Is there a worse feeling in gaming than being hyped for a title only to feel let down when you finally get your hands on it? Well that’s just happened for me with Crime Boss: Rockay City by Czech developers Ingame Studios.
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On paper this should have been a win – Crime Boss: Rockay City takes the core of Payday and adds in a pinch of classic PSP title Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. and sets it all to a Florida backdrop. One that’s very reminiscent of Miami Vice. To boot, the game also brings some 80’s and 90’s iconic acting stars to the table.
And we are talking the likes of Michael Madsen, Chuck Norris, Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, Michael Rooker, Kim Basinger and Vanilla Ice. So, where did it all go wrong?
Rockay Engine
This FPS throws you into the cowboy boots of Travis Baker, played by Michael Madsen, who is out to make a real name for himself in the legendary Rockay City. The engine is OK for the most part. Shooting feels fun, and many of the objectives or situations are fun i.e. rob banks, shakedown stores or just shoot up other gangs.
But Crime Boss: Rockay City also has action roguelike pretensions, which instantly kill the motivation to build your empire and make that sweet cash. If Baker dies at any point in the campaign, no matter where you are and what you have done, you will have to restart it all over again. And while, everyone loves a good roguelike, given the premise of Crime Boss: Rockay City, what’s the point if one firefight can end it all?
This probably wouldn’t be a huge issue if the game played ball with you on the cash front. You need cash to hire new guns and upgrade your arsenal, but you also lose cash on a day-to-day basis. It’s also a total pain in the backside doing four or five jobs a day; only to bank a miserly few dollars.
Nihilism
And with that roguelike edge you may end up stone dead before you get to spend it. When not getting your own hands dirty you can send your men to start a few turf wars. It’s here where the Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. side sneaks in.
The more you attack the other gangs, the more ground you take the more daily income you’ll bank. In return rival gangs will more frequently attack your turf.
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But it’s a very slow process. You only have a handful of troops to send to each fight and a limited number to recruit each day. 99% of the time, you’ll be fighting these gangbanger tiffs yourself. because your AI backup is nothing more than cannon fodder.
The game lets you do a set number of things in a day; like main jobs or turf wars. But you’ll run out of troops or your crew will need to rest. And so, you’ll have to end the day to “recharge” them. But by doing so with an active gang attack, your turf will lose you cash.
The Worst Type of Difficulty
Crime Boss: Rockay City is one of the most difficult games I have played due to these poor design choices. The roguelike elements of the game would be better served by giving players a chance to get kit and crew members together. On the flipside, that grind to the top would be more manageable, even enjoyable, without the roguelike edge.
On top of the daily missions, there is a story of sorts woven into the mix. This sees you playing as set crew members in Vietnam or stealing fighter jets. But good luck seeing all of this tale since this element also resets once you die.
Same Building, Different Hour
Worth highlighting are the missions themselves. These take place in a number of set locations but with a randomly generated element to them. Building layouts and guard placements change, which helps to keep things somewhat fresh. But you’ll be robbing the same set of stores and battling in the same warehouse too often.
You also get to attack each job as you see fit, but the stealth side of the game is punishing at best, broken at worst. You are better off just shooting up the joint right out of the van. Unless the RNG gods have been extremely kind to you.
Beyond the campaign there are a few other modes to try out. Some of these are, mercifully, a bit more forgiving than the single player side of things. Quick Play mode lets you jump right into the action.
There is also Urban Legends mode, a series of mini campaigns. You tackle these jobs as a crew of very much faceless goons – disappointing given the cast in the campaign. Unless you are willing to grind out the co-op missions to unlock the “special” characters.
However, some of these unlocks are tied to progression in the main campaign. So you may never get to unlock them even if you bank a stupid amount of cash to spend on them. And that’s if the host hasn’t kicked you from the game or the wind blows the wrong way and the game just disconnects.
Stylish Criminals
Crime Boss: Rockay City is, visually, a mixed bag. The game has an undeniably cool style with a real rough edge to it. The same can be said for the characters; some of whom have been given the de-aging treatment. However, there is an extremely weird visual glitch with hair that is very off-putting during the game’s many cut-scenes.
The voice work is a Hollywood-classic hit list. And while Michael Madsen and Michael Rooker put in a shift, you can tell they are not recording in the same room. This is even more evident during cutscenes.
Danny Glover, Danny Trejo, and Chuck Norris, just can’t cut it anymore. And that’s to be expected as they are well into the twilight of their careers. Danny Glover, in particular, sounds too old for this s**t.
Shout out to the soundtrack, though. The selection is anchored by a few classic tracks from The Prodigy, Stereo MCs and, eh, Bon Jovi.
Criminal Decisions
Crime Boss: Rockay City is an utter mess of a game overall. While there are some real elements of fun in there, it’s all let down by the inexplicable core choices. And underpinning all of these sits the decision to make it a roguelike.
Because when you get into things you’ll end up getting clipped and bleed out and your three-to-four hour grind is lost. Over and over and over again.
The Hollywood cast adds a real touch of nostalgia, though its quality is mixed too. The game is overly ambitious and it never managers to nails a single element of that ambitious well enough, which is a crying shame. Somewhere in there is an amazing game, but right now it’s more Z -list than A-list.