Contraband Police

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 32
  3. Negative: 3 out of 32

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  1. Zski
    Mar 14, 2023
    7
    What a pleasant surprise. The immediate comparison in mind is obviously to Papers Please, but this is far greater in scope. Think Papers Please mixed with My Summer Car, or any other solid indie “life simulator”. Its far more than just checking documents as you do in Papers Please, it goes far deeper in terms of gameplay mechanics and moral choices. While each of the gameplay mechanics areWhat a pleasant surprise. The immediate comparison in mind is obviously to Papers Please, but this is far greater in scope. Think Papers Please mixed with My Summer Car, or any other solid indie “life simulator”. Its far more than just checking documents as you do in Papers Please, it goes far deeper in terms of gameplay mechanics and moral choices. While each of the gameplay mechanics are very different in terms of quality and execution, they flow extremely well together and compliment one another. For example the transition from very well refined document/cargo inspection to a relatively unpolished shooting sequence is still an excellent variety of gameplay, even if some of the other sequences aren’t as great. Then your performance is rewarded with money, which can be used to purchase equipment/upgrades for you to do your job better, or some minor luxuries. The moral choices are cool but poorly executed. Granted I think this will be ironed out in time, but it almost feels kind of pointless doing anything other than the moral choice, simply because the moral choice pays so well. Once they balance some of the economics of the game, I think this will better highlight the moral choices. One unfortunate thing about the game is that once you figure out the formula of who to search and where to search, it loses a lot of its magic. Its a game that is best played going in blind.

    The presentation is far from perfect, but good enough to get the job done. Given the size of the studio that made the game, it’s very impressive. But objectively, the graphics and the sound is good enough. The animations are pretty rigid as well. The core enjoyment is the detailed oriented gameplay. I am enjoying this game, and I am excited to see what is in store for the future. I hope more people give it a chance, because there are a lot of hours of fun to be had here. Its around 15 or so hours for a play through before I started to feel a little burned out.    … Expand
  2. Skyyfall
    Mar 12, 2023
    5
    Bad parody of papers please! You can immediately see that the game is too indie, there are a lot of bugs, the plot is straightforward and boring, the game is too long, the control of the cars is terrible, it bothers you to check documents already for 10 days and it’s not as interesting to check as in the original. If you want to get acquainted with this genre of the game, then it's betterBad parody of papers please! You can immediately see that the game is too indie, there are a lot of bugs, the plot is straightforward and boring, the game is too long, the control of the cars is terrible, it bothers you to check documents already for 10 days and it’s not as interesting to check as in the original. If you want to get acquainted with this genre of the game, then it's better to play papers please! This game is already worth playing only for strong fans of the genre or you are interested in the concept itself, but I can say right away that most likely you will quickly abandon this game.… Expand
  3. Asspull
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    this game not bad . playable open world . the story allow player to choose Communist or not .the contents partly is fiction , need more realistic . somehow I really wonder if a fortress can't stop the vehicle rush over , it is weird I can use the police car to block the road for whole day . no one escape .
  4. grihajedy
    Mar 16, 2023
    7
    6,8/10
    До последнего не хотел душнить, как пародия на Papers, Please в 3D - сделано достаточно качественно, ни лагов, ни багов, хорошая графика, достаточное разнообразие в проверках машин,
    Но всё же, игра не смогла сильно отойти от обычного симулятора, если вы хотите пройти её залпом за 1-2 дня, то просто потеряете кучу времени на репетативности, делая одни и те же действия, а вот если    6,8/10
    До последнего не хотел душнить, как пародия на Papers, Please в 3D - сделано достаточно качественно, ни лагов, ни багов, хорошая графика, достаточное разнообразие в проверках машин,
    Но всё же, игра не смогла сильно отойти от обычного симулятора, если вы хотите пройти её залпом за 1-2 дня, то просто потеряете кучу времени на репетативности, делая одни и те же действия, а вот если будете играть часа по 2 в день, чисто отдохнуть, то могу посоветовать,
    Именно к проверке самих машин претензий нет, вам надо отработать ровно 30 дней и каждые где-то 5-7 появляются новые условия, которые въезжающие люди должны соблюдать, при этом вы проверяете всего по 3-4 машины в день, но почти каждый день вы должны отвозить арестованных на каторгу и ещё иногда заезжать отдавать контрабанду, или закупаться инструментами в магазине, очень часто на дороге вам устраивают засаду, очень часто на вашу базу нападают, которую надо отстаивать каждый раз по 5 минут+очень часто надо куда-то сгонять, чтобы также помочь перестрелять бандюганов, а шутер здесь.. это даже не уровень "польского шутера", это просто какая-то базовая деревянная механика стрельбы, где ты просто кликаешь цель, но ни отдачи, никакого импакта нету, хотя после получения первого автомата становится чуть-чуть менее уныло, зачем делать так много "шутера" в игре про проверку бумажек, тем более когда механика ещё так плоха, я не понимаю, а вот водить машины, тут, кстати, на удивление приятно.
    Сюжет тут является антикоммунистическим, вы можете встать на сторону повстанцев, а можете остаться с властью, а можете лавировать и брать себе и от тех, и от других, всё по классике, но как-то всё базово, без изюминки, атмосферно, конечно, но всё же до хотя-бы пятки "Papers, Please" тут как до луны, могли бы хоть сделать возможность диалогов с персонажами и их какие-то персональные ветки развития, работники тут просто пустые функции, которые нужны, чтобы быстрее отстреливаться от засад, если ты их вкачаешь, и, чтобы с тебя списывалось больше за их ежедневное зп.
    Но всё же это нелохая, именно с технической точки зрения, возможность окунуться в 3d мир погран-пункта в авторитарной стране. Немного тратит ваше время, ничем не удивляет, но удовлетворяет.

    Подписывайтесь на Кураторство в Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37365104    … Expand
  5. phantomromano
    Apr 25, 2023
    7
    It´s alright, the expectation the price set kinda matches. It´s basically like an extended Papers Please, but with a lot more busy work around it. Replayability is very low and most choices don´t matter too much, apart from the ones where it´s obvious.

    Overall I enjoyed the game though. I completed it with like a couple of weeks of not playing it in between.
  6. nuglord
    Jun 8, 2023
    7
    + Extremely good amount of content for the price point.
    + Intuitive controls and easy to learn mechanics.
    - Story doesn't carry much depth.
    - Bugs and glitches can be frustrating.
    - Lots of unrealized potential, many aspects of the game feel unfinished.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. GamingTrend
    May 22, 2023
    85
    Contraband Police gives players meaningful choices, both big and small, that make the player feel like they have an impact on the world they find themselves in. Fun and interesting adventures are frequent and well paced, and the game offers a polished core gameplay loop with an action spin that greatly expands on what Papers Please started.
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  2. PLAY! Zine
    May 15, 2023
    80
    To put it simply, Contraband Police is an FPS version of Papers, Please. As a ‘’border patrol sim’’, it offers a great experience and adds some interesting fresh elements to the genre, but is let down by its low replay value.
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  3. Movies Games and Tech
    Apr 4, 2023
    65
    Ultimately, Crazy Rocks makes a valiant attempt at evolving the formula but doesn’t quite stick the landing. If you want another game in the same vein as Papers, Please but with a little extra spice and an additional dimension then this is the absolutely game for you.
    Read full review
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