So as I await for the arrival of supplies I ordered last week, for a tutorial I have in store for everyone, I figured: "Why not a filler in between?" I sat around the house a bit and pondered, and it came to me "abruptly", like the Virgin Mary being impregnated, while playing roms via the DS: FREEWARE GAMES! B-I-N-G-O. Thus, a (possibly weekly, at the least monthly :P) news column article is born! Woo!

Review By: Alex "Mono" Dada
Game developer: Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw

Ok, I'll cut to the chase, first up: Trilby: The Art of Theft is a game by game reviewer Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, well known for his hilarious and highly entertaining Zero Punctuation reviews, but also an accomplished indie game programmer (who would of thought! :P ). His latest game is a 2D adventure mission-based stealth platformer. You play as the British master burglar extraordinaire: Trilby, a stealthy eccentric (and a bit cocky) thief, always accompanied by his trusty umbrella (yes, an umbrella. Trust me though, you don't want to be on the other side of that stick. At least not around me... >.> ) and stylish headgear. Trilby lives a life of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor as he finds himself within the American city: Chapow City, in his quest to become the greatest thief in the world. Skilled in every aspect of burglary, Trilby subtly sneaks past guards like a ninja, dodging cameras left and right, swiftly maneuvering past lasers and on occasion, when unexpected unwelcomings call: administering an electric shock to unsuspecting guards! Mwa-ha-ha! >:D But above all else: stealing as much loot as possible! :D

The most important loot featured in the game though is Reputation Points, since they give you the option of purchasing different skills in aiding you throughout your crime wave, such as: Roll, Flit, Gecko hold, Sidle, Sadist (yes, Sadist :P ), Cracksman and many more.
You won’t be able to buy all skills, so you have to choose wisely, *ahem* >.> ... choose Sadist... <.<

^_^ Wut?

Gameplay wise, you won't be seeing much "action" so to say, as this is a stealth based game after all: Guards coward in your presence after sounding the alarm, which is what actually counts against you in this particular game. That and overusing your taser on innocent bystanders (it's unethical!) and guards (remember that sadist skill? You're in for a treat.) as Trilby is a master of the shadows and subtlety; his reputation is on the line if caught!

Visually the game is reminiscent to the recent PSP game: EXIT. In terms of layout of course, though not as clean, which in my case is a good thing (as I'm sure a lot of people into lo-fi games agree.). With it's gritty pixelated looks and simple control layout, Trilby feels and plays like a video game rental from the nineties after a hard days work (Quick fact: the game is based in 1991, how fitting.), pure win! Keeping pure in arcade fashion as well, a total score is given after each level, though rather than numbers, in letter grades.

Controls

Cursor left / cursor right: Creep
Cursor down: Crouch
Cursor up: Use / examine / steal / enter door
X: Wall flatten
Z: Use tazer
Space bar: Grolly up
Down + space bar: Grolly down
Enter: Skip dialogue
Tab: View status bar
Escape: Menu / skip cutscene

Like I said: simple controls. ;)

Overall, Trilby is a great time killer and a fun time for everyone. Perfect for while on break from work (or during... >.> as you imagine one of the guards resembling your current boss at work! >:D *TASE* *TASE* *TASE* <.< ) Plus, it's freeware! What can you possibly lose? It's a great stress reliever! Tase away! Err... I mean: Enjoy!

Download at Escapist Magazine
Size: 2.5MB