A Review of Prison Architect
The prison management game Prison Architect was developed and initially released on the 6th of October 2015 onto steam early access by Introversion Software (Steam Release Trailer). Prison Architect was available from day one on Microsoft windows and MacOS but was later ported onto consoles and android. It was a large success with over 1 million copies sold in the first month after release. The game's development was officially finished after the release of update 16 on September 4 2018.
The game is a top-down two dimensional construction and management simulator where the player is in charge of building and running a prison all while containing a growing number of very hard to please inmates who will often stop at nothing to escape from your prison. The player controls almost every aspect of the prison from the patrol roots of the guards to the hot and cold water pipes that run beneath the prison. The amount of control the player has makes for an interesting a fun game where many amusing escape stories emerge.
When you start up a new prison in Prison architect you are first met with a host of options that very in the effect they have on your to-be prison, these options include fog of war, gangs and even the option to change your prison from a male-only prison to a female-only prison. Depending on which of these options you choose to select your prison managing experience will vary wildly. The first time I played with the gangs mechanic my prison transformed from it's usual regimented daily routine into a complete bloodbath: My prison was formed of two large cell blocks which was fine except there was 3 gangs present in my prison. Due to this miscalculation I was forced to mix different gangs together, which at one point led to an all out brawl in the shower block. The ensuing battle manged to heavily damage my carefully designed, and very expensive, drain system. The malfunctioning drains led to a flood of the surrounding area, which would have been a relatively easy fix had the flood not reached one of my generators which was immediately set alight by the destructive combination of water and electricity. As the fire spread I realised how serious the problem had become, the fire brigade were struggling to get through my maze of corridors and locked doors and by the time they arrived the blaze had consumed half of a cell block (and it's residents) was slowly burning through my thick outer-wall. None of this destructive, and fun, event-chain would have occurred had I chosen not to play with gangs.
My favourite aspect of Prison Architect is just how consistently satisfying it is to succeed, while playing I never found the game to be too easy, in my opinion this is due to the constant threat of prisoners escaping, at no point did I feel my prison was inescapable, and because of this I was constantly trying to improve the various security systems that were in place throughout my prisons, I'd find myself spending hours perfecting guard patrol routes and CCTV coverage. The game always feels as if there is a new challenge on the horizon, I was always building a new compound or creating another staff room, whether it was to keep the snitches safe or to keep the janitors happy I was always doing something.
I also find it very amusing to keep track of individual prisoners, the game provides information about every prisoner and i often found that there would be a fixed few trouble-makers in my prison, an arsonist that just won't stop trying to smuggle contraband or a murderer who seems to spend more time in solitary confinement than out of it. In addition to a small biography every prisoner's sentence progresses in real time and can be completed, often ending in parole. The feeling of joy when one of the more characterful prisoners finally changes their ways enough to achieve parole is truly amazing and is honestly satisfying.
In conclusion I highly recommend Prison architect. I find it amazing that such a simple management game can have so much character, and invoke such a mixed bag of emotions. The game is extremely satisfying to play and is somewhat of an anecdote factory. It is the perfect game to play over a weekend, the definite sense of progression and plethora of potential tasks means you are never left wondering 'why am I still playing this' but instead constantly find yourself planning the next construction task.
When you start up a new prison in Prison architect you are first met with a host of options that very in the effect they have on your to-be prison, these options include fog of war, gangs and even the option to change your prison from a male-only prison to a female-only prison. Depending on which of these options you choose to select your prison managing experience will vary wildly. The first time I played with the gangs mechanic my prison transformed from it's usual regimented daily routine into a complete bloodbath: My prison was formed of two large cell blocks which was fine except there was 3 gangs present in my prison. Due to this miscalculation I was forced to mix different gangs together, which at one point led to an all out brawl in the shower block. The ensuing battle manged to heavily damage my carefully designed, and very expensive, drain system. The malfunctioning drains led to a flood of the surrounding area, which would have been a relatively easy fix had the flood not reached one of my generators which was immediately set alight by the destructive combination of water and electricity. As the fire spread I realised how serious the problem had become, the fire brigade were struggling to get through my maze of corridors and locked doors and by the time they arrived the blaze had consumed half of a cell block (and it's residents) was slowly burning through my thick outer-wall. None of this destructive, and fun, event-chain would have occurred had I chosen not to play with gangs.
My favourite aspect of Prison Architect is just how consistently satisfying it is to succeed, while playing I never found the game to be too easy, in my opinion this is due to the constant threat of prisoners escaping, at no point did I feel my prison was inescapable, and because of this I was constantly trying to improve the various security systems that were in place throughout my prisons, I'd find myself spending hours perfecting guard patrol routes and CCTV coverage. The game always feels as if there is a new challenge on the horizon, I was always building a new compound or creating another staff room, whether it was to keep the snitches safe or to keep the janitors happy I was always doing something.
I also find it very amusing to keep track of individual prisoners, the game provides information about every prisoner and i often found that there would be a fixed few trouble-makers in my prison, an arsonist that just won't stop trying to smuggle contraband or a murderer who seems to spend more time in solitary confinement than out of it. In addition to a small biography every prisoner's sentence progresses in real time and can be completed, often ending in parole. The feeling of joy when one of the more characterful prisoners finally changes their ways enough to achieve parole is truly amazing and is honestly satisfying.
In conclusion I highly recommend Prison architect. I find it amazing that such a simple management game can have so much character, and invoke such a mixed bag of emotions. The game is extremely satisfying to play and is somewhat of an anecdote factory. It is the perfect game to play over a weekend, the definite sense of progression and plethora of potential tasks means you are never left wondering 'why am I still playing this' but instead constantly find yourself planning the next construction task.
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