Fans of mafia and crime boss movies normally have one movie in mind when asked about their favorite film – Scarface. It is the story of Tony Montana and the rise and eventual fall of his crime empire. It is full of action and machismo, and many a fan has uttered the famous line, “Say Hello to my little friend” at one time or another. This time, fans of this classic movie, as well as of life simulation games can say hello to this little game called Scarface, developed by Fuse Powered, Inc. and HotHead Games for the iOS.
Scarface follows the story of Tony Montana as he starts building his empire. Gamers, as Montana, must build up their dominion over time and do jobs in order to further strengthen his grip on the underworld. Players must maximize collections, get rid of rivals, bribe cops, and do other tasks in order to become the ultimate gangster. It is part life simulation, part RPG, and can provide whole thrills for mafia fans, whether they are familiar with the movie or not.
Currency
In game cash is used to purchase buildings and other items, which you will use to build your empire, as well as hire thugs to do some tasks for you. Cash is earned through collections from buildings and businesses, as well as doing tasks such as eliminating enemies, or completing drug deals. As with any business, you might find yourself spending cash in order to earn even more cash, which you would use to further improve on your criminal kingdom.
“Product” is the premium currency in Scarface. Products look like bars of cocaine, and are used to speed up upgrades and constructions, or buy additional power to complete missions, especially if you are the type who does not like to wait. However, these are scarcely earned through regular play and must be purchased through actual currency.
Buildings
Buildings and businesses are Tony’s main and constant money generators. These can be built anywhere on the accessible locations in the map, but may take some time to build. Once building has been completed, players may then be able to collect from these regularly. Upgrades are also available so that buildings can generate even more cash. Tony’s mansion can also be built and upgraded, in order to better protect his empire and businesses against crime organization rivals.
Jobs
Jobs are special missions that Tony must perform around the Miami area in order to move the story forward, as well as earn hefty cash bonuses and XP points. There are different types of missions to complete, and these include completing drug deals, bribing police officers, getting rid of rival gangs, and a variety of others. Each job takes different resources to complete, but all of them cost power to perform. Doing jobs are the main purpose of the game, and players must complete these missions to move the game forward and make the most out of Scarface.
Power
Power is used up whenever Tony does missions. Different amounts of power are consumed to complete different types of missions. The power gauge is replenished automatically over time, but it can be restored immediately using Product. However, remember that Product is purchased using real currency, so sometimes it is much better to just wait for it to refill naturally. Still, for those who would like to complete as many missions in the shorter possible time, then they may find spending Product on power more acceptable.
Leveling Up
Players level up by basically just playing the game, making collections and performing jobs. The higher level you are, the more items that will be available for purchase, which you can then use to further strengthen your organization. Jobs would be much easier to complete with higher levels as you would have more cash and power to successfully accomplish these jobs.
References
Scarface takes a lot of content from the movie from which it was derived. Aside from the characters, they used actual voices and quotes from the actual film, making you feel even more immersed in the mafia environment. Players would also be able to visit familiar scenes and locations from the film such as South Beach and the Club District. There is even an option to download the actual movie through the game via iTunes. For games based on actual movies, no game is tied up to its reference film than Scarface.
Strategy
As with most life simulation games, constant play as well as leveling up to respectable levels is important. It would require a lot of patience, building small business at a time and making small collections, while slowly building up your cash. From there, expand your business and purchase bigger buildings, then begin taking on bigger missions once you feel that your empire is strong enough. After that, starting building up your mansion and expand your territories, but make sure to collect payments regularly and maximize power by spending them to complete jobs once it is filled. Also, don’t be afraid to spend Product when you really have to, or if you can’t wait too long for constructions to complete or for your power bar to be replenished.
Conclusion
Scarface is a great game that provides tons of nostalgia and that gritty gangster feel. Players would feel immersed in the environment as they interact with familiar characters from the movie, and they would be able to hear actual voice-overs from the original film. The different jobs also provide a variety of play, preventing Scarface from becoming monotonous. Fans of the movie surely should not miss picking up this game, as it will be able to provide an atmosphere of 1980s Miami caught in the grip of a crime wave that you have initiated unlike any other.
Scarface was developed by Fuse Powered, Inc. and HotHead Games for the iOS. It was released on April 26, 2012 and is compatible for the iPhone, iPad, and iPad Touch. Scarface is free to download, but requires either a 3G or Wi-Fi connection to play.