To help the player progress a series of monetary grants provide lump sums of cash for reaching certain goals. Given an empty lot, with the option of creating whatever kind of facility one wishes, is a fantastic freedom after the relative restrictiveness of most sections of the campaign. After completing the campaign, the player is given a chance to start from scratch this is where the gameplay really starts to become enjoyable.
It was mostly enjoyable, however, towards the end it really did feel like a slog. As a result, we spent over 15 hours with the campaign. In our playthrough, we tried to complete a substantial amount of the optional tasks. This forces the player into a difficult decision grind through every optional task (some of which can take up to a couple of hours) so as not to miss anything or skip them entirely since no benefit is gained by completing some and not others. However, completion of these optional tasks makes additional story elements available. It is possible to complete the campaign quite quickly if one ignores the multitude of optional tasks given by the CEO. Apart from providing some necessary flavor, the cutscenes otherwise serve as a break from a campaign that begins to feel like a bit of a chore in the later stages. Effectively portraying a few interlocking (somewhat) stories in a way that gives some personality to a game that is otherwise quite sterile in the personality department. The cutscenes of Prison Architect come as a pleasant surprise. Sneaking off when given the slightest window of opportunity, or lining up a victim in the showers and viciously stabbing him to death when the guards aren’t looking.
With that in mind the prisoners are all a bunch of bastards. Prison Architect does well to give a feeling of gravity to both the actions of the inmate and the subsequent actions of you, the player. This depth is achieved through the many moral and ethical choices available and not least through artistic renditions (which are unexpectedly intense) of various scenarios throughout. This period of play is when we realized that Prison Architect would deal with much more than ‘make prison good so bad people no make escape’. Just for added punch the condemned man turned himself in and confessed, leading to his incarceration. His crime: killing his wife and the man she was having an affair with. To really drive it home a guard relates the details of the inmate’s confession. To progress, you must build a room containing an electric chair with every intent of wiping an inmate from existence. You are following the orders of your boss. At this point, the CEO does not give the player a choice. The campaign begins with a call from the CEO sets the scene and gives us the first task. Throughout this campaign, you are given a variety of tasks to complete within pre-constructed prisons, effectively taking the role of an architect in training. Upon launching Prison Architect, the player is thrust directly into the campaign setting. Will the player prioritize space over comfort, spend valuable cash educating prisoners, or impose the death penalty? Each of these decisions will affect how you build your prison and ultimately, what kind of Architect you become. The overlying theme is Punishment vs Rehabilitation with most of the decisions made by the player boiling down to these overarching concepts. Prison Architect, however, is able to make a subtle play to the deeper thinkers and moralists.
Hidden beneath minimalist and cartoonish graphics lays a game rooted around warring philosophies and heavily weighted decisions. Sure, as with most games, it is easy enough to waltz through, content to play the system and build to win. This thought was foremost in my mind after only a few short minutes of playing. Prison Architect is not a game for children.