Crime Boss: Rockay City Reviews

This game is a great pick *IF*: -You are 40 like me and grew up steeped in 90s and early 2000s action movies and watched Walker Texas Ranger -You want a heist game with a very specific time period vibe I love it but I also got the whole bundle when it was on sale for $12 so even just a few hours of fun was worth it. I play solo so I don't play it as often as I'd like. But I do INTEND to, and for a 40 year old who otherwise fills his gaming time with open world RPGs and Total War games, that means something right?

Crime Boss: Rockay City is an action-packed open-world game. Play as a criminal boss, build your empire, complete missions, and fight rival gangs. Its engaging story, dynamic gameplay, and vibrant city make it exciting.

You can ignore about 90% of the bad reviews, they're just a bunch of angry people because their favorite streamer stopped getting sponsored or something. Oh no. Anyways... Let's help the devs by reviewing the game for what it actually is! [h1]A very solid contender for Payday fans like myself.[/h1] With over 600 hours on Payday 2, I was getting sick of the same boring "place the drill then wait here for 15 minutes" type missions. Luckily, this game fixes that problem and then some. It's not perfect, but here's my good, neutral, and negative points! (This is all coming from the perspective of a 600 hour Payday 2 player) +++ (My favorite thing about the game): Most level structures (city blocks) are randomly generated from prefabs. What does this mean? No longer do you look for "optimum placement" of mission assets like vault doors, etc. This game randomizes city blocks with chunks of prefabs. You'll begin to recognize some, but the way you interact with them is completely different each mission. Sometimes you can get onto the roofs of nearby buildings you couldn't before because there was a scaffolding in a construction zone next to it you can jump between now. That's so cool!! The way each mission feels like a real location yet none of them quite feel the same is utterly amazing and great for replay value. The game still randomizes things like positions of guards, cameras, security rooms, and objectives. But pair this with the random level generation and it's super cool. ++ The second best thing in the game; most missions don't take any longer than 10 minutes. Some can be completed in 5 minutes or less, even in stealth. Tired of the drill being the reason the missions take 20 minutes in Payday? These drills take about 3 minutes each, and can be sped-up with a little timing minigame. Great. + NPCs (civilians) seem to have total free will. While guards are set to roam either on a repeating path or in a specific area, NPCs seem to wander completely randomly around the entire block. While this might annoy others, I enjoy it because they feel more realistic. You have to be absolutely certain that where you're bringing your hostages won't be seen by passerby's. + Gunplay is good. Guns feel solid, I like the sounds, and they feel good to use. The only problem is recoil is actually realistic. It makes fully automatic weapons almost impossible to use unless its the 100 mag machine gun where it doesn't matter where you shoot lol. Maybe I've yet to get used to it, but yeah automatic weapons are very hard to aim with. ++ There's an entire singleplayer campaign in the form of a roguelite with permanent upgrades. It's like... an entire separate game inside of the game, turning it into a sort of monopoly-like strategy board game, but it still has the shooting/heists which is actually super cool. I love how it gives context to each mission you do, it feels great. + People say the game is cheesy, I don't really see it, personally. It feels a lot like Payday is with a similar sense of humor/rediculousness, but enough of a serious tone to not let those moments totally butcher the experience. There's a lot of cutscenes (mainly the roguelite and Urban Legends modes) and I really appreciate that. They're simple, but I love when playing a game feels like a dynamic movie. + Stealth is forgiving. Perhaps a bit too much so. You get 3 "strikes". Certain areas are marked either as Tresspassing or Restricted. If you're caught Tresspassing, you get a strike but don't break stealth. If you kill a guard, you get 1 strike. Either spend your strikes wisely, or go without being seen for an extra challenge. This makes some situations not totally ruin the mission if you're caught. ~ Stealth is definitely dumber than Payday 2's. At first, it feels more indepth and tricky. But spend about 10 or so missions doing stealth and you'll soon learn 3 things: 1: Hostiles like gangsters and guards can't see 3 feet in front of their face, 2: Civilians pretty much don't care what you do, and 3: The brick is the most overpowered item in the game for stealth (being able to daisy-chain hostiles so far away until you can knock them out. Devs please don't change this though, it's partially what makes the stealth in this game bearable.) - Not much customization. Honestly, my only gripe with the game so far is the lack of character customization like how Payday 2 does masks and guns. Currently, you have character "appearances" and weapons that come with parts pre-attached. That's about it. I'm not sure how they'd do customization any better without rewriting the entire system, but... idk. - Optimization is... ehhhh... I got a good enough computer to run things like Sons of the Forest and No Man's Sky buttery smooth on max settings. But in this game, I keep getting stutters and second-long freezes every now and again when starting a level or picking bosses. I don't know why, and turning some settings like post-processing down helped, but yeah. Also, why does the team/party screen have like a locked 30 fps? It's just four characters standing in a warehouse. I can be in the middle of an intense firefight with explosions and 20 swat cops in front of me and it's buttery smooth. The game just doesn't like the party screen for some reason. - You can't tell if a mission starts loud or not. I can't tell you the number of times I sighed in frustration when I bring a stealth build into a mission and it just... starts... loud for some reason. Why? Surely there MUST be some kind of indicator I'm missing, but I don't see it. Whether the mission begins stealth or not seems to be completely randomized, but just a very low chance. - - Lastly, and this is a pretty big one; stealth is almost required in some missions. I don't know why, but when you break stealth and cops start to spawn, it can become completely unmanageable if not escaped within the next few minutes. What happens is, once every minute or two the "wanted level" goes up by one. And once it reaches 5 badges, you're basically fucked. Insanely strong enemies appear, they spawn out of nowhere in huge packs, and it's literally almost impossible to deal with. While I do enjoy the sense of urgency it creates, it does feel very punishing and even outright unfair at times. The game REALLY wants you to beat these levels faster than you would in Payday 2, and I guess I'm fine with that. I'd probably rather deal with this system than sitting in a room for 20 minutes waiting for a drill to finish only to open the vault and use the drill a second time. I got this game on sale for 2$, and before the sale was over, I liked it enough to buy all the dlc for ~20$ on sale also. So ~20$ for the base game + all DLC when it would normally cost ~55$? That's a good deal. I definitely am having a lot of fun with the game. I just need people to play with... I've fallen out with my payday group as I haven't played that game in about 2 or 3 years. But now, I feel like I'm playing Payday for the first time again, and I'm hooked.

If you're confused by the huge negative review spike, some random alt-right streamer got dropped from the game's creator program understandably for being a shitty person and loads of people started review bombing. The game is great to play if you want something a little different to Payday 2 and want to avoid Payday 3 like the plague. For most you will maybe want to wait for a sale, but if you enjoyed Payday 2 a lot like me then this is worth it at it's full price of £16 easily - the updates are pretty healthy considering the fairly low budget nature. RIP Michael Madsen, this was the last video game he ever voice acted in.

Crime Boss: Rockay City is an ambitious attempt to blend the high-octane thrills of a first-person shooter with the strategic depth of a crime empire management sim, all wrapped in a neon-soaked homage to 1990s action cinema. Developed by Ingame Studios and boasting a star-studded cast including Michael Madsen, Danny Trejo, Chuck Norris, and Kim Basinger, the game leans hard into its B-movie aesthetic and crime drama roots. Set in the fictional Florida-inspired metropolis of Rockay City, players assume the role of Travis Baker, an ex-con turned aspiring kingpin looking to fill the power vacuum left by a murdered crime boss. While the concept is promising and the style undeniably bold, Crime Boss struggles to consistently deliver on its vision, often landing somewhere between campy fun and frustrating design. Gameplay is split between two core experiences: action-packed, cooperative heists and a strategy-lite turf war campaign. In the campaign, players manage Baker’s rise to power, overseeing criminal operations, recruiting a crew, and expanding territory through increasingly aggressive confrontations with rival gangs. Between turns on the map, players dive into first-person missions ranging from small-time burglaries to full-scale shootouts. The heist mechanics take clear inspiration from games like Payday, offering stealth options, loud gunfights, and objectives like safe cracking, hostage management, and loot collection. However, while the missions can be entertaining, AI inconsistencies, clunky movement, and repetitive objectives limit their long-term appeal. The stealth mechanics feel undercooked, and firefights, though flashy, often devolve into chaos due to poor enemy pathfinding and unreliable teammate AI. Where Crime Boss does shine is in its flair and tone. The voice acting—though intentionally over-the-top—adds charm and nostalgia, with each celebrity bringing a cheesy but enjoyable presence to their roles. The city of Rockay oozes ‘90s flair, from its synth-laden soundtrack to its gritty, neon visuals, successfully creating an aesthetic that is both homage and parody. The campaign’s presentation, which mixes comic book-style cutscenes with crime drama tropes, works surprisingly well, even if the storytelling is inconsistent and sometimes unintentionally comical. The roguelite structure of the campaign introduces an interesting twist—failure has consequences, and each run can end with your character’s demise, forcing you to start anew. This adds tension to decision-making and encourages careful planning, especially when choosing which missions to pursue and which crew members to risk. However, this structure also leads to repetition, and without significant variety in mission types or map design, subsequent playthroughs can start to feel like a grind. The strategy layer, while a nice change of pace from the action, lacks the depth of a full management sim and can feel like a missed opportunity to expand on the game’s empire-building ambitions. Visually, Crime Boss is hit or miss. Character models and lighting effects can be impressive at times, especially during cinematic moments, but the environments often feel bland and underpopulated. The lack of polish extends to UI and performance, with bugs and crashes reported across platforms. While updates have addressed some of these issues, the game still feels like it launched before it was truly ready, with key systems needing refinement and balancing. In conclusion, Crime Boss: Rockay City is a game with undeniable personality and ambition, but one that struggles to unify its components into a consistently satisfying experience. Its blend of campy crime storytelling, strategic empire-building, and cooperative first-person action is conceptually strong, yet uneven execution, shallow systems, and technical shortcomings hold it back from greatness. For players drawn to its style and willing to overlook its flaws, it can still provide a few hours of chaotic, pulpy entertainment. But for those expecting a polished shooter or a deep strategy game, Rockay City may not deliver the score they’re hoping for. Rating: 8/10

It has a roguelike campaign where you try to take over the city. When you fail, you restart with permanent upgrades. The game is enjoyable when played with up to three friends, similar to games like Payday. It has a funny, over-the-top style that feels like a direct-to-video action movie from the 90s. Features a cast of famous 90s actors like Michael Madsen, Chuck Norris, and Danny Trejo. The shooting and heisting are straightforward and easy to get into for some casual fun. The game has been significantly updated since its original release, with more content and fixes.

This is fun for what i payed $211 with tax but it is not as good as PAYDAY 2. Get this on sale when you can.

I want to start this review off by saying initially I thought this game was a good alternative to payday 2. Something you could play/try when your bored of payday 2 or hell even payday 3! But after playing these 15 hours it just isn't worth it. I bought the game while it was on sale for $2 and i still feel ripped off! Not just that but i bought the Heavy Hitters Pack, Baker's Bundle, Cracker Character Pack, Dragon's Gold Cup and Cagnali's Order for $24. I used every gun and played through all of the missions and honestly the game from first glance seems like it isn't half bad and Its foundations is solid! Some good things to note. Its gun sounds are amazing compared to most games i play. The recoil seems pretty accurate to the guns respectfully. Every characters design is unique with no copy cats that i can see! Even better is that they don't borrow from one another either, every single one is unique in its own way! The drill can be "sped up" by doing a skill check, too low and its ineffective, too high and it jams! i kind of like it! Then when you look at the foundation and stand on it not only does it crack, it breaks and shatters and can barely hold itself up. Its use of AI voices for every character, npc, main character and civilians themselves is painfully obvious and disheartening. Its games sense of progression is tied to "How much money you got?" and not "Steal money and use it to get better equipment and steal even more!" The games star system for doing good is so basic i could cry. It has the star rating i expect from a mobile game. Buying characters with in game cash is useless because every characters perks are ass. You get the best characters with the best perks when you buy the DLC's with REAL MONEY. Buying guns in the game is useless because most of them just straight up suck and the best guns are, you wouldn't guess it. Are paid DLC's that cost REAL MONEY. Stealth is a joke. It goes off of a "3 strikes and your caught" system but if you literally just watch the patrol route you can intimidate them to drop their weapon, tie them and walk them to a place they wont be seen and boom. You beat the stealth to literally every level. Combat is dry, the ai is stupid and there are no "unique" enemies. Every Ai is the same except some take one bullet to kill while others take 3. The most unique enemy is this guy in white armor and if you get too close he pulls out a stun baton to do what the taser in payday 2 does. But most of the time you never get that close to him and he dies in 3 shots to the chest and one to the head. Voice lines from characters, cops, gang members and civilians are so short and there is literally maybe 3 lines they will ever say in the entire time you play. The recoil seems unique or even random tell you figure out its just a spray pattern. Every time you reload your mag it switches to a different one out of three options. The story just sucks. The beginning makes you feel captivated, involved and looking forward to the next heist! But the further in you go the more it sucks. Like the "sheriff" if suppose to be your new big enemy but never once in the story do you face him or even feel the consequences of him! The game is poorly optimized and it felt like i had to spent the first 2 hours of the game playing around with the graphics just to make it run semi steady. Small but still meaningful thing to add is that they reuse some of the maps a couple of times and that feels lazy. Of course they change them up a wee bit but come on. To end this rant off with some words from the heart is that this game isn't worth it for the $2 i got it for. The DLC's are worth it and do expand on the lore and have new maps but the guns and characters they add with them only make it feel more Pay-To-Win then anything. The DLC's kill this game by making it just skip the core part of the game. Rob banks to get better guns, gadgets and characters. Whats the point of robbing banks if you own the best guns in the game? what's the point of robbing banks if you have the best gadgets already? what's the point of robbing banks if you already own the best characters with the best perks? Worst part of all of this is that even if you dont buy the DLC's and just enjoy the game as it is. The game itself is stale! there is no challenge other then just not getting shot. No unique enemies that stand out, no unique bank heists that make you do something new. And the use of AI voices really hurts the game. The AI voice acting shows when characters go to show more "emotions". It makes the game's well thought out and hard work non-existent when you stain it with AI like this.

[h2]A hidden gem... for discount[/h2] This game is pure chill. I hop in a few times a week after work. Throw bricks, neak around, shoot stuff, rob a few places. The vibe is great, the gameplay is simple, missions shuffle just enough to keep things fresh. It's no masterpiece, but as a casual criminal roguelite its absolutely hits the spot. I dont know if its worth buying at full price. Maybe not. But I grabbed it with a 90% discount, and for that price, it's totally worth it.

Honestly i thought this game be interested and fun but i guess i was wrong about it, i mean its better than payday 3 i give it that but its just not the same payday vibes so i will recommended for new players not to try this game you get bored of it so fast.