Picklock

Picklock is a fun little indie puzzle game, but, unfortunately, its execution is significantly marred by the grating issues discussed above. The game just feels unpolished and also too short after its abrupt ending. For the most part, Picklock is just a series of missions to beat. You can try to get a perfect run on each one, but this won’t add much extra gameplay. I beat the game with all missions cleared with a perfect score in around 5 hours. In addition to being short, another issue is that all of the stuff you can buy is just cosmetic and has no real effect on the game. Getting a new car just changes what car you see in the cutscenes when you go to locations on the map. Redesigning the interior of your house just changes how it looks. The four exotic properties you can purchase are just static scenes showing your character relaxing, with one or two other animated characters, and maybe some animated water. All you can do when you go to one of these places is listen to a relaxing, tropical themed music track until you decide to open the pause menu and leave. They are accessed via the real estate agency in town. Some players may also be annoyed that once you’ve gotten all the money you can in the game, it’s not enough to get everything. As a result, you’ll have to forego at least one thing in the shops. If you’re interested in the game, it’s one that you may want to wait for a sale on. Picklock is available on the Nintendo eShop for $7.99, as well as on Steam.

Picklock has the foundation of a good experience. There are brief moments of actual fun spread throughout, but these are in spite of the game's quirks, not because of it. The awkward controls remove any possible precision, and the sloppy, typo-ridden presentation makes these flaws hard to overlook. With a bit more polish, Picklock could have been a very good stealth title, but as it exists now, players are better off picking a different lock.

Picklock is a creative game that had its potential buried by poorly adjusted controls. Not even the humor, the art style or the soundtrack can avoid the bad impression that the gameplay conveys to the player. Unfortunately, a title that could attract attention within the indie scene will go unnoticed because of completely avoidable game design issues.

Picklock’s journey ends after thirteen levels, which is unfortunate because I enjoyed my time with him. He might not have…stolen…my heart, but he did keep me busy for a few fun hours. If you enjoy strategy or heist games, or amorality, then Picklock is certainly worth your time.

In this Picklock review, we'll try to figure out of the game can succeed among the heavy hitters of the stealth genre or if it's better left in the shadows. Deqaf Studios brings us a game of thievery and deceit where money is the only thing that matters. Commit a series of burglaries as Picklock, a man with a mission, and see how far you can make it on the wrong side of the law.

Not bad, but Picklock has some issues.

Picklock with a cheerful start and an interesting concept quickly gets bored and causes only persistent irritation due to the bad controls and too harsh task conditions. Therefore, after half the game, your desire to play disappears and you do not want to steal printers and toilet paper.