Released: 28 March, 2023
Price: $40 USD
A strange game, with an odd trailer to match. This game so far reminds me of those 90s masterpieces, most of which are now outdated internet memes with no relevance in contemporary culture like Vanilla Ice and Chuck Norris.
It has left me wondering what it really aspires to be; it appears to be greatly influenced by other creators, such as the Payday series, with a few roguelike aspects thrown in, alongside growing a criminal drug empire.
Gameplay
Game Modes
You can choose among the primary campaign option, which up to this point has been of poor quality. Following the main character, who you can accompany on jobs in roguelike fashion or replace with others by hiring them to take his place.
The narrative and the game are both ended if he passes away during a job.
You can select from additional modes, such as the Co-op saga or the Quick Jobs, which omit all cutscenes and dialogue in favor of a get in quick game.
Turf Wars
When performing these tasks, you must enter a hostile location with troops that you have hired ahead of time. The more troops you have, the easier it will be to outnumber your adversaries, occupy their portion of the map, and assassinate their crime boss. If you don't succeed, you fail and lose out on that land/money.
Bank and Turf Robbery
If you are familiar with the Payday series, you should know that this is essentially a job you take to steal drugs and money from a rival's shop, bank, or other location. Due to the fact that the developers did not create that game, it feels like a pretty amateurish attempt at imitation. It's a subpar copy.
You have two options: charge in guns blazing or sneak in and steal the goals.
It doesn't really matter because you can enter swiftly, take some cash and loot, with little resistance while running to your getaway. It's not really a good feeling.
Roguelike Features
I'm not sure why this is a feature, especially in a game where the goal is to expand your empire and unseat the drug lord Vanilla Ice. You'll have the choice to select a card that will boost your stats for upcoming missions. These missions could involve any number of things. Damage, health, and steadiness.
Select from a variety of jobs, although none of them are really challenging or distinctive. You can either rob a bank, kill a rival leader, or rob a rival gang. It actually doesn't matter because they are all equivalent in the end.
Presentation
It doesn't look bad
It unmistakably has the vibe of a game from 2018 or earlier rather than one that would be released in 2023. The systems have just too many problems.
The enemies you face in combat are not all that different from one another, usually with same face with either a hat, moustache, or nothing at all, and they spawn in from random locations rather than coming in cars or helicopters as you would expect from police. Combat also feels really dull because of this.
The voice acting is bad
I'm not sure if this game is intended to be serious or satirical due to voices.
The main issue is how much it is focused on the major Hollywood characters, each of which has their unique acting style. When one character is shouting while the other is speaking in a lower-pitched or less abrasive tone in a certain circumstance, it seems out of character and ruins the mood they try to set.
Conclusion
I so far can not take it seriously
I can't get over the voice acting and the emphasis on the cutscenes among all the other things that bug me. Not to mention how many of the cutscenes have a continual focus on the female actresses chest and rear.
It just doesn't seem like a game that was properly planned, feeling more like a short film as opposed to something housing quality gameplay or narrative.
I'll need some time to finish the game and the story from the viewpoint I currently have in mind, but from my current perspective, it's not worth your time.
My initial thoughts on this game come to a close with the caveat that, while others may disagree, that is what makes gamers unique. You don't have to share their interests or agree with them and are welcome to critic me on mine.
If you want to catch me on one of my streams or locate me on social media, you may do so at the following locations, I'm always playing something new.
- Pawkt