Prison Architect Reviews
Prison Architect is a fun building game where you get to manage your own prison. It's a little too complex at times and I don't like some of the artwork, but the pros outweigh the cons. I recommend checking it out if you're a fan of sim games.
It should be noted that the Switch version is meant to also include an Escape Mode where you control an inmate trying to find their way out. For the purposes of this review, we haven't been able to check it out. Despite that omission, it's not hard to pour a bunch of time into Prison Architect, and I am happy to recommend it to anyone looking for a sim game to play on their couch.
I like computer books. I have a shelf packed with programming textbooks, stories about the industry, and a library of eBooks on various languages I learn and work with. I also have one oddity published by O'Reily called Getting Started With Dwarf Fortress. Of course Dwarf Fortress is not a programming language, but a game. An infamous game known for an incredible depth of complexity and one of the worst user interfaces ever built. Aside the fact that the game is comprised entirely of ASCII characters, it is difficult enough to parse that it has its own sizeable text box. A shame considering it is one of the most unique and wonderful games around.I never mastered Dwarf Fortress, but it stoked the fires of my interest in the simulation genre and as the years have gone by there have been plenty of interesting clones of the game. Prison Architect is one such game, and while it chooses to ditch the mind boggling scope of Dwarf Fortress and focus the player on a singular task, it is not any worse off or lacking in depth because of this. After hanging around on PC, it has made its way to the Nintendo Switch, making it (for now...Rimworld, anyone?) the only notable title like it on the console.
"A warden can also be an architect"
Review in Finnish | Read full review
It's still an awkward fit for console controls, but the game beneath them is worth the effort nonetheless.
Prison Architect allows for freedom and creativity with its deep simulation systems and the multitude of player options. Players may become surprisingly invested in their prison and in their prisoners, something that can only be achieved by letting them mess with every small detail.
Smart, thought-provoking and uniquely compelling
If you can persevere through the game's poor useability, you'll find a complex and compelling sim with many player stories to tell.
Despite the occasional bug and some derpy AI here and there, Prison Architect is a solid title that hits all the right notes for simulation fans, taking an obscure concept and transforming it into a fun game that delivers hundreds of hours of playtime.
I have enjoyed the game, and every hour spent playing for my Prison Architect review was certainly worth it. It is very addictive, with tons of content to enjoy across all its modes. You can play the game as you see fit, and the amount of freedom you have is incredible.
Prison Architect isn't the easiest game to delve into, but it provides patient players with a deep, challenging, and entertaining experience.
This deep penitentiary construction and simulation game is a lesson why for-profit prisons are destined for corruption and inmate mistreatment
The game definitely suits one who loves crafting games, though as a beginner in the field this game works well as it's fairly user friendly and small enough in scale you won't get lost in it, strangely addictive at times yet not enough to steal you away from the big names in terms of longevity.
Prison Architect is a solid title with an engaging premise and an enjoyable campaign that can last as long as 6 hours or more.
Prison Architect: Console Edition hits a lot of the right spots to appeal to fans of strategy and construction games. The fact that it lets you play the game with an emphasis on one or the other if you want, means that it'll appeal to a wider audience.
A lot of things can behave badly in prison, and I'm not just talking about the prisoners. But Prison Architect told me an engrossing story—and taught me a thing or two—with its tutorial and design.
Excellent Sandbox with a pointless tutorial
Prison Architect is an excellent sandbox, a throwback to the days of Bullfrog's Theme series that forces you to balance an eye for aesthetics with pure functionality. Those who don't need to be led by the hand to explore the deep systems at play will find an excellent simulation to lose themselves in, with online sharing options providing a huge selection of prisons to explore, tear down and rebuild. If you can stomach the morality of prisons for profit you will enjoy Prison Architect.
The pick up and play nature of Prison Architect in tandem with its wealth of gameplay options make this title far outshine its few flaws with a charming and engaging overall package.
A great simulation game that works impressively well on consoles. Although at times it almost feels like a psychology study of the player rather than the inmates.