Freeware Game of The Day – Trilby: The Art of Theft

Now I know what you’re thinking. Yahtzee makes video games? Yes. But then you think about it for a moment and you realize it makes sense, since a reviewer should have good knowledge about how a video game is made and works. Otherwise, people would complain that Mr. Croshaw does not know all the hard work that is put into a game. I imagine a classily-dressed Ben Croshaw wearing sunglasses and holding up this game right in their face saying “Yes, I do.” And I can support that statement.

You probably know everything about Yahtzee already, the self proclaimed video game troll whose crazy review style makes us giggle in between bashing sessions. But you are most likely interested in his involvement as a game developer. Well, it all started in his high school years when he programmed games starring Arthur Yahtzee (whom you can guess is where he got his alias from) in Visual Basic. He later went on to make more point-and-click adventure games, his most famous being Chzo Mythos, a series of horror games starring the protagonist that also stars in this game, Trilby. And finally, we get to this game, which is the first game he has released since the start of Zero Punctuation. Unfortunately, I cannot review this game in the style of Zero Punctuation. It’s just too good to bash.

The game centers on Trilby, a cat burglar trying to make his reputation by stealing documents and loot to build up his reputation. You probably guessed by now that this is a stealth platformer, which means you must act quickly depending on the situation or else it will result in failure. And the game really emphasizes that, because it’s pretty dang hard.

Gameplay is simple. You go around collecting loot, opening locks, and messing with electrical circuits while at the same time trying not to raise too many alarms. It might be the same as any other stealth platformer, but it’s addictive and fun. You also have a taser, but it’s limited so there would be more emphasis on stealth. At the end of each level, you get a grade for how well you did in each category: time, loot, tasers and alarms. The highest is the Trilby symbol, while the lowest is a C. And with the points you collected from the levels, you can buy upgrades to aid on your missions.

The graphics might not look like much, but you’re going to have to trust me on this one, because in motion they’re fantastic. Smoothly animated and just awesome. The music and sounds are amazing also. Intense and pumping, just as you’d expect in a stealth game.

Overall, it’s a great experience. Even if you’re not a fan of the stealth genre, you should give it a shot. And besides, it’s by Yahtzee. Why wouldn’t you play it?

Download here