Prison Architect (PS4) – riotous entertainmentThe spirit of Theme Park lives on, as last year’s PC hit comes to consoles and proves that even the weirdest of jobs can make a good video game.There’s something almost subversive about making very dull jobs into compelling video games. It’s not even that uncommon a concept, and that’s without counting all the bizarre low budget and games. Prison Architect comes from a prouder tradition of business simulations, popularised by ’90s games such as Theme Park and Theme Hospital. Prison Architect isn’t really a spiritual sequel though, and is very much its own strange thing.A quick search on Amazon reveals that a series called Prison Tycoon is already up to sequel number five, but since we’ve never heard of it we’re reticent to believe that’s any sign of quality. But it does prove that the idea of running your own prison is perhaps not as peculiar to everyone as it seems to us. As with any game all that matters is that you get entertainment, in some form, from it and that’s certainly true of Prison Architect.
But it also has a surprising, and disturbing, insight into human nature. AdvertisementIf you’ve played the excellent retro-themed then the top down view and prison theme used here will be immediately familiar.
Although Prison Architect’s focus is very different. Instead of trying to escape from prison the real goal here is designing one that nobody will ever get out of. In a general sense it has a lot in common with games like The Sims or SimCity, although here you’re building purely for function and not any kind of aesthetic quality.Nobody designs prisons to look pretty, and as you start plonking down cells and building canteens and hospitals you again begin to wonder why anyone thought this was a good idea for a video game. Especially as the simulation is deep enough that you have to worry about details like connecting up water supplies and electricity (This is an American prison, so electricity has an additional, sinister, role. Although developer Introversion are, like the creators of both Theme Hospital and The Escapists, British.)Beyond the default sandbox mode there is a story campaign to try and give some sort of structure to what you’re doing, and thankfully the tutorial is a lot more helpful in the console edition than it was on PC. It manages to explain the various concepts surprisingly well and also helps you get to grips with the game’s controls, which as you’d imagine are radically different to the PC.
But they work so well that we’re tempted to suggest that this is the best PC to console conversion ever for a strategy game, in terms of making what was designed for a mouse and keyboard work on a joypad. AdvertisementOne thing that is hard to teach though is fiscal responsibility, and most of the game’s troubles revolve around not being able to build or staff your prison in the way you need to. It’s at this point you begin to realise why the prison setting is such an interesting one, because every mistake you make – unavoidable or not – is taken advantage of by the prisoners. Not enough guards to watch over the workshop? Somebody’s going to get shanked. Fail to hire enough cooks for the kitchen?
There’s going to be a riot. And that’s ignoring all the small errors about placements of cells and guardrooms, that will quickly be taken advantage of by individuals trying to escape.But where the game gets really interesting is the effect it has on your own intentions as a player, and your attitude to the virtual prisoners. Most people will start out simply wanting to make the best prison possible, and prove their skill at the game. But as your every mistake is magnified and underlined you begin to resent the prisoners more and more.
Your apathy for their well-being slowly increases and even turns to sadism.At times it almost feels like you’re playing some kind of psychology experiment, especially when it comes to how much money you put into rehabilitation – when you know every penny you don’t can be used to simply keep the prisoners in line. We’re not sure who in real life actually makes these decisions, especially in a for-profit American prison, but these must certainly be the same sort of questions that real-life authorities have to consider. So seeing whether your liberal (or illiberal) ideas survive simply playing a video game is fascinating stuff. AdvertisementPrison Architect is a fascinating game, but we still take objection to the weird cartoonish graphics, which are not only ugly and characterless but seem completely at odds with the nature of the rest of the game. Perhaps it was intentional to make everyone look like interchangeable clones, but the game is at its most interesting when it’s you who are stripping the inmates of their humanity – not the art director.
Prison Architect is a construction and management strategy simulation game developed and published by Introversion Software Limited.Prison Architect was first released on September 26, 2012 as in alpha stage and available for PC with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems. Prison Architect was fully released on 6 Oct, 2015 via steam. Prison Architect opens with the story of Edward, a man facing the electric chair for committing a crime of passion. Introversion has extended this with four additional chapters focusing on.
Obviously this is a low budget indie game but the whole concept behind the art style is a tonal misfire.Despite this, Prison Architect is by far the most interesting game of its type since the genre’s heyday in the ’90s. In mechanical terms it’s perfectly interesting to try and design your prison for optimal efficiency, but the depth doesn’t just come in terms of gameplay but its insight into the psyche of the player. Play Prison Architect and you may begin to feel it’s you who should be locked up, and not the inmates.
In Short: A great simulation game that works impressively well on consoles. Although at times it almost feels like a psychology study of the player rather than the inmates.Pros: Extremely detailed simulation, with a huge number of interconnected systems and superb joypad controls. The way your attitude and play style evolves over time is fascinating.Cons: The graphics are awful, both technically, artistically, and tonally. Unavoidably steep learning curve and some minor bugs.Score: 8/10Formats: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PCPrice: £19.99Publisher: Double ElevenDeveloper: Introversion Software and Double ElevenRelease Date: 28th June 2016Age Rating: 16.
Prison Architect is a construction and management strategy simulation game developed and published by Introversion Software Limited. Prison Architect was first released on September 26, 2012 as in alpha stage and available for PC with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems.
Prison Architect was fully released on 6 Oct, 2015 via steam.About The Game:Build and Manage A Maximum Security Prison.Build and manage a Maximum Security Prison. As the sun casts it’s early morning rays on a beautiful patch of countryside the clock starts ticking. You’ve got to crack on and build a holding cell to detain the job lot of maximum security prisoners that are trundling to your future prison on their yellow bus. As your workmen lay the last brick you don’t have a moment to let them rest as they need to get started on the first proper cell block so you can make room for the next prisoner intake. Once they’ve all got a place to lay their weary heads the fun can really start.You’ll need a canteen, infirmary and a guard room, oh, and don’t forget to plumb in a toilet, or things will get messy, but what about a workout area?
Or solitary confinement cells? Or an execution chamber?Inspired by Dungeon Keeper, Dwarf Fortress and Theme Hospital and with over 1 million players having spent time inside, Prison Architect is the world’s best lock-em-up.Story ModePrison Architect opens with the story of Edward, a man facing the electric chair for committing a crime of passion. This is followed by four additional chapters focusing on different characters and aspects of prison life. From Mafia Dons to power-crazed senators, Prison Architect has them all! Installation:– Unzip the contents of this package onto a directory of your choice (ex.