Prison Architect is the world's latest Prison Management Sim. Starting with an empty plot of land you must construct a holding cell with basic water and electricity to house your first batch of prisoners, to buy you enough time to create a proper cell block. You'll need to hire some guards, get some showers built and unless the kitchen is up and running with chefs working away you're going to end up with a riot on your hands.
From there you take your prison in which-ever direction you like. A monsterous super-max or comfortable center for rehabilitation, the choice is up to you. Prison Architect PC is currently in Alpha which means that the game is playable, but still in development.
Not all features are implemented yet and there are many bugs that may affect gameplay. We are currently releasing monthly updated builds which include new features and bug fixes. By buying the alpha you will automatically be gifted a free copy of the full game when it's finished.
Prison Architect is also available on XBox One.
Playing will probably mean thinking about issues that you probably didn’t think about. This is something that should be valued in a videogame. I’m as content as the next guy to mindlessly shoot a hundred dudes in a Call of Duty. But I also value games that make me think about something I wasn’t thinking about yesterday. Games that make me feel a way I don’t usually feel. Games that aren’t afraid to present complex subjects in all their complexity, wrangling gameplay into a thought-provoking exercise that is both entertainment and edification. Games like Prison Architect.
PA is an entertaining, comprehensive and accessible simulator of prison complex management. If you find this genre at least a little bit interesting, don’t hesitate buying it.
Plan, build, fail, sell and try again. Behind the functional graphics of Prison Architect there's a complex, motivating and very good prison simulation.
Although it is weighed down by some questionable development choices, Prison Architect is a break-out success due to its sandbox alone.
A surprisingly complex and enjoyable simulation of a correctional facility. [03/2016, p.64]
It was worth the wait - Prison Architect is a solid, engaging game with enormous number of options, presented in a well-thought-out way. Managing a virtual prison has never been so enjoyable.
Simulations can distort for good, and so help us resist, or ill, and obscure the forces that corral hearts and minds. Every system locks us up. But sims like Prison Architect throw away the keys.
June 26, 2017
Scanner Sombre, the new game by the Prison Architect’s studio, has sold just 6.000 copies in two months.
