Contraband Police

Contraband Police is a simulation game developed by Crazy Rocks. The game was released in 2023 and offers players the opportunity to experience the life of a customs officer in a fictional country called Acaristan. In this review, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of the game, as well as its gameplay and user experience.

About the game

Contraband Police offers a realistic experience of what it is like to be a customs officer at a border post. Players must search vehicles passing through customs for contraband, drugs and other illegal items as well as interact with drivers and ask questions to determine if they are hiding anything.

The game features a variety of tools and equipment to help players do their job, such as a telescopic mirror to search under vehicles and a metal detector to look for hidden objects. There is also a wide variety of illegal items that players can find, making each inspection unique and exciting.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Contraband Police is simple and easy to understand. Players use the mouse to interact with vehicles and drivers, and must make quick and accurate decisions to avoid mistakes and meet the game's objectives. The user interface is intuitive and easy to use, allowing players to focus on gameplay rather than mechanics.

Although the game can get repetitive after several inspections, the variety of illegal items players can find and the thrill of finding something new make the game fun and exciting.

Contraband Police can be compared to similar law enforcement simulation games such as Papers, Please and This is the Police by focusing on the life of a customs officer at a border post rather than on law and order in general. In addition, Contraband Police offers a realistic experience of what it's like to be a customs officer and the game mechanics are designed specifically for that purpose.

Review: 7/10

Contraband Police is an exciting simulation game that offers a realistic experience of what it is like to be a customs officer at a border post. The variety of tools and equipment available makes the game exciting and unique, and the user interface is intuitive and easy to use. However, the game mechanics can get repetitive after several inspections and the lack of a story or predefined missions may be a negative aspect for some players.

Pros:

• Offers a realistic experience of what it is like to be a customs officer at a border post
• The variety of tools and equipment available makes the game exciting and unique
• The user interface is intuitive and easy to use
• Players can find a wide variety of illegal items, making *each inspection unique

Cons:

• Game mechanics can get repetitive after several inspections
• Lack of a story or predefined missions can be a negative for those looking for a clearer structure and direction in the game
• The difficulty of the game can be high for some players, which can be frustrating

A border patrol simulator set in a communist country, Contraband Police puts players in the shoes of a border inspector in a zone riddled with smugglers. Through careful examinations and detailed checks, players must conclude if someone is allowed entrance to the country, or if they must be immediately detained.

Developed by Crazy Rocks, this interesting game uses a premise we’ve heard before, although the 3D setting and car mechanics help to innovate the concept. Despite some minor shortcomings, Contraband Police looks to be a promising game that appeals to a dedicated player base.

Documents, if you please

At first glance, both the gameplay and the setting of Contraband Police might look very familiar to Papers, Please. While that videogame had a somewhat linear plot, Contraband Police feels more like a simulator game. Most of the time, players will have to check the vehicles of people trying to get into their country.

The main objective of Contraband Police is to detect potential smugglers. Whereas in Papers, Please players had to be on the lookout for fake papers, the objective here is a bit more complex. Players will have to dismantle cars, checking under every nook and cranny to make sure that nothing dangerous is getting past their borders.

A bit of context

The game is set in the communist country of Acaristan in the early 80s. More specifically, you work in the Karikatka border crossing. This area is a popular crossing point, with smugglers being a common occurrence around these parts. As a border patrol inspector, your job is to make sure that every vehicle that crosses the border is clean.

If you suspect that someone might be hiding something illicit in their cars, you have full authority to dismantle them to expose their contraband. After checking that everything is fine with their documents, players will need to check their reference handbook to spot any possible discrepancies with travelers’ cargo.

This aspect of the game is quite similar to Papers, Please, yet Contraband Police manages to feel like a more detailed simulation than its 2D counterpart. However, 3D graphics aren’t necessarily an upgrade, and Contraband Police is the perfect example of that.

Lost in translation

While most gameplay mechanics in Contraband Police are solid, the same can’t be said for its visuals and overall presentation. To put it succinctly, the game feels sterile, with a decided lack of polish that makes the entire product feel cheap.

Character models look like they belong in a twenty years old game. That’s especially disappointing when the environments don’t look nearly as bad as the characters do. Vehicle models are adequate, with lots of moving parts that can be closely inspected.

For a game that takes such obvious inspiration in Papers, Please, the lack of a soundtrack is something that has to be seen to be believed. There’s not much to hear in this game, other than the rumble of the engines and some distant birds. This audio void can get jarring very quickly, and the game could have been improved even by using some basic tunes.

Pros:

• Checking travelers and finding smugglers can be very satisfying
• Detailed vehicle models
• Fun gameplay

Cons:

• Stale visuals
• Terrible sound design