An epic ensemble of Hollywood greats is always a delight on the silver screen. However, no one expected a video game to successfully put some of the most outstanding cinema performers together in a heisting video game set in a mid/late twentieth-century rendition of Florida. That is where Ingame Studios’ Crime Boss: Rockay City saw an opening and decided to pull the trigger. However, that wasn’t enough to garner appreciation for the title in 2023.
In the last year, the team behind the game tried to ensure that the title now provides a better experience with consistent updates. Also, the game is now available on Steam, which is fantastic news for many folks who are allergic to the Epic Games Store. But is the game worth it after a year of updates, or is it fundamentally the same game released on a different PC marketplace?
Crime Boss: Rockay City is available now on PC via the Steam Store. The title is available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and the Epic Games Store on PC.
Crime Boss: Rockay City’s Multiplayer Is a Bittersweet Lukewarm Concoction
Typical heisting titles encourage you to go in stealthily and channel your inner ninja; if you don’t comply, they challenge you enough to make you regret it. Unfortunately, the title by Ingame Studios isn’t able to do the same. But something that it gets right is how difficult it is to sneak in, contain hostages, and enter restricted areas unnoticed.
The core gameplay loop lets the player indulge in various missions in a multiplayer co-op mode, which they can play with friends, random players, or bots. As with every co-op game, you can give instructions to your heist crew members, regardless of whether players or bots control them.
There is also a single-player roguelite mode, which, like any roguelite, gets more challenging with every step but appears bland. The gameplay is fun if you engage in teamwork with your crew and get in and out without a whisper, but the problem with Crime Boss: Rockay City game begins when you take the all-guns-blazing approach or get caught while sneaking.
Unless you are stuck in a co-op lobby who doesn’t have the slightest clue of the objective, you will exit your mission with the required loot and all of your party members, even with difficulty cranked at the highest. The game fails to offer much of a challenge because the enemy AI feels inauthentic. Another central area where the Crime Boss: Rockay City begins to show its unchamfered edges is the gunplay, which appears clunky.
Sheriff Norris and His Rockay City Shenanigans
As stated earlier, the game also has a single-player mode that plays out in a roguelike fashion. The plot shows a newbie gangster seeking to conquer every Rockay City region after eliminating the local kingpin. The campaign is played with bots.
The losing condition grows stronger as Chuck Norris, who plays Sheriff Norris, the primary antagonist in the game, furthers his investigation concerning all of the local crime bosses. Everything from the cutscenes, the voice acting, and the animations look well below the standard the game aims to achieve.
There are a couple of good dialogues, but that is about it. The game’s vision is crystal clear; however, the execution is where it loses focus. Powered by Unreal Engine 4, the game will take some unreal firepower to look decent on PC. But even then, one can notice hazy textures, mesh grilles looking funny, and other visual glitches in the game.
Is Crime Boss: Rockay City Good?
I knew the video game had mixed or average reviews when I first got it. But I wanted to give it a fair shot, significantly after it was updated. If you are interested in multiplayer, it offers several new modes, plenty of new missions, and bells and whistles for playing with friends.
But there are still no severe additions to the character customization system. The UI issues from its previous release haven’t been fixed, and I found one of my teammates could not access their UI. Overall, go for the title only if you want to try a new heisting game with friends or if you want ss on the game.
Crime Boss: Rockay City – 6/10
