When playing Contraband Police, it is impossible to avoid comparisons with the cult representative of the indie scene - Papers Please. Surprisingly, Polish production is not at a disadvantage here.
When the news broke on Twitch that Polish streamers were playing the native version of Papers Please, it was impossible to ignore it. Everyone wanted to check how our compatriots reacted to one of the best indie games. Whether they’re expanding on Lucas Pope’s brilliant idea or creating a monster that’s an unintentional parody, it’s still worth watching.
smuggling police hit March
“3D Papers Please” turned out to be quite interesting and attracted a large audience. The game also gained popularity on Steam, hitting the top ten bestsellers. But it didn’t mean anything. Streamers can “wind up” certain titles, adding something of their own and creating a temporary “hype”. I had to test the game for myself. Therefore, when the opportunity to receive the code arose, I did not hesitate to use it.
The beginning of the adventure with Contraband Police turned out to be much more dynamic than I could have expected. After a brief background check, which is as sweet as the aforementioned Papers Please, I was forced to leave the site. I had to transport prisoners in a police van, take confiscated contraband to the nearest police station, or buy the tools needed for the job.
In the meantime, I was attacked by bandits who were trying to rescue their colleagues from the column, I chopped down the trees blocking my path with an ax, repulsed the attack of the rebels on the frontier post, and even helped to conduct a police investigation. I also traded vodka, cigarettes and expanded the transport control center.
Not enough documents in this Polish paper please
I couldn’t complain about the lack of activity. The problem is that I basically wanted to do what Papers Please did - control documents. In that gloomy pixel art game, we carefully tested our insight and meticulousness. Plot quests and difficult moral decisions were somewhat on the sidelines.
In the production of Crazy Rocks, the opposite is true. So much to do that I’m happy to be back to driving safely as part of my respite. This is actually the strongest side of this game, because in addition to controlling the aforementioned “papers”, we still have to check the car and the transported goods.
Looking for contraband in tires and under upholstery is a pleasure. The ingenuity of smugglers knows no bounds, and the discovery of a dozen or two wagons of cigarettes in a very small Maluch (in the game as Mikrus) can amaze and make you laugh. It also happens that we miss someone, seemingly as clean as a tear, only to receive confirmation after a while that it was a treacherous swindler with a chest full of drugs.
Papers please 3D plus
Friends asked me if, like in other PlayWay games, we have a simple sense of humor in Contraband Police. While it’s actually a game of a different genre than Papers Please, it doesn’t have any silly jokes from time to time. Of course, this is a satire on communist services, so there is no shortage of playing on stereotypes, but in the end, the exaggeration was probably avoided.
The game itself does not take place in the fictional Arstochka, but in a similar-sounding Akaristan with a strongly associated flag. The control mechanics are even too similar to the one in Papers Please. This can be seen as a kind of homage to Pope’s great work from a decade ago, and considered a plagiarism of a key element of the game. I leave it to individual evaluation. The fact is that checking documents once again turns out to be surprisingly pleasant and addictive.
In Contraband Police this has been expanded accordingly, so you can’t really say it’s just a copy or a 3D copy. The Polish creators, probably to avoid accusations of photocopying someone’s work, added a lot of new gameplay elements here. In many cases, unfortunately, not fully specified.
Contraband Police - a customs simulator with GTA elements?
Shooting in this game is a nightmare, at least with the cheapest weapons. It consists in not caring about the hail of enemy bullets, diligently aiming at one point and cursing over and over again, but when you fail to hit. The driving model is also not similar to GTA. Conversations with NPCs? Forget about it - although there are a lot of characters, you will only communicate here within the framework of story quests.
The graphics themselves are good, meeting the minimum expectations for this type of game. Don’t expect anything above mediocrity, you won’t be disappointed. The music tends to be appropriately Balkan-Slavic and can create an atmosphere of smuggling, and maybe even a “climate”. It even has a story that thickens over time. It is worth waiting for the end of this story, so as not to miss an interesting ending. For me, a solid 7/10.
Although there is a lot of criticism here, you can have a great time in Contraband Police and immerse yourself for at least a dozen or two hours. After a while, we simply abandoned side quests, especially those where you need to shoot. By expanding the base, we also avoid unnecessary trips outside the post office. We’re focusing on what matters most: ripping off bumpers, searching lockers, and gutting luggage for contraband. For the glory of Arstoch… Akaristan!
Source: Wprost
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