Company of Crime

Company of Crime is an strategy game with RPG elements, in which players create their own criminal empire or stand on the opposite side of the barricade and take control of an elite squad of law enforcement officers. The game was developed by the independent Resistance Games studio and published by 1C Entertainment.

Plot

Company of Crime takes us on a journey to unsafe London from the 1960s. The developers allow us to step down into the criminal underground and start gradually taking control over it, at the same time taking care of the cover for our activities in the form of various legal businesses. On the other hand, there is nothing to prevent you from playing the role of chief inspector of the London police called Scotland Yard (from the name of the street where its headquarters were located) and trying to disrupt the criminals.

Mechanics

Regardless of which side of the conflict we stand on, the driving force behind the Company of Crime game are turn-based missions, during which the action is shown from the top-down perspective.

If we have decided to conquer the London underground, we take control of gangsters, each of whom can boast of individual abilities (developed as they progress). With the help of these types from under a dark star, we are gradually expanding our sphere of influence, taking over both London pubs and clubs, as well as slightly less suspicious places like tailors or veterinary clinics. If their owners are not willing to cooperate, we can try to force them to change their mind. Taking over locations is important because they significantly expand our capabilities, for example by providing us with additional equipment.

As you can guess, we're not the only ones showing interest in places like this. When doing missions, we have to reckon with the fact that sooner or later members of the enemy gang willing to fight will stand in our way. During the encounters, it is the right tactic that counts; in order to provide your units with various bonuses, it is worth taking care of their positioning - if only to give them the opportunity to flank their enemies. Interestingly, during the encounters, our sub-commanders make use of their own fists, because the shooting could draw their attention to the police, who use all available means in the fight against lawlessness. For the same reason, after all, it is worth taking care to get rid of evidence that would in any way burden our "boys". In between the tasks, we are involved in planning the next steps and recruiting new members of our gang.

The gameplay on opposite side of the barricade is slightly different. Controlling police officers involves both reacting quickly to various reports and conducting investigations. The latter require us to employ officers who go to various squalid places and cooperate with all kinds of informants. The cherry on the cake are raids on the "stash house" of criminals, during which we must take care of the safety of policemen and at the same time secure as much as possible as possible.

Technical aspects

Company of Crime is based on Unreal Engine technology. Three-dimensional graphics of this game presents itself decently and well reflects the atmosphere of the era, which is intensified by the atmospheric soundtrack.