like a mini-game, for example, picking a pocket must be done in a slow and steady manner to prevent the mark from calling the police. Lack of skill may force players to run from the police, disguise themselves, and try to blend into crowds. If caught, they may need to post bail or serve time in jail.
A Few Feature Highlights:
* Set up a table and use cards to perform a 3-Card Monte con
* Change clothes in the tailor shop (to evade the police)
* Steal cars (even a police car, if it is unguarded)
* Give money to the panhandler on the street (or take money)
* Drink some booze in the bar (temporarily makes you walk faster)
* Rob the bank (with the help of hi-tech gadgets)
* Pickpocket passersby
Gadgets are used to help players perform some of the trickier cons. These are typically bought from an underground gadget shop in the city, but some can be acquired as prizes from other cons. These gadgets range from the very simple, such as a slide hammer (used for carjacking ordinary cars), to the more complex, such as the car RF unlocker (used for carjacking high-end cars remotely) or the camera jammer (used for blocking indoor surveillance cameras). There is a very special gadget in the game called Eagle Eyes. It is similar to x-ray vision, revealing helpful information about the surroundings. Players can tell which passersby are distracted and have valuable items in their pockets (as well as their names and some cool info about them). If Eagle Eyes sees that a shop has its security cameras down for maintenance, then it is a good time to pounce on the opportunity.
During gameplay, players master various con-man skills, and learn the tricks of the trade. Players will be surprised by the many authentic details of life on the grift revealed in the game. Would-be con artists start the game with little money and progress to bigger and more complex cons, on their way to amassing the goal of one million dollars. Complete information about the game and its development is available at the link below, Pocket Grifter Indiegogo Campaign.
Pricing and Availability:
Pocket Grifter 1.0 is scheduled for release in April 2013, and will be offered free on the App Store in the Games category. An Android version is also planned.
Pocket Grifter Indiegogo Campaign
Vimeo Video
Based in Quezon City, Philippines, Gambit was founded by Benjamin Rafael F. Intal in 2011. Gambit is a one-man company dedicated to creating awesome and unique iOS games. Copyright (C) 2012 Gambit. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.
