Recent reviews by Michael

I would describe Contraband Police as being quite similar to Papers, Please. In both games, you work at a border crossing of a fictional eastern European country in the 1980s, and are tasked with deciding whether people enter or not based on the rules. In some ways this game is simpler than Papers, Please, but in most other ways, it is much more complex. In Papers, Please, the challenge came from trying to process people as quickly as possible without making mistakes in order to earn more money, with the challenge coming from more advanced paperwork as the game progressed, along with some moral dilemmas.

In Contraband Police, time isn't so much an issue, and instead the challenge comes from making sure your report for each entrant is as accurate as possible, making sure each individual document is accurate and if not, why it's not. You get paid more the more accurate your report is, and that money goes towards making your outpost better. And there are more systems than just checking the paperwork. There's searching for contraband, capturing fugitives, transporting prisoners and contraband, a black market system. There are also some first person shooting segments that handle decently, and can happen suddenly, which can keep you on your toes.

I do have some issues. For one, the labor camp where you deliver prisoners and the police headquarters where you deliver contraband are on opposite ends of the map, so driving to both can get a bit tedious at times. The shootouts are a bit easy too. I found that early on I was able to pull off headshots pretty easily with my pistol just popping out from behind a tree and lining up my sights. The enemies only become especially challenging if you encounter a lot of them and they all get real close to you. That or you're in a car and can't get out quickly enough before they shoot your car into a fireball. They can still kill you if you aren't paying attention in a scripted firefight so it's not totally mindless, but it could be better. When it comes to each inspection, the order of the vehicles and each one's specific problems aren't randomized like in Papers, Please, so there's no reason not to refresh the day if you feel like you've messed up, since you'll know what to expect. While the overall themes of the story are clear, no one character is given enough screen time or development to stand out or be memorable.

Still though, Contraband Police is a good time for those who like going over details and making sure everything is in order. The FPS segments could be improved but they're still fun to me. Running the outpost and watching it get better over time felt good. And I think aping Papers, Please really helped it in a way. I recommend giving it a chance if you feel like this kind of title would interest you. At least, play the demo first and decide if it's for you. I know I did.

I really love this game's unique premise, asking you to look up information yourself to help you move forward in your cases. It's a mechanic that, for me at least, really makes you feel smart for finally finding the answers you're looking for after spending so much time searching for it. The pixel art is lovely, and you can tell the artists spent so much time on the locations and characters.

There are flaws to this game though. The game was perhaps just a tad too short for my liking. While I did enjoy the story, I feel like it could have branched a bit more. I also encountered a few glitches over my time, such as time sensitive missions failing you early, and lines of dialogue that play at the wrong time, though these can probably be patched. There were a lot of times where I felt like more voice acting would have been well suited for some scenes. I wouldn't be surprised if a director's cut were released somewhere down the line.

Still, I feel the positives outweigh the negatives for me. The puzzles are interesting enough, the worldwide locations, when used correctly, are beautiful, and the characters are intriguing enough to keep someone like me invested until the end. If you're a fan of mystery games and figuring things out yourself, I'd recommend checking this one out.