Contraband Police

Contraband Police is a video game developed by Crazy Rocks Studios and published by PlayWay, released in March 2023. Two years prior a demo version, called Contraband Police: Prologue was published.

Contraband Police
Developer(s)	Crazy Rocks Studios
Publisher(s)	PlayWay
Engine	Unity[1]
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	8 March 2023
Genre(s)	Puzzle, Simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player

The premise of the game is working as a border guard and head of the border post, in a fictional communist country called Acaristan in 1979 (in some cases the game can go onto other years).

Gameplay

The player performs the duties of a border control agent. The player is responsible for controlling entrants, comparing passports and other documentation, and rejecting entrants with improper documentation and searching for smugglers with drugs flasks and fake money. The player must also deal with a chance of terrorists raiding the base but must be wary as some smugglers will not make eye contact or drive away, prompting the player to chase after them.^[2] An endless mode has been added in March 2024 as a part of the Anniversary Update.

Reception

Contraband Police was positively received on release, with Metacritic aggregating reviews as "generally favorable" out of 10 critic reviews.^[3] A review from Eurogamer (Poland) commented: the game is a "great combination of simulation and action elements", and its "lackluster visuals spoil the experience a little, but it's still worth giving this game a chance, because exploring its various gameplay mechanics is a lot of fun".^[4] Polygon observed that the game was a "surprise hit on Steam" and assessed it as "a little janky but deeply compelling".^[5]

See also

• Papers, Please