Prison Architect Reviews
Prison Architect is in good company with games like Papers, Please, providing great entertainment value without obstructing its sobering social commentary.
Prison Architect is a game I would definitely recommend to any simulation diehards, but some looking for a more accessible pathway into the genre may want to take it easy. However, most of the major flaws have been ironed out from the Early Access experience, which is a sign of improvement others aren't as worthy of.
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.
This prison sim game is unique, memorable, and has the makings of an incredibly long playthrough off a single save file.
Prison Architect is a solid title with an engaging premise and an enjoyable campaign that can last as long as 6 hours or more.
Excellent Sandbox with a pointless tutorial
The team at Introversion has made a very fun management sim and Double Eleven has done a wonderful job translating the game and it's controls to consoles. It's fun to design a prison and just as fun to run it like a well-oiled machine. That is unless you connect two power generators together causing them to short and lose power to your entire prison leaving the high security prisoners free to wander and kill any guard who happens to cross their path.
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.
"A warden can also be an architect"
Review in Finnish | Read full review
'Prison Architect' has grown from a wonky but promising idea into an awesome strategy experience. Except for some persistent pathfinding bugs, the AI and building elements are spot on, and I highly recommend this game even to people who may not normally enjoy the tycoon genre.
Prison Architect finally launched a full version with a campaign, but longtime fans will be disappointed.
There are many upsides to Prison Architect. From its smooth and easy controls, strong gameplay, and the chance for anyone to test how they would react when placed at a position of power. Of course, the game is not without its downsides either, such as the way it can end up fairly monotone once the game is mastered, but, as a whole, it's very worthwhile.
Prison Architect takes a while to get the hang of, but once the basics have been mastered, it offers multiple options for experimentation in its impressive sandbox. The Campaign and Escape modes give a good change of pace, while the quirky art-style and dark undertones grab the player's attention.
Every system locks us up. But sims like Prison Architect throw away the keys.
Prison Architect does have a campaign mode (if you can call it that), but it's a bit subsided… where it does shine though is in its storytelling
If you can persevere through the game's poor useability, you'll find a complex and compelling sim with many player stories to tell.
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.
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.
Prison Architect started out as a diamond in the rough and has been polished and hewn into a truly unique gaming experience. Introversion Software can be proud that they've built Prison Architect the right way and created an exceptional game unrivalled by many in the industry.
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.