Contraband Police

Set in the 1980s, Contraband Police immerses players as a border police officer inspecting vehicles for contraband in an open world environment. The game blends bureaucratic simulation mechanics similar to ‘Papers Please’ with action-driven elements including shootouts, vehicle pursuits, and hidden treasures, requiring players to make impactful choices while navigating law enforcement duties and side quests.

Contraband Police: Review

Introduction

In a landscape increasingly saturated with open-world epics and narrative-driven masterpieces, Contraband Police emerges as a refreshing, if unpolished, anomaly. Developed by the five-person Polish studio Crazy Rocks and published by PlayWay S.A., this 2023 release thrusts players into the boots of a border guard in a fictional, oppressive 1980s communist state. While immediately drawing comparisons to the revered bureaucratic simulator Papers, Please, Contraband Police transcends its inspiration by integrating visceral action elements, open-world driving, and a morally ambiguous narrative. This review argues that despite its technical shortcomings and uneven execution, Contraband Police successfully evolves the simulation genre, delivering a uniquely immersive experience where the weight of mundane paperwork collides with the adrenaline of high-stakes shootouts. It’s a testament to how a small team can carve out a distinct identity, even when borrowing familiar blueprints.

Development History & Context

Contraband Police stands as a product of its developer’s niche expertise and the PlayWay ecosystem. Crazy Rocks Studios, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, crafted the game on Unity, a engine choice that enabled rapid development but contributed to its technical inconsistencies. The studio’s prior work, including Bum Simulator and Hell Architect, hints at their affinity for sandbox simulations with emergent storytelling. PlayWay S.A., a prolific Polish publisher known for championing niche indie titles, facilitated the game’s release on March 8, 2023, for Windows, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions slated for November 7, 2025.

Crucially, a demo titled Contraband Police: Prologue was released two years prior to launch, serving as both a testing ground for mechanics and a marketing tool. The final game credits 82 individuals, including notable voice actors like Kamil Urbański (who passed away during development and is honored in the credits) and Paweł Paprocki. This small yet dedicated team operated against the backdrop of a 2023 gaming climate dominated by AAA releases and the continued rise of “cozy” and simulation games. Contraband Police capitalized on this, offering a gritty, politically charged alternative to more sanitized experiences. Its development timeline also reflects the PlayWay model: a core concept executed with passion but limited resources, leading to a game rich in ideas but occasionally rough around the edges.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Set in the fictional Acarist People’s Republic, a totalitarian state clearly inspired by late-Soviet Eastern Europe, Contraband Police places players in the role of a young border guard trainee in the mountainous Karikatka region. The narrative, spanning 1979 to 1981, is less a linear plot and more a tapestry of moral choices woven into the fabric of daily oppression. The core premise emerges after a traumatic event: the player’s commander, Sorokin, is assassinated by rebels during an ambush, leaving the player to assume control of the isolated border post. This event immediately thrusts the player into a conflict between the oppressive state and the “Blood Fist” rebels, represented by enigmatic recruiter Gavrilov.

The game’s thematic depth lies in its unflinching portrayal of systemic corruption and moral ambiguity. The player is constantly confronted with choices that challenge their loyalty: accept bribes from desperate smugglers, turn a blind eye to minor infractions, or risk their career by upholding the letter of the law. These decisions are binary in presentation (arrest/release Gavrilov being the pivotal faction-choice) but carry nuanced consequences. The Government ending, achieved by arresting Gavrilov, depicts a continuation of the oppressive regime, where arrested individuals face exile or execution but the player maintains a steady albeit hollow existence. The Rebellion ending, triggered by releasing Gavrilov, involves a violent revolution that topples the government, replacing it with a new, economically restructured system but at a high cost of bloodshed and betrayal.

The narrative’s strength lies in its setting; the oppressive bureaucracy is not just window dressing but the core antagonist. Players are forced to reconcile their role as enforcers of a brutal regime with moments of genuine humanity—like helping a man reunite with his children, later rewarded with a crayon drawing. This duality is further enriched by the game’s character design; while NPCs are often visually repetitive, their dialogue reflects a society under duress, filled with desperation, resentment, and whispered dissent. The overarching theme is the crushing weight of authoritarianism, where even the “good” choices complicity maintain a broken system. As one character’s letter illustrates, the line between protector and oppressor is perilously thin, forcing players to question the morality of their allegiance.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Contraband Police’s gameplay is a hybrid of meticulous inspection, tense action, and base management, centered on the player’s duties at the border checkpoint. The core loop revolves around document verification and vehicle inspection. Players must meticulously cross-reference passports, visas, and work permits, rejecting any discrepancies—a process that grows in complexity as more document types are introduced. This paperwork is balanced by the visceral thrill of physical inspection. Using a UV flashlight to reveal “snake marks” (indicating hidden compartments), players employ tools like crowbars, axes, and knives to dismantle vehicles, extracting contraband ranging from narcotics to counterfeit currency. The tactile satisfaction of tearing apart a truck to find hidden drugs is a hallmark of the experience.

Beyond the checkpoint, the game expands into action and simulation elements. Police chases occur when smugglers flee, requiring players to pursue them in upgraded patrol vehicles—though this system is undermined by notoriously clunky driving mechanics that frequently leave cars stuck on terrain. Combat, a significant component, is triggered by rebel raids or missions. Players engage in first-person shootouts with bandits, using an arsenal of weapons acquired from the in-game shop, Vladimir’s Emporium. However, combat is marred by inconsistent hit detection and damage scaling; some enemies fall with a single headshot, while others soak up multiple rounds, undermining strategic play. Grenades are notably effective, providing a rare bright spot in the otherwise underdeveloped combat system.

Management elements add depth to the experience. Players earn currency through successful inspections and contraband seizures, which is then allocated to upgrading their police station (defenses, inspection tools) and maintaining vehicles. A key financial pressure is the nightly upkeep fee, creating a constant need for revenue that often tempts players toward questionable choices like accepting bribes. The 2024 Anniversary Update introduced an “Endless Mode,” which extends the gameplay loop beyond the story campaign, offering procedurally generated challenges and escalating difficulty. Side missions, such as solving a murder mystery at a local inn or tracking a suspect through a graveyard, provide narrative variety and further moral dilemmas. While the core loop is compelling, the game is held back by technical flaws—unresponsive controls during inspections, awkward physics interactions, and a UI that occasionally obscures critical information. These issues, however, are often mitigated by the sheer satisfaction of the game’s central mechanics, which force players to think critically and act decisively under pressure.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The world of Contraband Police is defined by its oppressive atmosphere and grounded setting. Acaristan, a fictional communist state, is meticulously detailed through environmental storytelling. The border post is a claustrophobic cluster of prefabricated buildings, barbed wire fences, and propaganda posters, evoking a sense of isolation and paranoia. The surrounding landscape, while relatively small, is rich with points of interest: abandoned sawmills, derelict hotels, and dense forests that double as ambush sites. The game’s 1980s aesthetic is captured effectively, from the blocky, utilitarian vehicles to the industrial grit of the checkpoint. While character models are criticized for their repetitiveness and placeholder-like quality, the environmental design excels. The mountains of Karikatka are rendered with a stark beauty, and the use of weather effects (rain, fog) enhances the pervasive sense of unease.

Sound design is crucial to the game’s immersion. The ambient audio is dominated by the hum of inspection equipment, the distant chatter of NPCs, and the occasional crackle of the checkpoint’s radio. Music is sparingly used but impactful, with subtle, ominous themes during tense moments (like a pending raid) that evoke the tension of 1980s political thrillers. Sound effects are visceral and weighty; the crunch of metal under an axe, the bark of a gunshot, and the screech of tires during a chase all contribute to a tactile, responsive world. Voice acting, primarily in English, is functional rather than stellar, with NPCs delivering lines with a mix of resignation and defiance that underscores the setting’s bleakness. While the graphics are not technically impressive (often described as “lackluster” or “unoptimized”), the art direction succeeds in creating a cohesive, oppressive atmosphere where every detail reinforces the game’s themes of surveillance and decay.

Reception & Legacy

Contraband Police garnered a mostly positive reception upon release, praised for its innovative concept but criticized for its technical shortcomings. On Metacritic, it holds a score of 77, categorized as “generally favorable,” based on 10 critic reviews. Aggregators like OpenCritic report a 78% top critic average, with 86% recommending the game. Positive reviews highlighted its successful fusion of simulation and action elements. GamingTrend awarded it 85%, lauding its “meaningful choices” and “polished core gameplay loop,” while Eurogamer Poland and Oyungezer both scored it 80%, calling it a “great combination of simulation and action” and praising its depth despite “lackluster visuals.” Polygon noted it as a “surprise hit on Steam” and deemed it “a little janky but deeply compelling.”

However, critiques were consistent. Several outlets, like Svet kompjutera (73%) and Movies Games and Tech (65%), pointed to poor optimization, buggy controls, and shallow combat as significant detractors. The Steam community, however, proved far more forgiving, with a player score of 95/100 from over 22,000 reviews, earning a “Very Positive” rating. Players frequently commended its unique premise, tension-filled inspections, and replayability due to the dual endings, often overlooking technical flaws as part of its indie charm.

In terms of legacy, Contraband Police occupies a unique niche. It expanded the bureaucratic simulation genre pioneered by Papers, Please by adding 3D immersion, open-world exploration, and action sequences. Its influence is evident in how it inspired a wave of “immersive sim” titles that blend mundane tasks with high-stakes decisions. While it hasn’t spawned direct sequels, its success demonstrated the viability of niche, politically charged simulations for a dedicated audience. The ongoing support, including the 2024 Endless Mode update, suggests a commitment to long-term evolution. As a cultural artifact, it stands as a testament to the power of small-scale development to deliver big ideas, proving that a game about paperwork and moral compromise can be as thrilling as any blockbuster.

Conclusion

Contraband Police is a flawed gem, an ambitious indie title that succeeds more often than it fails. Its greatest achievement lies in its immersive simulation of bureaucratic life in an oppressive state, where the mundane act of checking documents becomes a high-stakes moral crucible. The game excels in creating a compelling atmosphere of paranoia and tension, supported by a morally ambiguous narrative that challenges players to confront their ethics. While the action elements—particularly combat and driving—are underdeveloped and technically inconsistent, they are offset by the sheer satisfaction of the core inspection loop and the weight of player-driven choices.

Ultimately, Contraband Police earns its place in gaming history by pushing the boundaries of the simulation genre. It takes the DNA of Papers, Please and injects it with adrenaline, resulting in a unique experience that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. Despite its technical hiccups, it delivers on its promise of meaningful consequences and a world that feels alive with consequence. For players willing to tolerate its rough edges, Contraband Police offers an unforgettable journey into the heart of authoritarianism—one checkpoint inspection at a time. It is not just a game; it is a simulation of power, corruption, and the fragile line between duty and defiance.