Say what you want about Minecraft, but it changed the way games are made these days.
For the few that don’t know, Minecraft offered a pay in alpha option for people interested in getting the game. For a nominal fee, it would allow them to get their hands on this work in progress to help shape the game and report any bugs. They would also get updated versions of the game and eventually the full release.
This method proved incredibly popular and soon Alpha games began popping up everywhere, soon good and some terrible.
This series intends to look at various games that are in Alpha stage right now and see how they are doing. Are they currently on track, what updates have they done, and is it currently worth the money you paid to get your hands on it. The biggest rule for this series is that the game needs to be purchasable. If someone is developing it for free, then a whole other set of rules should apply. This is for a game that you have given money to help produce, and I have done.. with my own money.
Prison Architect
Version: Alpha 14
Introversion Software
http://www.introversion.co.uk/prisonarchitect/
For the uninitiated: Prison Architect is the next game by the developers of Uplink, Defcon and Darwinia/Multiwinia. You play the role of the titular prison architect as you take an empty piece of land and attempt to turn it into profitable business while dealing with the whims of your prisoners and staff.
Prison Architect has been a paid alpha for just over a year now with Introversion Software bringing out new updates on an almost monthly basis. I picked up this game in its 6th update when the developers split the prisoners into different categories depending on the severity of the crimes. Each further update has brought about game changing features such as prison employment, game sharing via Steam Workshop, prisoner release, contraband and escape tunnels.
Current Playability: In its current state, the game plays fairly way. Before the last few updates, the gameplay was fairly simple. You would build your prison and that would be it. Prisoners would wander around following the regime you set up but you would have very little else to do except try to cram as much as you could into the plot. Recent updates however have thrown a spanner into the works. Prisoners can now steal tools to try build escape tunnels and you have to be extra vigilant. You can also dictate what punishments are handed down for infractions to either get the inmates happy or instil fear into them. The biggest thing for (re)playability was added into the last alpha and that is the ability to sell your prison and take the profits on to build your next attempt.
As of Alpha 14, Prison Architect still has no career mode. Upon starting the game for the first time, you are met while a haunting tutorial but once you finish that you are left to your own devices. You can select certain government grants that give you cash bonuses for certain types of buildings but more often than not, you will end up building these anyway.
Worth Purchasing?: As of writing this article, Prison Architect is £19.99 ($29.99) and I have put in well over 50 hours into it since Alpha 6. However there are a few main things that could put you off purchasing the game as it stands right now. No structured career, no death row and lack of prison economy stand out the most. However, if you like the idea of building and refining your own prison with no annoying prompts to do it a certain way, then it could be in a state ready for you.
Next Game Update: Introversion have announced that Alpha 15 will be released at the end of November.
