A very nice puzzle, time manipulation, group management game that I haven't really experienced before.

YAY:
Works flawlessly with an Xbox controller, the time manipulations tools feels right and easy to use.
The art is nice and gives the feel of an industrial Birmingham early 1900's-1920's.
There are currently 10 levels which are rewarded based on time (gold / silver / bronze) and are re-playable in the campaign.

NAY:
There is no voice acting whatsoever which I was a little disappointed with but given the price I guess that's fair.

MEH:
I'm not sure this has much if any re-play ability. At it's core it is a puzzle game and once you have a perfect level I see little reason to play it ever again other than maybe for a better time but meh.

Considering the price and my bias towards the series 8/10 razor blades.
I would recommend.

Playing status: 100% achievement
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (11 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a puzzle adventure game featuring a group of the Peaky Blinders gang. You'll be able to control a character from the said gang, switch between the available characters, and rewind and forward time to coordinate their movements to accomplish a certain task with perfect coordination. Since the game is based on a TV show that I haven't watch before, this review will be based on that.

Pros:
- 10 levels
- 2 difficulties
- Unique concept where you get to control more than one character to sync their movements

Cons:
- Pressing the R button to get back to the previous event might cause the future events to be deleted
- Unable to fast forward time if the person that you are controlling hasn't gone to that timeframe yet

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like to play puzzle games that focus on coordination, buy this game.

---

The game has superb-looking visuals. Both cutscenes and character portraits look realistic while simplistic at the same time. It looks as if it's an actual person with some sort of filter to make them look 2D. However, I had trouble distinguishing between two characters, Tommy and John, due to their similarities in the cutscenes.

As someone who never watched the TV show, I got confused with the story at first. I didn't know what Peaky Blinders is or what the characters are doing at all. I only get the gist of what they did after I spent some hours in the game, and somehow, that's also the time when the plot comes around. I enjoyed the bickering between the characters, and their talking style reminds me of the ones in western movies. All characters look tough from their way of talking, and they held themselves in such high regard that makes them look cool, even the kid. It was fun to see them going in action, and I even admit that some scenes are funny because of it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2432233543

Gameplay
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind's gameplay focuses on coordinating action between more than one character. You'll be able to control all characters one by one, with an ability to rewind and fast forward time to control the other character at the same timeframe. This can prove to be challenging since you need to figure out where the character is supposed to go and execute their actions perfectly. The rewind feature also means that you can always redo your action until you are satisfied since your time will be limited.

More characters will be playable later on, each with different perks. You need to utilize each character's skill to reach your objective, and this also includes having them cooperate with each other. You might have to coordinate two characters to pull on a lever at the same time to get a third person to pass through an obstacle or distract a guard so the other characters can pass the area. This will require some perfect coordination sometimes, and that's what sets the game apart from the others.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2205201183

Length and Difficulty
Sadly, the game is quite short. I finished all 10 levels in 7.4h, and that's after obtaining all achievements. The game has 2 difficulties, with the easier, default one having a marker on where you are supposed to move your character, which really helps in one of the levels to prevent you from getting overwhelmed. The game can be taxing and hard to learn at the beginning, but you'll enjoy it once you get it covered. However, there isn't any replayability value unless if you want to collect all collectibles or finish a run without getting caught by the guards. Some characters couldn't be seen by any guards, so you need to have other characters distract them before getting past.

Problems
The game can be problematic if you are not using your mouse. Pressing the R button to rewind the game to the previous event might delete the future actions of that character, and rewinding the time with the Q button, which will rewind the game for a few seconds, is way too slow. Lastly, you won't be able to fast forward the time if a character that you are controlling hasn't been controlled up to that period. Some levels require some characters to wait in a certain spot for a few seconds, so it can be annoying to wait sometimes.

I enjoyed playing Peaky Blinders: Mastermind. The game confused me at first with their story and controls, but it won't take long before you get used to both. It is fun to control all characters one at a time and it feels great to see that you can pull the action off with perfect coordination. As someone who hasn't watched the TV series, it got me interested in the series because of this game; the story concept looks promising and the dialogues are amusing to read.

Despite the short playtime, I feel satisfied playing it, mainly because the last 2 levels which are harder than the others. However, if you are concerned with the price to playtime ratio, you can buy it on a sale. Note that the game quality is decent enough to pay more from the discounted price.

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TL;DR a relatively short RTT game with some unique mechanics


PLOT
I am somewhat a Peaky Blinders (the TV show, not the mafia crime family) fan, currently watching season 5, and was hoping this game will scratch the Peaky Blinders itch somewhat.
It doesn't.
For better or worse.
The plot is non-existent, and basically happens before season 1 starts, so it doesn't add anything to the world of the show.
So if you're a Peaky Blinders fan (like me) you won't get any satisfaction in that regard.
But on the other hand, if you never watched the show - you won't miss anything when you play the game.

I will get you up to speed in no time:
Arthur, Thomas (Tommy), John and Finn are the Shelby brothers (arranged by age).
And Ada Shelby is their sister.
Polly Grey is their aunt.
They are a Gipsy crime family from Smal Heath, Birmingham.
They are called Peaky Blinders (due to their signature caps, and their affinity to blinding people by cutting out their eyes).
Tommy is the head of the family.

That's all the background from the show you need for the game.


GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is the best part of the game.
It's an RTT (real-time tactics) similar to the classic "Commandos" games, the modern "Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun" or "Desperados III".
You control various members of the Peaky Blinders, while they attempt to perform various missions.
The novelty comes from the fact that you are able to control time (move it backward of forward), so instead of restarting the level when caught or defeated, you can now rewind and try a different approach.
The game utilizes that mechanic, by combining several characters in the same mission, and making you synchronize their actions in order to help each other.
The level progression is very well made, allowing you to learn step-by-step how to utilize this game mechanic, and perform increasingly complex tasks with multi-person cooperation.

LENGTH
The one "weak" aspect of the game is it's length.
I was able to fully finish the 10 levels of the game within 6 hours (and I'm a person who likes to leisurely play games, rather than rushing them).
It's not necessarily a bad thing - sometimes these games can be too-drawn out.
And this offers a nice little adventure for gamers.
I will say that I wouldn't have paid full price ($25) for the game of this length.
As I got it in the bundle with 9 other games, all together for $5 (Fanatical Killer Bundle 14) - it was definitely worth the price. And some.

currently free key on Fanatical until tomorrow. 👀

Btw i recommend watching the Peaky Blinders series on Netflix, definitely worth it.

10 missions only. some tend to be 2min long...
30 fps lock.
no 21:9 support.
honestly looks like a mobile game which cant really justify higher then $5 price tag...

1) Unstable 30fps lock - I can live with 30fps in general, but this implementation is horrible - forget about smoothness.
2) Gameplay & dialogues are abysmal - this seems like a very cheap mobile game port, sorry devs.

I just finished Peaky Blinders: Mastermind and I got to say it is a good puzzle game. It is fairly short with me finishing it in around 3 hours. Most of the earlier levels are straightforward and easy while the latter levels require the use of many different characters. However the game is fairly easy and has vary few levels. I enjoy the mechanic of time travel and how the player controls many characters and synchronizing the events to move smoothly is a amazing. It is a solid game for me, however I would personally recommend to buy this game on sale because of a lack of content.

Is this game a masterpiece?

I decided to do some research before writing this review and began to watch the Netflix series "Peaky Blinders". Now I am into Season 2 and still have not written my review. The series is great, though.

Back to the game. So, is it a masterpiece? No, most likely not, but it is a reasonably good game. I'll begin with some of the obvious shortcomings, like they did not use any voice-overs nor the original primary theme music from the series. Probably because of budget restraints. The game does not support ultrawide screen, it works, but not perfect. While it has been translated into a bunch of languages, you cannot switch the language, it just uses your default windows language setting. Annoying. My biggest gripe is the relatively short duration, though. You cannot play through it in an hour or two, but don't expect to be occupied for a month. You will soon run out of missions, even though the later ones are challenging.

Taking control of the Shelbys right before the start of the TV show, you have to control key gang members (Tommy, Arthur, Polly and the rest of the gang) to achieve some story-based missions in Small Heath. You move your (up to 6) characters in real-time, but can pause anytime. Pausing is necessary, because you have to coordinate the actions of your different characters to succeed. You also have to move back and forth in time, issuing orders, similar to Iron Danger. For example, Ada distracts a guard, Finn sneaks by. It gets more complicated soon :-). Thommy can influence neutral characters as well, which gives you the opportunity to control them for a short time, sometimes under time pressure. If you make a mistake, just rewind the time and try it again. The challenge lies in the perfect coordination of your whole team.

The game is divided into 10 missions (reach that point, talk to that guy, burn that house...) that have to be finished in the allocated time limit. Your goal is to finish the missions (obviously) and be as fast as possible. You can also find hidden collectibles (watches). Pausing the real-time also pauses the time limit. The visual presentation is not bad, lots of little details, nice pictures between the missions.

I was using m+kb to play the game, using a controller is also possible. 2 difficulty settings. Saving during a mission is possible, but only one save slot.

Conclusion:
Decent real-time (pausable) time-controlling puzzle game using the characters and setting from the popular TV show.

Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a strategy/puzzle game. The game is not very long with only 10 missions. The time"travel" mechanic is something unique for sure, but the game plays like a little mobile game and seems like it.

You have up to four different characters a mission and solve little riddles with every one of them. You can swap between them any time and manipulate the time to open a door with someone and move through it with another one. Every character has a "special" ability (for example: someone can move around cops without triggering an alarm. Another one can manipulate some people for a few seconds..).

The story wasn't engaging in the little time i spend with it since i don't know the tv series. There also is no voice acting. For what you get 25€/USD is way to much.It's okayish for around 8€/USD but nothing more. Don't waste full price on it. If it were cheaper, i would consider giving it a thumps up but not for that price.

If you like my review and are into strategy games please consider following my curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38553778-All-about-Strategy-Games/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=HAH_FwzBAPU

By order of the Peaky ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Blinders, this is a pretty delightful puzzle game. Absolutely love the show so was keen to check out the game for it. It's a puzzle and adventure game within the Peaky Blinders world where you can play as characters from the show like Tommy, Arthur and Ada Shelby etc.
The game is fun with the crucial usage of time manipulation in order to solve puzzles and progress through the levels. You start off by controlling only Tommy but throughout the levels, you are able to control more than one and switch between them in order to progress. Like for example, you use Ada to distract some people by talking to them and using her charm, and then rewind and switch to Tommy to slip past them; or talking to a guard in order to control them for a few seconds, have them open the door for a few seconds, switch back and rewind to go through said door. Of course, things would get more complicated where you need to do multiple actions and then rewind to progress, as well as more characters to control.
Visuals looks good from the still shots with dialogue for the story during cutscenes, though without voice acting, and the top down view when actually playing the game. Some actiony kind of music is also cool to listen to when playing. Puzzles start off simple but the difficulties do go up nicely where you need to plan/think a bit more to get past it. Each level also has a rating ranging from bronze, silver and gold depending on how fast you complete them, as well as collectables. So there is replayability in trying to finish within the time limits and collecting them all.
Overall, i'd recommend it to fans of the show as well as those who enjoy puzzle games, as the time manipulation aspect is quite fun to play