Hard Time

About

"Hard Time" is a single-player role-playing game with beautiful mechanics and pretty visuals, but marred by bugs and frequent ads. As a prisoner in Southtown Correctional Facility, your goal is to survive your sentence while managing basic needs, reforming, and navigating relationships with inmates and wardens, all while avoiding beat-ups and court cases. Despite occasional frustrations, the game is full of humor and optional tasks to keep things interesting.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 15,334 reviews

graphics258 positive mentions

monetization315 negative mentions

graphics
473 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
33%
12%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they appreciate the game's overall design and character customization, the graphics themselves are often described as outdated or lacking in quality. Some users find the graphics acceptable for a mobile game, while others express a strong desire for improvements, particularly in transitioning to a more modern 3D style. Overall, the consensus suggests that enhancing the graphics could significantly elevate the gaming experience.
- “I love the game it's just amazing the graphics are absolutely beautiful.”
- “The in-depth graphics are simply astonishing.”
- “I also like the graphics a lot, for one person to make a game like this, it's pretty cool.”
- “The graphics are bad.”
- “The graphics belong on the world's first computer.”
- “Very bad game because the graphics and controlling are very bad and difficult.”
humor
403 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is widely praised, with players finding it both hilarious and entertaining, often highlighting the chaotic interactions between characters and the absurd situations that arise. While some users noted that the humor can become repetitive over time, many still found it to be a great source of fun and laughter, making it an enjoyable time-killer. Overall, the game's comedic elements, quirky dialogues, and funny scenarios contribute significantly to its appeal.
- “It's packed with humor and personality, and you'll never get bored while playing!”
- “I love it, this game is freakn hilarious!”
- “This game is so funny the way the police beat up me and the others it's so cool.”
monetization
368 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
2%
86%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, primarily due to the prevalence of unskippable ads and the introduction of paywalls for features that were previously free, such as character customization. Many players express frustration over the game's shift towards a "pay-to-win" model, where essential gameplay elements are locked behind in-app purchases, leading to a perception of the game as a cash grab. While some users suggest turning off Wi-Fi to avoid ads, the overall sentiment indicates that the monetization strategy has detracted from the game's enjoyment and accessibility.
- “It's a lot of fun when you're not a VIP; it's even more fun when you're a VIP because there are no ads and you can edit your character's stats to max them out. I love this game and I would highly recommend it to my friends.”
- “This app is fantastic! No glitches, great characters, fun, and addicting. To all the people who say there are too many ads, just turn off your Wi-Fi and enjoy a no-ads experience.”
- “Great game, one of my favorite mobile games. It plays well and there are hardly any ads.”
- “The game used to be awesome last year when I had it, but now there are so many advertisements there used to be none, it's very laggy now too, and I can't create my own character or back story anymore because it's locked behind a paywall now.”
- “All that's left is a buggy, horrible looking, 'prison sim' with tons of ads, and the only thing that made the game remotely fun has been removed and hidden behind a paywall.”
- “I could handle the ads but when you took away character customization you ruined this app for so many people for a bit of money.”
story
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
The game's story aspect is widely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players expressing a desire for a more engaging narrative and clearer mission objectives. While some enjoy the chaotic interactions and missions provided by NPCs, others find the gameplay repetitive and frustrating due to the absence of a substantial storyline. Overall, players feel that enhancing the story could significantly improve the game's appeal and longevity.
- “This game has told a story that not many '10/10' video games can tell.”
- “Extremely diverse game with an entertaining story.”
- “I love this game because it has a great story.”
- “The game is basic but enjoyable, not really much entertaining since it has no storyline and everything has to include violence.”
- “One of the worst games I have played, no storyline, just a small play environment that has nearly no missions or tasks.”
- “So this game was good at first but I feel like it needs more story; there is no story at all.”
gameplay
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
40%
10%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its humor and simplicity, while others criticize its outdated mechanics, awkward controls, and lack of engaging content. Many users express a desire for additional features, such as crafting systems and more diverse gameplay elements, to enhance the overall experience. Despite its flaws, some players find it a fun time-killer, particularly in its prison setting, though they note that it can become repetitive and boring without more objectives.
- “I love the gameplay and the areas you can move to.”
- “Honestly, I have had this game for a while and I gotta say I didn't expect it to have such smooth gameplay.”
- “For a small indie game with simple mechanics, it's better than most prison games and really fun to become king of prison.”
- “You updated and added some new characters, but the gameplay is the same: crazy difficult until overpowered and boring.”
- “The fighting mechanics are horrendous, the legal system is ridiculously corrupt, the controls are mind-blowingly awful, and the AI is as annoying and moronic as possible. It's very buggy, and the outside world is actually smaller than the prison. My biggest complaint is just how boring it is; half the time I find myself standing around the payphones waiting for a mission or hoping someone will want to bet on a fight or anything to pass the time.”
- “The mechanics are so messed up you just get ganged up on and you can't do anything about it.”
stability
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent glitches, crashes, and freezing issues, particularly when transitioning between areas or after ads. While some players still find enjoyment in the game despite these problems, many express frustration over the frequency and severity of the bugs, which significantly detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is described as "buggy" and "janky," with stability issues being a major concern for a large portion of the player base.
- “This app is fantastic! No glitches, great characters, fun, and addicting. To all the people who say there are too many ads, just turn off your Wi-Fi and no ads will appear.”
- “This app is fantastic! No glitches, great characters, fun, and addicting. To all the people who say there are too many ads, just turn off your Wi-Fi and no ads will appear.”
- “There are quite a lot of glitches, and it crashes my phone.”
- “The game is ridiculously buggy, packed with ads, pay to win, and literally unplayable.”
- “I would like to report an error, there are many errors and glitches in the game which means I can't access the gameplay.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
68%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed feedback; while many players enjoy the soundtrack and find it engaging, they express frustration over the lack of a comprehensive volume control, which prevents them from listening to other audio while playing. Some users appreciate the music's ability to enhance the gaming experience, but others feel that the inability to mute all sounds detracts from their enjoyment. Overall, improvements in audio options and the addition of newer tracks are desired by the community.
- “It feels like every game has its own soundtrack.”
- “The song makes me wanna dance and it also got that x factor.”
- “I love the game because it has my role model Tupac Shakur, the king of rap music.”
- “I'd love to be able to listen to a podcast while playing or perhaps music, but the game is just too loud.”
- “It's a fun game to escape prison, but let's say you're trying to listen to music and play; you can't mute it, that's the only problem I have.”
- “It's a nice game, but once I turn off my phone, I will still hear the music of the game. You gotta fix it.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Users express a desire for better optimization, noting that while the current performance is adequate, there are concerns about compatibility with certain devices. Some players are unsure if the issues stem from their hardware or the game's optimization itself.
- “For this UI, the current performance is enough.”
- “Wish it was more optimized.”
- “I don't know if this is a problem with my phone or if the game hasn't been optimized for this device yet.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express profound emotional connections to the game, describing it as breathtaking and life-changing, with a sense of adventure and inspiration. However, some users note technical issues that detract from the experience, such as unintended movements and button highlights. Overall, the emotional impact of the game is overwhelmingly positive, despite some gameplay concerns.
- “I get so emotional just looking at it, it's just breathtaking. Truly such an amazing, fun, adventurous, life-inspiring, mind-blowing experience of a game. I just love it so much; it changed my life in so many ways. Thank you and God bless you.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration over the monetization of character design changes, feeling that it detracts from their enjoyment of the game. This shift has led to disappointment among long-time players who valued the original character development system.
- “I just cannot believe you have to pay to change the character design now. I used to love this game and decided to play again until I realized this.”
- “Character design is paid.”
- “I don't want to buy the character design anymore.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Many users find that while the initial gameplay is enjoyable, it quickly devolves into a tedious grind after the first 10-20 minutes, diminishing the overall experience.
- “But once you get past those first 10-20 minutes of fun, it becomes a very tedious game.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “After a while, the game turns into a monotonous chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”