![]() Card Shark keeps you on your toes as well as on the edge of your seat. You might even end up forced into a fencing duel. ![]() Similarly tense are occasions when a plot twist throws a spanner in the works (some targets aren’t as gullible as they seem), and you have a brief window to slip a spare deck in a rival’s pocket or toss an ace onto their chair to reroute suspicion. Lose and you’re booted back to the world map, perhaps needing to scrape together new funds in street games before trying again. Practice does make perfect, and once you start connecting the beats of a routine, then mixing elements of old tricks into new strategies, it’s like you’ve been granted a secret superpower.Īt the same time, the coins in your hand feel precious, as you lay them on the line, knowing the result rests not on luck, but on the sharpness of your hands, eyes and mind. Under the Comte’s tutelage, you really feel like you’re the apprentice of a master of deceit. This injection of pressure is essential, however, to evoke a sense of daring, as if you’re plucking the purse from someone’s pocket while they’re staring you in the face. That doesn’t leave much margin for clumsiness, and sometimes it’s prudent to bail before the final game and return another time. In live play, whenever you attempt anything surreptitious, a suspicion bar at the bottom of the screen starts to fill, and if you want to get away clean (and unlock new stages) you need to win three times before it’s complete. Even something as simple as pouring wine involves finessing the analogue stick to keep the bottle steady, giving you time to note your victim’s strongest suit before the glass overflows.Īlso, what often feels straightforward in the safe space of the carriage becomes a different prospect when you have to execute it swiftly under the glare of a sceptical general. You might need to memorise sequences of inputs for shuffling, or signals such as holding up a number of fingers, while other schemes might require some logical thinking to make sure high cards land in the right hands, or a little skill and rhythm action timing so you don’t fumble your cues. The impressive variety of schemes in Card Shark is complemented by a control system that neatly adapts to their demands. Whatever the ruse, as long as you play your role correctly, the Comte will win the hand. As your reputation grows, the Comte’s plans become more elaborate, until you’re turning up to a game in drag, using the mirror in your compact for nefarious ends. ![]() Soon, though, you’ll learn many underhand ways to shuffle, cut or deal a deck, mark cards, or even introduce a carefully arranged substitute pack to proceedings. To begin with, you don’t get a seat at the table, but act as a servant pouring wine for the patrons – a perfect opportunity to peer over their shoulders, then signal to the Comte what you’ve seen. ![]() You practice his latest scam on the carriage ride to each target, then pull it off for real, surrounded by heaving chandeliers, chirpy violins, and ladies with gowns so billowing they could conceal a roulette wheel, never mind a pack of cards. As his assistant and trainee, he’ll teach you a wealth of ploys and sleights of hand to help fleece the poshos. You play a young silent protagonist – literally mute – who’s taken under the wing of the Comte de Saint Germain, a mysterious aristocrat, adventurer and cheat. The unwitting victims of your schemes are 18th-century French nobility. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |