Take on the role of Thomas Shelby and plan out crimes with other members of the Shelby family and crime organization in this isometric view puzzle solving game that is based on the hit BBC television show.
General Gameplay
In Peaky Blinders: Mastermind you play as Thomas Shelby and family to pull off crimes and figure who in the shadows are trying to work against the family. The game is all about working with different characters at the same time and rewinding time to get characters to work in sync to get to the end of the level. The Game Visuals for Peaky Blinders: Mastermind are detailed to how the show is presented. There are a lot of bright colors to showcase the game graphics to have the look and feel of the show. The game is presented in a ¾ isometric view so you can see all the action going on in the game. The game graphics are detailed so you can see the character, objects, backgrounds, and all other things that you encounter in the game. The game colors are bright enough to see where there is no need for a colorblind mode, however there is not one offered in the options menu. Outside of some animated violence and some language in text mode throughout the game we did not see offensive in our play testing of Peaky Blinders: Mastermind. Audio in Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is very minimum. The game has an music intro but outside of this there is no spoken audio. The game story is told via text and we were a little surprised that the game developer took this approach (More on this in our Family Friendly section of the review) As you would expect in the game you will hear the sounds that are part of the level from doors opening, and closing, interaction, fighting, and other sounds that the game would have for each level. The game is presented in 5.1 surround sound as well in 2.0 stereo sound. The game sounds fine in either sound environment, for those that have a gaming headset, we would recommend playing with it as the game sound is fantastic. In our play testing, we did not encounter any problems with the games audio and found it to be very family friendly. Controls in Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is also done very well. The game is a puzzle game where you use the characters to move into places on each level and as you will be in control of multiple characters at a given time, the game does a great job to let you go from each character. The game triggers are used to move time forward and backwards, a action button to commit actions in the game, and pass to different characters items needed to complete each level. The game controller settings are extremely easy to use and the standard controller for the game is perfect to use while playing. In our play testing, we did not encounter any issues with the game controller settings and found it to be very user and family friendly.
“Events taking place before the first episode, Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a great puzzle game that uses the shows likeness to showcase the story, also the puzzle elements of the game mechanics work well for this game. Truly a must have game for any fans of Peaky Blinders show”
Family Friendly
As many out there including ourselves, we are really big fans of the show and when the announcement was made that there was a game being created based off the show we here at the office were excited to get our hand on this. Now what surprised us was that the game was more of a puzzle time solving game more than an action game, now before you get turn offed from this, let us explain why this works well for the game. For those that watch the show, it is all action an great storytelling,, and those elements are in the game but the direction of going with a time puzzle element allows the gamer experience how each of the characters works in the series. Example is how when you use Thomas, you can influence other characters, where Ada is more of distractions to characters so you can pass, and so forth with each different character that you can use. Levels are not to difficult and easy to get through and when you have a better understanding of each character’s strengths and weaknesses and how they are suited for each level. The level design is very linear and easy to follow what to do next. We did run into areas where we had to discover what to do with the characters but once you get used to the game mechanics the game becomes much easier to play. The game story is beautifully written and for those that have seen the series it is fun to show unfold from each level with the character interaction and dialog. A surprising aspect of the game is that there is no spoken dialog, now one of the great aspects of the show is the actors spoken dialog and how they emote their emotions. Now this was a miss opportunity but with COVID-19 this may have impacted the developer to get the cast into the studio to record their lines, however this does not affect the gameplay. The time/puzzle mechanic works well, and the game tutorial level does a great job to explain how the game works and how to play it. So, for those that are not puzzle game fans, or just those gamers in your gaming family that are fans of the show, the game is quite easy to pick up and play the game. Of of the game aspects is to see how quickly you can finish each level and you are timed to see how well and quickly you can beat each level. The time forwarding and rewinding allow you to move characters into the right areas of the level to have them do their actions to make the move to progress the game. This is a unique as it makes you think on how you want to move and what is needed to be successful on completing the level. Now the game overall is short in its gameplay, but it is more about telling the story and the replay value of the game come from getting a better time of completion for each level. There are also collectables in each level to find, and as they do not add to the game or story, but it is still easy and fun to find. We would highly recommend Peaky Blinders: Mastermind to anyone that is a fan of the hit tv series or even fans of puzzle games. Again keep in mind that the game text dialog does have some language but if you watch the series it is the type of language that you would expect to hear that is the same from the show. Now the only complaint that we have with the game is that there is no spoken dialog but again with COVID-19 restricting certain design aspects, this is a very minor one and as we said before does not affect gameplay or enjoyment at all. In our special needs game testing, we did not run into any issues with the game visuals, audio, or controls. If anything, the game is very special needs gaming friendly and our special needs gamers really enjoyed the game.
Closing
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a great puzzle game that takes what makes the show wonderful into a great game. Great story, puzzle mechanics and overall fun gameplay is why this is a great game for both fans of the show and puzzle gamers in your gaming family. A must have game for your digital library.
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