Police games come in all shapes and sizes. Some have you follow procedures and do everything by the book, while others let you go rogue and be the dirtiest cop on the force. It is up to you if you want to honor the badge or tarnish that symbol of justice. In RICO, a new game from Rising Star Games, you get to serve up justice while racking up a body count.
You play as a member of an elite police unit, the RICO squad. You have 24 hours to take down a drug ring – from the lowly dealers, all the way up to the king pin. It is up to you the path you take. Will you take the easy path and go for low level dealers, a few lieutenants and mid-level bosses or will you take out all the bosses on your way to the king pin?
The cases are procedurally generated, so that means that no two are the same. The cases have about 30 different missions, that are interconnected. Each case starts in a kill house. You must clear each room of pop up targets before moving to the next room. You must clear the house and find all the evidence before you finish the operation. The following missions will have various objectives, everything from gathering evidence to disarming bombs to destroying assets. For each objective you complete you will earn merits which can be used to buy new guns and equipment. The one thing that you don’t have to worry about doing is arresting anyone. You actually don’t even want to leave anyone breathing – the bigger the body count the better.
Besides cases you can either play quick missions or daily challenges. There are Lockdowns, where you face wave after wave of enemy. You can use any weapon in these modes that you have bought in case mode. All modes can be played solo or with a partner in either local or online mode. Playing with a partner is definitely the easier way to go, but it will require communication. You have to clear rooms one by one. You start by kicking in the door to the room, entering and taking out all enemies in them. If you don’t communicate, your partner can cross into your line of fire, or still be standing in the entry way while you are facing off against half a dozen foes.
The game is filled with a lot of cell shaded violence. The graphics are a bit cartoonish, but work for the game. Even though there is a lot of violence, it doesn’t seem over the top with the art style. The enemies you face are fairly well varied but boil down to just a few different foes with different skins. As you progress some enemies will don masks and face shields that will boost their resistance to head shots. The music will keep you fighting through room after room of drug thug. Every bone crunching melee, each bullet, and every explosion will echo through your head set.
RICO is out now on XB1, PS4, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. You can add it to your collection for around $20. If you are looking for a fun and challenging shooter this title is one to check out. It is even more entertaining when you play with a friend. No matter if you are playing online or local split-screen.
