
While problems arose later with how I had initially designed its layout, it didn't quite matter as I couldn't step away from its addictive gameplay elements.


Many hours later, I sat completely absorbed with trying to build and manage the perfect prison. After feeling confident that I could run my own prison, I switched over to the Sandbox mode which proved quite a time consumer. While the campaign might have felt like a glorified tutorial, it does it all in the right ways with interesting stories and freedom in regards to the extent at which players want to complete objectives. The campaign that consists of narrated levels, while cinematics continually introduce new and more advanced gameplay mechanics. Not to mention, after that, players can download a wide variety of levels and mods from the Steam Workshop, and then try their luck at playing as a prisoner in the new Escape mode. Once players have grasped the basics in the campaign, they can plan, build, and manage their own prison that can be set from various conditions, ranging from endless money to enabled gang support. It does a great job of explaining and demonstrating the fundamental mechanics of running a prison. While players might be tempted to jump straight into building their own prison, instead I recommend playing through the campaign. Nearly every aspect, from managing the regime of your prisoners to the furnishings placed inside cells, is covered in the gameplay. While I had owned the game's early access version for awhile, this was my first major introduction to the gameplay, which is best described as highly involved and detailed.

Originally made available through Steam Early Access in September 2012, it's been a long time coming for the release of Prison Architect from developer Introversion Software.
