Crime Boss: Rockay City Review — 90s Inspired Heist Chaos

Crime Boss: Rockay City is a strange game. One part FPS heist shooter, one part rouge-like with procedurally generated elements, Crime Boss sounds like the brainchild of someone on the cusp of something game-changing. However, despite the game being a lot of fun when your inevitably-doomed-heists go wrong and you start shooting your way out, it does have some quirks that are hard to overlook.

So, in basic terms, what this ‘rogue-like’ description means is that the game will change every time you play it, which is an interesting concept given the context of doing, well, robberies, as you never really know what to expect heading into an area or level. It’s all well and good, but one caveat is that the game seems pretty difficult by design, forcing you to die and then try again in order to show off this feature. It’s undoubtedly intentional, because you are ‘rewarded’ perks when dying, such as starting again with a new, more powerful weapon that can swing things in your favour. While it’s an exciting twist on the formula, it could be offputting for those not looking for a masochistic déjà vu-like experience, despite each scenario being slightly different each time you die.

That basically makes up the hook of what Crime Boss is all about, despite appearing like a pretty run-of-the-mill shooter. But, on top of the die-and-try structure, the game does have a linear narrative that runs through the game, and it’s full of some quirky and bizarre characters and cameos.

It’s clear that Crime Boss harks back to an era of 80s and 90s action flicks, with the likes of Michael Madsen, Danny Trejo, Kim Bassinger, Michael Rooker, Chuck Norris, and others playing characters in the game. It’s cheesy, full of genre tropes, and smirky one-liners, and it’s great for it. While the story won’t win any awards, it fits well into that campy crime genre that puts everyone on edge with backstabbing, weasley criminals, and broken morals front and centre.

While the modern gameplay tricks mixed with classic retro feel are a bizarrely interesting spin, the gameplay sticks with solid foundations, giving meaty shooting mechanics and movement, where guns feel punchy and weighty and moving from room to room feels quite tactful given the context of pulling off a well-planned heist. Call of Duty fans will feel at home, and some decent weapon variety makes going in quiet or loud actually realistic options.

Outside of the campaign, there are also randomised heists which appear on the game map every day, and turf wars, which is essentially a last-man-standing deathmatch between two rivalling factions.

Crime Boss: Rockay City does feel like a great idea that isn’t quite refined just yet, but underneath the hooks and quirky design is a solid shooter that may appease genre fans looking for something a little different.

Crime Boss: Rockay City is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.