Contraband Police: Prologue
- February 16, 2021
- Crazy Rocks
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamContraband Police: Prologue is a 5-day training at the border station. Follow the orders of commissioner Andreyev and learn all the main game mechanics.The year is 1981, and as a young officer trainee, you are assigned to work at a border post in the mountainous region of Karikatka. Entry into the Acarist People's Republic is strictly regulated by the party and your every move is monitored! The si…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of border inspection mechanics and investigative gameplay, making it engaging and fun.
- The graphics and attention to detail create an immersive experience, enhancing the overall gameplay.
- The demo provides a solid introduction to the game, leaving players excited for the full release.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including lag and frame rate drops, especially during driving sections.
- Some mechanics, such as the driving and shooting, feel clunky and could use improvement.
- The prologue is relatively short, leaving players wanting more content and a more extended gameplay experience.
- gameplay108 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique blend of border inspection and investigative mechanics, offering a satisfying loop of checking documents and uncovering contraband. While many players appreciate the depth and variety of gameplay elements reminiscent of "Papers, Please," there are concerns about the shooting mechanics and performance issues that need addressing. Overall, the game shows promise with engaging mechanics and replay value, though it requires further polish and optimization.
“The mix of border inspection mechanics and investigative gameplay creates a unique experience that kept me hooked.”
“The gameplay loop of checking documents, inspecting vehicles, and uncovering contraband is both simple and satisfying.”
“The game has so many mechanics, it's really surprising; you do not just check documents and cars for contraband, but you check the vehicle for broken lights, etc.”
“Shooting mechanics are pretty poor for a 2021 game, but it's alright.”
“Sounds, graphics, and gameplay are so bad I was about to spoon my eyes out and fill my ears with mercury and cement the entrance so I was sure it would stay in and cause as much damage as possible.”
“The mechanics of the game could become a little tricky, especially with the crosshair; sometimes it's easy to miss the target.”
- story96 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed feedback, with some players praising its immersive details and potential for a larger narrative, while others criticize it for being too short and underdeveloped. Many express a desire for more content, branching paths, and a deeper storyline, indicating that while the foundation is intriguing, it needs further expansion and refinement to fully engage players. Overall, the story is seen as a promising prologue that leaves room for growth in future updates.
“The story is gripping and full of surprises.”
“Characters are well-written, with plot twists that will arise.”
“The game really has some potential, of course I would like more stuff, like maybe more story-driven with different routes and endings.”
“It feels like they copied a lot from 'Papers, Please', but without any nuance or driving story.”
“I'm afraid to say this game will be a repetition simulator without something to give it a purposeful meaning (like a story would).”
“There's no 'story' or narrative throughline of any kind.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many users praising their high definition, realism, and immersive quality. While some players noted minor performance issues and a need for optimization, the visuals are often described as appealing and fitting for the game's theme. However, a few reviews expressed disappointment with the aesthetic choices, suggesting that they detracted from immersion.
“The game is very realistic and immersive, with detailed graphics, sound effects, and physics.”
“The graphics are amazing and running it on my laptop with an RTX 3050 graphics card, it stuttered in some places but on the whole, it is a really nice game.”
“The graphics are awesomely stylistic, the tone of the characters is spot on, the atmosphere is great, and inspecting travelers is just fun!”
“Sounds, graphics, and gameplay are so bad I was about to spoon my eyes out and fill my ears with mercury and cement the entrance so I was sure it would stay in and make as much damage as possible.”
“There is nothing in the name of graphics optimization in the game; FPS is awful.”
“This game was laggy and slow even on the lowest graphics settings, especially during the driving section.”
- optimization32 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, stuttering, and lag, even on decent hardware. While some enjoy the gameplay mechanics, they express frustration over the lack of graphical optimization and the need for improvements to enhance overall performance. Overall, players hope for future updates to address these optimization issues, as they detract from an otherwise enjoyable experience.
“Besides the game's performance and optimization, almost everything else is very enjoyable. The ability to get a gun from Vlad's tool shop on day 3 before day 5 is amazing.”
“Nice game! I think it only needs more FPS optimization. I hope they add AMD FSR; it will give the game a nice graphic boost with FPS.”
“Optimization is great; not a single crash or bug was spotted.”
“And the optimization is bad; there are stutters here and there.”
“Too laggy and poorly optimized; this seems to be a common issue with games made by this specific developer.”
“The game can be good, but the driving is bad, the movements are clunky, and the game is not optimized to run smoothly.”
- music16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its catchy and immersive qualities, particularly the authentic Russian tracks that enhance the overall atmosphere. Players appreciate the strong sound design and how the music complements various gameplay moments, from leisurely drives to intense chases. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as a standout feature that adds depth to the gaming experience.
“The sounds are all realistic and the Russian style of music that plays in the truck radio is a perfect mood-setter, be it a leisurely drive to buy supplies or a high-speed chase.”
“Sound design is strong, the language and music fits the game very well.”
“The music in this game is just filling noises, there is no real music.”
“The music in this game is very catchy, almost addicting.”
“The sounds are all realistic, but the music feels more like background noise than an integral part of the experience.”
- humor15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying its absurd scenarios, such as frisking goats and engaging in over-the-top chases. Many find the comedic elements to be both entertaining and unexpected, contributing to a fun gameplay experience, despite some minor frustrations with mechanics. Overall, the game is described as a hilarious blend of quirky situations and dark humor, reminiscent of titles like "Papers, Please."
“From accidentally frisking goats to chasing smugglers like it's the Olympics, you won't stop laughing.”
“I can't believe I'm laughing at this, but I find it incredibly sick yet funny as hell that you can stab the person smuggling contraband.”
“The game is fantastic, there is a lot of stuff to do and it's really funny. I hope they are going to implement multiplayer so that you can play with some friends because that way it's going to be the perfect game.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 42 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and tedious, often requiring a significant investment of time to progress. While some acknowledge that it can be manageable and even enjoyable for puzzle enthusiasts, many express that it detracts from the overall experience, suggesting improvements to streamline the process.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Lots of grinding.”
“This was just tedious and would be fixed by having the ability to simply move the inspection report around on your screen.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its visual appeal and authenticity, effectively capturing the essence of its setting. While some users note minor clunkiness and areas needing polish, the overall ambiance and stylistic graphics contribute to an engaging experience. Comparisons to similar titles suggest it may lack some charm, but the atmosphere remains a strong point.
“The atmosphere it creates is so accurate to this part of the world.”
“The graphics are awesomely stylistic, the tone of the characters is spot on, the atmosphere is great, and inspecting travelers is just fun!”
“And boy oh boy, that atmosphere.”
“They're minor details, but they go some way to throw off the atmosphere.”
“Compared to 'Papers, Please', it may lack some of the atmosphere and charm, and a bit of polishing may be needed here and there, but all in all, the demo is promising.”
“Great looking game with a nice atmosphere, but it's very clunky.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to clear instructions and the variability in gameplay scenarios, making it engaging for multiple playthroughs. Many consider it almost infinitely replayable, although some question the replayability of the story itself.
“Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
“Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
“Great game, instructions were pretty clear and each gameplay scenario is slightly different from the previous, which gives it a lot of replay value.”
“☐ replayable story?”
- stability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, user feedback on stability is mixed; while some players report no glitches and commend the developers for their efforts in avoiding common pitfalls of buggy releases, others have experienced freezing issues, particularly with the prologue. Despite some minor bugs, the game appears to be more stable than many similar titles in early access.
“I encountered no glitches.”
“I encountered no glitches.”
“So I downloaded the prologue... and as soon as it starts, it just freezes... what a great game that doesn't work xd.”
“I've seen similar games that have been released as a buggy mess and forever left at the 'early access' stage, and if the demo and prologue are anything to go by, it looks like the developers have actually put the effort in to not follow the trend of churning out a broken game and never fixing any of the issues.”
“Even if it has bugs and a few glitches.”
