Contraband Policeis a zany, indie simulation game where players take on the role of a border guard whose job is to inspect people entering the country and verify they don’t have any contraband with them.

Related:Best Government Simulation Games, Ranked

This sounds simple enough, but the game is actually a surprisingly complete, fleshed-out experience in a number of ways. Players can upgrade their gear, drive around the countryside, and have a number of important responsibilities to attend to as part of their work at the border. The game has something of a learning curve, sothese are some tips for beginners toContraband Police.

8Always Carry An Axe

Easily one of the most useful tools for players to carry on them at all times is the axe. A surprising number of events crop up where players need an axe on them. One of themost common is fallen trees acrossthe road. Having an axe handy allows players to hack these up and move them out of their way.

Efficiency is key in a game likeContraband Policewhere resource and inventory management are such a massive part of the gameplay experience, so something as simple as having an axe goes a very long way.

contraband police

7Invest In A Prison Guard

Actually making arrests and transporting prisoners away from the border isonly part of the challenge that players have to tackleinContraband Police. It’s fairly common for prisoners to escape after being arrested, which can result losing a substantial amount of income.

Related:Best Factory Simulation Games, Ranked

The easiest way around this is hiring a prison guard. It’s definitely something of an investment, but when weighed up against the cost of potentially losing prisoners and money, it’s an investment that is absolutely worth making.

6Check Animals For Contraband

There is a surprisingly wide array of methods to conceal contraband used by smugglers, with one of them being dead animals. Believe it or not, players can occasionally find drugs and other prohibited materials stuffed into animal carcasses - it’s usually possible to tell whether an animal is being used for this purpose byfinding markings on their bodies that indicatethey’ve been cut into.

If players suspect that an animal carcass is being used to store contraband, try whacking it with a crowbar or similar.

contraband police

5Be Quick To Make Arrests

A big part of adjusting toContraband Policeis figuring out when to arrest people at the border who the player suspects may be hiding something, have committed a crime or been found to be carrying some form of contraband.

Related:Life Simulation Games That Are Stressful

Oftentimes, it’s worth arresting suspicious people sooner rather than later, especially if they haven’t made any type of bribe to the player. People who don’t make bribes but are in possession of contraband will often try to escape before they can be arrested by players. This attention to detail in the gameplay genuinely putsContraband Policeup there with some ofthe best sims in the genre.

4Drive Safely

It probably goes without saying, butContraband Policeisn’tGTA. Players will need to pay to repair damage to their vehicles in the game, and cars in need of repairing provide far worse protection than vehicles that are in good condition if (or rather, when) players get attacked in the game.

So, players should focus on driving as carefully as possible.Contraband Policehas a semi-open world and has afairly unique exploration mechanicworked into it. Keep speeds to a reasonable level, for instance; plotting out one’s route before setting out can also be helpful in this respect.

contraband police

3Ambushes Usually Aren’t Worth The Money

Resource management is a crucial part ofContraband Police. Players need to weigh up the cost of investing in new gear against the potential profit they might be able to extract from the various situations they come across in-game.

Related:Management Games With Surprisingly Deep Lore

Ambushes are a great example of this. Players will frequently get ambushed inContraband Police, and they’ll berewarded for taking out their attackers. However, this is usually more trouble than it’s actually worth. Rather than spending time and ammo on dealing with ambushes, players will often be better off simply driving away and taking care of whatever they were doing in the first place instead.

2The Makarov Is Seriously Underrated

As far as fights are concerned, players should be able to handle themselves just fine with the Makarov, which is a type of pistol. Using the Makarov, players can usually take enemies down with headshots, and the ammo for the Makarov is exceedingly affordable.

This frees up more capital for the player to use on other resources and upgrades. Note that, once players have purchased upgrades in-game, then their daily cost of running operations at the border will permanently increase in kind. Saving money wherever possible is a vital part of succeeding inContraband Police.

contraband police

1Cross-Reference Message Board With Traveler Information

Justlike inPapers, Please,players should diligently check the message board at the start of each day of work before beginning their shift.

Much of the information on the message board will be crucial to the player’s success, and plenty of it will be impossible to discern otherwise. The rules applying to who can and can’t cross the border change frequently, and players need to make sure to enforce them to meet performance standards at work. So, it’s important to make a habit of checking the message board daily.

contraband police

contraband police

contraband police

contraband police