Funky ! Put on your pants, the floral shirt, some funk music in your ears, and head for the 70s!
Crookz is a strategy game where you take control of a group of robbers. You will lead them in all kinds of missions and where in each, of course, the goal will be to succeed in the heist without being spotted.
Obviously, the traps will be numerous and it will be necessary to make the robbers work, not only as a team but also in perfect coordination, in order to increase the pot and collect the jackpot.
Preparatory phase
Several characters will come to make up your team, each with their own abilities and strengths, which you will unlock as you progress (up to 4):
- Bishop : the ace of lockpicking, he can open closed doors and pick safes.
- Cleopatra: the charming asset, she can run faster thanks to her sprint.
- Rufus: a top choice, he can stun the guards.
The choice is therefore limited at the beginning of the progression, but it is important to make the most of each skill in order to be as efficient as possible.
At the start of each breakage, you will have to choose your team wisely. It is also possible to go through the workshop before each breakage. You can buy certain items there to make your job easier:
- Crowbar : to open doors and safes
- Adrenaline: increases the thief's sprint and skills
- Chloroform: puts a guard to sleep for 30 seconds
- Ninja Soles: to sneak behind a guard without being spotted
- Camera jammer: disables a camera for 30 seconds
Other items will unlock as you go.
Before the breakage, a briefing allows you to visualize the traps and plan your attack, giving valuable advice on what to do next.
You can also visualize the patrol path of the guards beforehand.
Once your strategy is well established in your head, it's time to start the heist!
The heist
Preparation is important, but so is execution.
As I told you, harnessing the capabilities of your burglars and the environment are the keys to succeeding your heists and to avoiding the sneaky traps that could cause you to fail.
Doors will often block your way. Some can be opened with switches while others, identified by the padlock above, will require a key. Bishop will certainly be able to crochet them.
The switches are quite easy to spot, the red-yellow-green path shows you where the switch is. Just send a robber to activate it and the door magically opens, allowing you to enter the property.
During your breaks, you will certainly come across additional Treasures, allowing you to pocket a little more cash. Of course, some are well hidden and if you want to recover them, you will have to take a little more risk.
The crowbar can also be used to open doors closed with a padlock, but be careful, it makes noise! If a guard walks by, they may run into you if they hear the noise.
Need to get rid of an annoying guard? The chloroform will allow you to send it to dreamland for a few moments. Be careful, it only lasts a few moments. Once awake, he will realize that something is wrong and he will go patrolling around. Make sure you've done everything right within that time frame and don't stick around. Or you can give him a dose too!
Optical barriers are annoying. If you have the misfortune to pass inside, the guards around will be quickly alerted. When we select a place to move our burglar, he often has the annoying tendency to run into it.
Fortunately, the signposted path can be changed. For example, you can move control points (small squares) in order to define the thief's route as you wish. This will prevent it from going over optical barriers.
I reassure you, a bit like a Dragon Age, it is possible (even recommended) to pause the game to be able to plan the movements of its characters. No need to do all of this in real time!
My opinion
These are just a few examples of what makes Crookz, but sets the tone, I think. Pure strategy game, which is not my favorite type of game at the base, I was won over by the funky atmosphere that emanates from it.
It's not necessarily easy at first, I have to say that I was a bit caught by the trap of wanting to go fast, and in the end, it's the best way to fail. Crookz is a game where you have to take your time, it's a little paradoxical with the funk music that it has in store for us, but the preparation phases are at least as important as the execution itself. Patience and rigor are therefore essential, in this game which may make you think about it for a while, while having fun!
