Prison Architect Review: Deep And Wild

Games that involve simulation and building have been huge over the past few years, thanks in part to games the likes of “Super Mario Maker” and “Minecraft,” but “Prison Architect” takes the action to an entirely different level. Fueled by deep gameplay mechanics and stories that get you involved in the inner workings of the prison, it’s the type of civilization game that’ll take you back to the classics like “Act Raiser,” but with plenty of twists.

The types of twists you’d expect in an after-hours Cinemax original movie. Taut, dark and sometimes disturbing, there aren’t many games like “Prison Architect,” not only on the PlayStation 4, but any console.

Simply put, the stories told in “Prison Architect” are wild. With visuals that feel pulled out of comics the likes of “The Watchmen,” “Prison Architect” makes up for its child-like visuals with grisly comic book story segments that’ll make you feel more than pretty much any game on the PlayStation 4. It’s crazy that a game that looks so arcane can get you so connected, but that’s exactly the case with “Prison Architect.” Because of this, you’ll spend hours with it.

It also helps that the gameplay mechanics are deep. Take the first level as an example. Building an execution chamber sounds simple enough, but when you have full customization powers and you have to do everything from power it with the rest of the prison and pick the perfect location, things get intricate, intense and focused quickly. If you’re an older “Minecraft” fan, you’ll fit right in here as over tie, you’ll actually come to look at your prison with love.

A scary thought.

With deep gameplay, various modes of play and excellent music and writing, the environment in “Prison Architect” far exceeds what you’d expect when you first start playing. With such an almost magical ambiance, it’s a game you can quickly get lost in.

The Good:

Hours of Gameplay: There’s almost too much to do and every mode offers something different.

Wild Comic Book Story Art: If the gameplay moves a bit too slow for you, seeing the videos that set up different parts of each level will force you to continue.

The Bad:

Mediocre In-Game Visuals: Away from the comic book art, the actual in-game visuals resembles something you’d expect to see from Fisher Price toys. Although it works great and gives the game its own unique style, some may scoff at them.

May Be Too Intricate For Casual Gamers: This game requires an investment of time. If you’re looking for something more casual, you may be disappointed.

Final Thoughts:

Few games on the PlayStation 4 can steal as many hours of your life as “Prison Architect.” It’s challenging, thoughtful and incredibly mature- a wonderful game to play once the kids are asleep.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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