Building A Criminal Empire From Scratch
Generally, when you think about playing a simulator game, you’re interested in doing a job that is far removed from your real life. That’s why train driving simulators or truck simulation games are so popular – they put us into jobs that might have been childhood dream careers which never became reality.
But did many people dream of becoming a drug dealer? Well, those who did get to fulfil their dreams with Drug Dealer Simulator 2. This is the second game in the series, so it must be doing something right. Right? Right!!!?
I’ve never really wanted to be a drug dealer, but like most people, I’ve avidly watched TV programmes about the profession, from the excellent The Wire to, of course, Breaking Bad. There is something almost heroic about watching someone start as a small-time dealer, rise to become a kingpin, and then lose it all in a hail of bullets or end up behind bars. There is a similar narrative arc kicking around in Drug Dealer Simulator 2. Unfortunately, it’s not as creative or engaging as the TV shows I mentioned above.
A Familiar Crime Story
The game is set in the fictional Caribbean island of Isla Sombra. You play a nobody called Eddie, who is dropped into a world where paradise meets gang-controlled drug lords. There are no big triple-A cutscenes here. Instead, it’s more of a “you are the story” framework. As you progress through the world, you meet new characters and rival factions that each have their own narratives and plot twists. It’s a story that feels a little old-fashioned, and at times I felt like I had gone back to the early 2000s. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that. Some players will embrace that style, while others probably won’t.
Growing Your Underground Business
The gameplay follows a loop that you need to master in order to build your empire, mixing resource management with open-world action. At the start of the game, you travel by boat to a drug hideout, where you’re introduced to gathering resources, mixing the drugs, and packaging them ready for delivery. From there, it’s about travelling across the island, delivering your products, avoiding getting killed, and making as much money as possible.
Expanding Your Operation
With more money, you can buy better equipment for your hideout, along with furnishings to make it look more like an upmarket drug den. But you also need to balance your spending, making sure you always have enough money left for the materials needed to keep your operation running. Access to water, fertiliser, and chemicals is essential if you want to stay in business. Before long, your clients begin requesting different types of drugs, meaning you’ll need to source a wider range of ingredients to keep the money flowing.
As your empire grows and demand increases, you can acquire more properties around the island and turn them into drug dens. Eventually, you can hire dealers to do the dirty work for you, taking a cut of the profits, of course. Later in the game, you can even recruit folk to manufacture the drugs themselves, leaving you free to deal with rival gangs and the military who are trying to shut your operation down.
Does it all work? Yes, I think it does. But is it fun? I’m not entirely convinced. I found the controls awkward at times, and travelling around the island eventually became a bit tiresome. That said, there is a solid management game underneath it all, and I enjoyed the balancing act of trying to keep everything running smoothly.
A World That Feels Dated
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 does a decent job of creating an open sandbox with plenty of islands and locations to explore. But it also feels like a game that wouldn’t have looked out of place a generation or two ago; more at home on Xbox 360 or Xbox One as opposed to Xbox Series X|S. The character models are serviceable, although they can look a little stiff both in appearance and animation. Still, it’s a varied world with plenty to see.
Audio is perfectly fine too, at least without ever being particularly memorable. The voice acting is solid enough, but fairly basic overall.
Worth Building An Empire?
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 feels like something from a decade ago. That’s not necessarily a criticism, because there are some genuinely fun and original ideas here. I enjoyed the early stages of building an illegal empire from nothing. But over time, the gameplay loop began to wear a little thin, and the controls became more and more frustrating. That said, if you can drag a friend into the dark side, utilising co-op, it does at least open things up a little more.
For the most part though, Drug Dealer Simulator 2 is an interesting trip; a decent way to pass a little time.
Important Links
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 Brings Its Controversial Crime Empire To Xbox Series X|S And PS5 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/drug-dealer-simulator-2-brings-its-controversial-crime-empire-to-xbox-series-xs-and-ps5/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/drug-dealer-simulator-2/9nkc4knt8938
