Rescue Team: Heist of the Century

Rescue Team: Heist of the Century is a time management game developed by Game Mixer and published by Alawar Entertainment. It is the thirteenth game in the Rescue Team series. In this latest installment, priceless works of art are being stolen and at the same time, natural disasters are happening. As always, it's up to the rescue team to deal with these disasters, and this time, a museum curator joins them as he helps to recover the stolen works of art and to track down the thieves.
As for the gameplay, there are a total of 50 story levels, along with 15 bonus levels that are unlocked after you complete the story levels. You can choose among the usual three difficulty levels: relaxed, normal, or hard. In each level, you're given a number of tasks to complete, which can range from rescuing stranded people to recovering stolen works of art. Assuming that you play on timed mode, you can earn up to 3 coins (the equivalent of 3 stars) per level. Coins can be used in the shop on the map of the game. The shop has items which can help your rescue team complete tasks more efficiently, such as firefighters putting out fires much faster. As you progress through levels, you'll encounter clues about the thieves, which will enable you to track them down. As this is a collector's edition, there are the usual bonuses like wallpapers, walkthrough, etc. In addition, there are the usual Steam/in-game achievements although no Steam trading cards at the time of this review.
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my critique. I enjoy time management games in general, and I've been fan of the Rescue Team series. It's amazing that this is the thirteenth game. First, the story is a little on the unusual side. Although there are the usual natural disasters to deal with, there's the issue of having to recover stolen works of art. It made me wonder how these two problems are related although later in the story, the answer is revealed. I won't go into spoilers about that, but I'll just say that it has to do slightly with the previous game. The story itself is fun and enjoyable although as I said, a bit unusual. As for the gameplay, it's just as fun as ever although most of the mechanics are the same as in the previous games. The only addition is the recovery of art although all you really need is the renovator's tent (where the museum curator resides) and the necessary food and money, which can be produced by building a burger shop and house, respectively. This might be a little boring for those who want something drastically new, but the gameplay works for me. All of the achievements unlocked easily, so I had no issues getting them.
In regards to the art, it retains that same style as in the previous games. It's cartoony, and the colors are bright and vibrant. Again, it might be a bit boring for those who want something different. Finally, the soundtrack is the same as in the previous games. As far as I could tell, there weren't any new tracks, which is a little disappointing. Although I do like the tracks that are in the game, it would have been nice for there to have been one or two new tracks to add a bit of variety.
Overall, would I recommend Rescue Team: Heist of the Century? If you like time management games, are a fan of the Rescue Team series, and don't mind the lack of variety, then this is worth getting. I enjoy the series despite that it feels pretty much the same by now. However, I suppose there's that saying that if something isn't broken, don't fix it. It might apply here. XD The achievements are easily obtainable, so that may appeal for those who like getting them. For the asking price, I'd say it's worth getting. If you're playing solely for the achievements, then it'll probably take around 9 hours to get all of them. However, if you want to play through all of the levels (truly 100% completing the game), then it might take around 11.5 hours. (I had to replay a few levels to earn the maximum 3 coins per level.) Of course, you can wait to get it on a sale, and it's also in a couple of Steam bundles, so if you already have the other games in those bundles, you can save quite a bit. ^^
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Absolutely fabulous little game. I play a lot of these sorts of game and they are generally a waste of money lol. The story is always the same and the game difficulty is set for 3 year olds to play. They're always too easy, even on 'difficult' mode.
HOWEVER THIS GAME is fabulous. You can rarely complete with 3 stars on your first attempt and some have had me guessing for up to an hour!!! For those who might like there is also a guide for each level so if you don't like to work it out you can simply follow the guide. I'm almost finished now and have almost 30 hours played.
Worth ever penny and thanks so much for a game that actually makes you think!
Cassi

I love the game but am currently unable to get past level 17 as the store will not let me purchase oil and I can not build an oil station ... very annoying. But was great up until then.

Just when I thought the Rescue Team series was about to die from lack of juice, here comes Heist of the Century. Playing in Hard mode (there are three modes), I could not have asked for a more fun challenge within the context of (re)building structures, saving the art world's treasures and (of course) rescuing people dying of various ailments or drowning in the water. All this to do within a level's time frame of around 6 minutes or less.
After a big let-down with Alawar's new-ish offering The Brave Deeds of the Rescue Team, it's good to know the well hasn't dried out with the regular format. Waiting for the next one

LOVE this series of games!! I have played it at least 4 times so fart!