Hold-Up and the Art of Working Around a Violent Theme
Plan heists around the City of Brasco to collect loot, solve puzzles, and complete missions over the course of a week in Hold-Up.
Aside from a massive pile of unplayed solo games, I also have more to get to the table! Hold-Up is part of the Graphic Novel Adventures series, which combines elements of graphic novels and roleplaying games. I wasn’t a huge fan of the theme… Robbing locations and threatening violence? Still, I had to give it a whirl to see if it would stay on my shelf!
Game Overview
Game Name: Hold-Up
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Shuky
Artist: Uncredited
Publisher: Van Ryder Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo
Almost all gameplay takes place within the book, while mission progress and a few other details are tracked on an adventure sheet. The goal is to reach the highest scoring tier after a week by choosing missions, collecting loot, and solving various puzzles. Intriguing, yet very violent.
First Play
February 5, 2022
Complexity
1
Latest Play
February 5, 2022
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
1
Play Time
1 Hour & 30 Minutes
High Score
70
Game Area
20" x 12"
Low Score
70
In the Beginning…
I expected a quick rules explanation, but this story started out right away with some action! And a little bit of unnecessary language. Not exactly my cup of tea.
To be fair, I didn’t go into this to tear into the mature rating, for it’s clearly stated. The cover also obviously shows what the adventure will entail. No surprises there!
So I went into this play not looking for negatives, but for the pieces of the adventure I could have a lot of fun with.
This genre is quite a niche market, and I’ve also been wondering if the adventures are for me. Time to find out!
Planning Around Town
After the initial training mission, I had free reign to decide which locations to visit. In all, a full week would pass over the course of 7 missions. But which ones to focus on?
This was a neat aspect and made the choices feel pretty organic. For instance, I steered clear of locations near police stations to avoid danger during my first days.
Locations actually tied together, though, as I could spy certain places I recognized from previous missions.
Even knowing the traffic patterns could provide some useful information. I enjoyed using this map a lot!
Hidden in Plain View
Many of my decisions came down to what I could find in each panel. After all, part of the charm was in finding hidden details. There were even little posters to locate!
As an example, I didn’t notice anything in this panel except for the door number. Missed another path entirely!
That was something else I forgot, though. It’s almost in my old preferences for hide-and-seek. I prefer to do the hiding, not the seeking all the time. Ha ha!
It took some effort to stay focused enough to want to look at every panel in detail. Still, I found lots of cool stuff!
Cleverly Connected
I encountered way too much violence along the way. Again, I don’t want to linger on that aspect, but it took me a bit to find the right sort of photos to share here!
One aspect that turned out to be really awesome was how some of the locations were connected in some ways.
There was a visit to a jewelry store, where no one was injured. But a little conversation led me to learn about a really valuable ring in another location.
When faced with the decision of which ring to take, I knew the right one! Very neat, though I still disliked the theme.
When Does an Undesirable Theme Go Too Far?
Although my top solo games typically involve non-violent themes, I still have a few games in my collection about fighting and even killing. Granted, that’s usually more in the fantasy or sci-fi realm, although I have some wargames I enjoy. So why did this form of violence bother me so much? I honestly think it was in the presentation.
I’ve played and had some fun with games like Escape Plan and The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire. The difference there was simply in the way violence was depicted, often off-screen… If you will! Here, there were blood-soaked panels, wounds, and terrified people. I did my best to just focus on finding the safe routes and most loot. But it was difficult.
The bottom line is that I’m definitely not in the target audience! I still enjoyed using my sharp eyes to find better exits or even spot someone who was about to cause trouble. That chef did not trip me. Nice try. Ha! So I suppose this is more of a lesson to myself to make sure I know what I’m getting into with violent games or graphic novels. Steer clear!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo
Play Details: Little Rascal Difficulty Level
Outcome: 70 Points (Win)
That was a whole lot of cash in the end! Some of the lower-value locations granted me different bonuses, too. Maybe it was fine that I only ended up with 2 victims, but those paths still felt rather… Odd. I had a lot more fun finding the hidden numbers and doing actual scouting at each location to discover special side paths. I won’t be playing again, yet it was still worthwhile to experience it!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
3
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
8
Originality
Design & Theme
9
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
2
+ Pros (Positives)
- Different missions might connect in unusual ways with specific hints that add a layer of excitement and intrigue.
- The world is presented as a bit of an open-concept adventure since there isn’t a single linear path to the end.
- Careful attention to every panel might reveal a hidden number or provide special knowledge about the situation.
- Violence is always ever-present, yet there are ways to get around it and focus on collecting the best available loot.
- Difficulty levels provide ways to make the adventure simple or extremely challenging with skills and items.
- Many elements of the city map can play into each mission, so careful attention when choosing is important.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a lot of bloody violence and terror depicted throughout the book, which is thematic but also a bit much.
- Some puzzles are extremely difficult to solve even with some clues, leading to frustrating failures and lost time.
- Optimal mission choices take a few plays to piece together, yet multiple plays only offer a few unique moments.
- Although hidden numbers are fun to find, there are a couple that blend in too well and are too hard to locate.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Adventure
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 70 points.
Win at least 1 game at the Little Rascal difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played Hold-Up or any of the Graphic Novel Adventures? What are your favorite aspects of gameplay? Even though the theme was well outside of my comfort zone, there were still some fun moments as I explored the city! I was pretty excited when I found some hidden elements and clues, although I’m also happy to be retiring this one for now!
Congratulations, you are not a psychopath.
Now look, I’ve just got this one last job for you, easy in, easy out, good money, nobody has to get hurt…
This would have worked well if it had just cut down on the violence a bit! I think the goal is to limit anyone who gets hurt, but that’s dependent on noticing details and having the right equipment at the right time. Some of these puzzles were really fun, yet I don’t see myself returning due to some of the downright gruesome outcomes. Yikes!