Crookz

This is the first project by Skilltree Studios under their new name and with them pointing in a new direction. The Berlin-based developer has most recently worked as Noumena Studios on RPG {The Dark Eye: Demonicon}, but from here on in they will create strategy games. {Crookz} is their first move into the turn-based genre, but the studio hasn't completely said goodbye to their roots and their new game does come with some RPG elements.

In the game we manage a group of master thieves who are planning the perfect heist(s). Their motivation isn't simply to get rich, but also to exact some revenge on a former comrade who swindled them during their last big heist. With bell bottoms, disco music, oversized sunglasses and plenty of appropriate retro-style, the story takes place in the 70s.

There are three different character classes, each with different strengths. The first is something of an athlete, very fast. The bruiser has a lot of power, and there's a lock-picker that can disarm security systems and other devices. Basically, a good plan has a little bit of everything mixed together. Anyone that takes the time to thoroughly plan out an entire heist can then look on in comfort as the thieves carry out their orders, hopefully taking home the loot at the end of it. Alternatively the player can control the action, or do a mixture of both.

There are commands that can be issued that will instruct the team to wait until certain things have been achieved, for example, if you want to hold your progress until a door has been unlocked or a guard has been knocked out. Certain characters are better suited to different jobs, and nobody is good at everything. The majority of players will probably play with a mixture of planning and in-game commands, working their way through each open environment gradually.

Picking the perfect crew requires a bit of careful planning. Every weakness can be balanced by mixing classes and via items selected from a rather small inventory. The tools include transmitters that provide electronic interference, as well as explosives or chloroform. Those opting for the latter can avoid violence should they wish. Guards can be knocked out in {Crookz}, but only for a limited time - whether we stun someone with the club, or use the aforementioned chloroform to send them to sleep. At the same time the development team wants to make sure that no class is too powerful. As an example, they recall the Navy Seals that unbalanced the classic {Commandos}.

In {Crookz} we don't just steal our way through the mansions of the rich and famous; there are levels set in warehouses, or down at the local port in amongst all the cargo containers. There are various elements in the levels that we can interact with, such as light barriers, pressure sensitive floor tiles, and of course there's surveillance cameras that need to be disabled. At certain points there's also an element of time pressure, although we can plan everything beforehand in these circumstances.

If the suspicion level of a guard rises too high at any point, because he sees one of the thieves, hears a sound, or spots someone on a camera, we can still try to escape. If one of the thieves is taken, the heist is over. Incidentally, there are many different guard types. Some are fast, others cannot be stunned. The AI is apparently very good at hearing things within a visibly defined area, and they pay attention to details such as busted doors. This further incentivises you to use the best person for the job, and thus leave no trace that you were ever even there.

The campaign will consist of more than twenty missions, and the team wants it to run for something like twenty hours. There is also going to be a challenge mode. Here we'll be able to create our own missions, which then can be played by other players. In this mode it's all about perfect timing and careful planning. The fastest and most silent heists will get the most points, and there'll be competition with other players via leaderboards.

The idea that underpins the game is certainly interesting, and twenty years after The Sting, we're ready for another good heist simulation. Next spring we'll see whether the rebooted Skilltree Studios has what it takes to mix it with the best of the genre and take home the prize.