Rough Justice: ‘84 Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

There’s a good reason as to why folks love the eighties: the vibrant aesthetics, and not to mention the signature synthetic fabrics that often infuse droplets of pastel and neon. It was a great time to be alive, for sure — even if there were several underlying global issues that often crept out from behind the woodwork of an otherwise nostalgic generation. When all’s said and done, it’s Rough Justice: ‘84 that capitalizes on said underlying issues, as it mostly discards the nine-to-five cliches and instead opts to paint the era in a different, more complex color scheme. And honestly, that’s sort of what made me feel the urge to absorb it: the fact that it didn’t shy away from exploring the darker side of the era.

Granted, it didn’t take much to realize that Rough Justice: ‘84 wasn’t a run-of-the-mill buddy cop thriller, but more of a D&D-inspired board game with a few traditional components, to boot. Was this enough to steer me away from clearing its stages and mopping up all it had to offer? Not even in the slightest, no; if anything, it made it stick out a lot more than the average trope-imbued love letter to the fluorescent period.

It has been a handful of hours since I first stepped foot into the criminal underworld of Seneca, and so, in my mind, the day’s work is well and truly over. However, for the sake of littering a bit more context over the journey, I’ll rewind the clock a smidgen, if only to give the characters and its story a proper introduction. Care to join in as we throw ourselves back to the neon verses of the eighties? Then let’s jump right in.

Getting Rough

Rough Justice: ‘84 tells the tale of Jim Baylor, an ex-law enforcer who, in the wake of his trial as an accused criminal, is invited to join a private investigation firm by a former colleague. In the months leading up to the firm’s acquisition, the city of Seneca fell victim to a slew of criminal activities and all-around wrongdoings, leading to the ribbon cutting of the newly formed PI outfit. The goal, as Jim, is simple: clean up the streets, and give those who’ve done wrong a big ol’ slap on the wrist.

Technically, cleaning up the streets isn’t the only task on the checklist, as there’s also the case of managing a PI firm, and not to mention acquiring the correct foot soldiers to do your bidding around the world of Seneca, too. Think of it as a business-simulation, outlet-management sort of ordeal, but squashed into a board game-inspired experience, complete with its own dice. It isn’t quite Monopoly, but it is, more or less, a less violent version of, I don’t know, Miami Vice.

I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one. Rough Justice: ‘84 isn’t in receipt of the most convoluted storyline in the world. Having said that, there are plenty of side quests and interweaving backstories to keep the overarching narrative from grinding to a complete halt — which is something. What’s more, there’s also this “buddy cop” feel that you’re invited to immerse in—a timeless sensation that practically screams eighties cinema. Again, no complaints there.

Roll Another

When it comes to actually playing the game, chores tend to boil down to a simple roll of the dice. For the most part, it’s merely the case of finding a crime, and dispatching certain units to deal with the situation in a timely manner with the skills in their respective departments. For example, in some instances, you could find an event that requires a unit with a higher Intelligence stat, at which point the chances of rolling a higher number on the die will likely multiply and give you a better result. It’s your job, basically, to recruit a mixed bag of enforcers, and develop an outfit that’s strong enough to reduce the crime rate and restore balance to Seneca.

Aside from the dice, which take up the lion’s share of the spotlight, Rough Justice: ‘84 also infuses the odd mini-game into the mix, too. For example, some activities will involve having to comb over the finer details in a document, or picking a certain lock in order to obtain access to a key location. There isn’t a huge amount of variety to shovel through, but due to the games themselves being entertaining enough to see through to the bitter end, at no point did I reduce the objectives to simplified chore-core work. If anything, I was often willing to throw myself into the thick of each task, if only to build a repertoire with my agents and learn all there was to know about each activity and their respective mechanics.

It’s surprising, really, that a single roll of the dice can be enough to get the cogs turning and the story progressing toward its next major beat. It’s all so inclusive, in fact, that anyone can jump in and, well, roll with the punches, so to speak.

Evidently Eighties

There’s a certain beauty in the artwork that Rough Justice ‘84 paints, and it certainly helps that such art is not only reminiscent of classic 80’s cinema, but also married with a cast of colorful personalities and memorable agents, too. And honestly, that’s where the beating heart of the experience lies: in the center of the firm itself, along with the band of intuitive folks who flesh out the roster. Suffice it to say that the team behind the game had clearly done their homework on the subject before laying the foundations for the game and all of its components. To that, I say, well played, Gamma Minus.

In addition to the visuals being convincing enough to fool the everyday eighties-loving fanatic into thinking the game is a word-for-word love letter to Miami Vice, the game also features some believable voice acting, and not to mention a soundtrack that bleeds into an episode torn straight from a classic crime drama. It’s textbook eighties, is what I’m saying, and so, if that’s an era you’ve been longing to return to, then you could do a whole lot worse than Rough Justice: ‘84.

To make it perfectly clear, Rough Justice: ‘84 isn’t a demanding game, nor is it exactly crammed to the brim with unnecessarily complicated tasks or illogical puzzles. On the contrary, it’s all rather straightforward, and so, provided that you have the patience and mental capacity to withstand the same challenges several times over, then there’s no real reason why you wouldn’t be able to sweep all that Seneca has to offer under the rug in a handful of hours.

Verdict

Rough Justice: ‘84 does a tremendous job of adding flair to an already booming era, and it somehow manages to do it with a great deal of elegance and grace, too. For the most part, it’s mere nostalgia fodder for budding pastel enthusiasts, but in between the crags and crevices of its cliches are a selection of genuinely compelling storylines and inspired character arcs. And while its gameplay can teeter towards being somewhat repetitive in the long run, the truth is, a single roll of the dice can also make for some pretty exhilarating moments. Go figure.

When all’s said and done, Rough Justice: ‘84 won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, and it’ll certainly put off those who’d soon rather delve into the roots of an action-packed RPG over anything else on the market. Having said that, due to the game’s relatively simple mechanics and convincing premise, it’s also easy to recommend the campaign to anyone who’s merely looking to soak up a quality single-player experience, too. And so, on that note, I can’t help but sing the game’s praises — if only in short bursts between other, slightly more demanding choruses found in other IPs.

To answer the initial question, is Rough Justice: ‘84 worth the time and effort? Indeed it is — and not only to scratch that one itch, in particular, but to give potential fans of alternate genres a chance to onboard something fresh and oddly invigorating. Needless to say there are countless board game-type titles out there, but if you’re only interested in picking up only a small handful in 2023, then you ought to give this one some serious consideration the next time you find yourself at a loose end.