14 DAY TRIAL // 
I need to ace this security job to deliver a caseload filled with positive results to one of my police contacts and unlock some rewards and better jobs. The problem is that I have to deal with a situation that requires either brute strength or perception and my agent is better suited to work that involves empathy and perception.
I guess intelligence is the best idea because I have the gear to boost that. I also sacrifice some of my agent’s energy to get more dice and then it is time to roll them and hope that they turn up high values, maybe even a critical success. My first role is, of course, a critical failure, because failure draws in more failure. I decide to sacrifice some money and re-roll.
This time I get one five and two fours. My final re-launch of the dice is even better, delivering a five and a six. The case is completed and I get a solid reward, which negates my earlier failure and even adds some more energy to my agent. I think I can deal with one more case before I have to send Jan home. Then it is time to spend money to get someone else, probably less qualified, to replace her in the field. This city’s corrupt soul never gives people time to rest.
Rough Justice ‘84 is developed by Gamma Minus UG and published by Daedalic Entertainment. I played it on the PC using Steam. The title is a strategy experience with a good setting that uses ideas inspired by boardgame design.
The game’s universe is inspired by the ‘80s and its cheesy action movies (think old-school Miami Vice) but hits some serious notes. There are framed cops, corruption in the department, a personal quest for information, and a lot of people ready to turn to independent agents to get justice when the local government can no longer provide it. Seneca City might be a fictional city, but the corruption affecting it has plenty of real-world parallels.
The most interesting part of this universe is the agents. They are independent contractors players will hire to work on cases. Their characterization, centered on a portrait and motto, is efficient and fun. It’s very easy to build stories around their successes and failures, even if the game has a central narrative thread to work on.
To make progress in Rough Justice ‘84, players direct their agents as they engage with caseloads. These are groups of problems that the police do not have the resources to deal with. Each type involves a different gameplay mechanic and some are more interesting to engage with than others.
For most cases, players will have to roll dice. Each situation revolves around one of the five character attributes. Their value matches the number of dice they can bring to a roll. Gamers can use their limited energy to add more and there are items to enhance that. For each dice roll there are critical hits and failures.
Re-rolls are available to mitigate failure but it can still be pretty hard to reliably pass the dice checks for many cases. Completing caseloads opens up harder ones and delivers bonuses. Agents gain experience and level up and it’s important to specialize. Informants also appear in the city, offering more lucrative situations to deal with. Global events pop up, asking players to make decisions that affect all their agents, and there are also smaller events that only feature moral choices.
The 24/7 cases don’t use dice rolls. Instead, the game selects a mini-game for players to complete. They include lockpicking, carjacking, frequency matching, surveillance, pattern matching, and more. They are easily the weakest part of Rough Justice ‘84. They are only enjoyable once or twice and then become chores required to make progress and I never felt like they were suited to the setting.
Operations push the story forward and involve tougher dice challenges linked to clues. Again, it’s important to use the best agent for the job. I only tackled them when I had a good chunk of money in the bank and was ready to absorb some level of failure.
I like the variety of cases in Rough Justice ‘84 and the complex dice-based solutions required to solve them and get solid rewards. I really wanted an option to ignore the mini-game-based ones but there’s no way to push forward without working on them.
Even for gamers who will love both dice action and mini-game moments, the game can become a little repetitive. I found that it works best in shorter sessions. Try to deal with one caseload and maybe one or two other opportunities, using all the energy of an agent group, before evaluating what’s required to move forward in the story.
Rough Justice ‘84 certainly has style, even if the overall presentation does have some issues. The ‘80s action flick inspiration is splattered all over the screen and infuses the city and the way the cases are presented. I really like the character presentation and portraits, which really capture a mix of cheesiness and a can-do attitude that works well with the universe and plot. The city landscape is nice but sometimes feels a little empty.
The sound mixes very well with the graphics. All the agents you can hire have unique voice lines, which tend to repeat a little too often but, again, capture their personality. The soundtrack is also pretty good, synth-driven and evoking the neon and weirdness that the setting relies on for its charm.
The Good
- Atmosphere and agents
- Dice based case solving
- Solid soundtrack
The Bad
- Mini-game cases
- City feels a little empty
- Cop show tropes
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the gameplay mechanics let the rest of the experience down. The elements that are centered on dice, clever use of energy, and good choice of items can be fun, even if they become repetitive. The mini-games are the big problem. Rough Justice ‘84 is worth trying out as long as you love the boardgame-inspired action and the setting but I hope incoming updates improve gameplay.
A review key was provided by the publisher
