Combining management and strategy is a formula that has worked for many titles. Notable examples include the Civilization franchise, among others. But what Haemimont, the team behind Tropico 3 and 4, did with Omerta: City of Gangsters is something that isn’t seen all that often. In this title they have combined management with turn based strategy.
It’s a combination that makes sense when you consider what Omerta is about. In this game the player takes control of a crime syndicate in 1920s Atlantic City, visiting 20 unique districts within the city as they build up their crime empire. The game dynamic is divided into two distinct sections. The first is management, in which the player sees an overview of the district and develops their criminal empire of illicit businesses and fronts. The second is tactical combat, in which the player visits specific locations and leads a team of four combatants against enemies.
During the management phases, the player runs through an expected series of activities that work on a simple supply and demand system. There are three kinds of lots available to players, and each of them has specific things that can be built on them. Breweries, illegal boxing rings, speakeasies, pizza parlours, law offices, protection rackets, book-makers and more are available to the player. By creating a web of different businesses, the player meets the demand of the district’s populace, and can even take care of their own supply chains, from manufacture to sale.
Then there are government officials to be extorted, celebrities to be scammed and cops to be bribed. In short, there is generally quite a bit to do, although the pace of the game can be pretty slow.
As the player progresses, more goons can be added to the criminal crew. These level up (strangely, level ps are awarded by specific missions, and not by performance.) Each character can get new weapons and learn new skills, and the result is a single player campaign that is fairly long.
Combat comes down to four fighters (and one character filling a support role, like being a scout or a sniper outside of the player’s control) duking it out in turn based fashion with varying numbers of enemies. Different weapons have different effects, of course, and as players progress, they become better fighters.
The odd thing, though, is that there is only limited carry-over between missions. Your character progress and weapon acquisitions follow through, but all the businesses you establish (and the money you make) only affect individual missions. Also, you can’t go back and manage areas that you have already finished with. It feels less like an empire and more like starting fresh each time. It breaks any sense of continuity that the game might have.
Omerta will appeal to a select number of gamers, purely because it is a management and turn-based title. While it is passable in both areas, it does neither really well. Rather, it is passable on the whole, and can be quite enjoyable, if you forgive it some of its stranger elements. It certainly won’t appeal to those who want their gaming fast-paced, but isn’t always complex enough to warrant that slower speed.
The controls take some getting used to, and the graphics are not the greatest (when compared to things like Tropico) but, overall, Omerta: City of Gangsters can supply the player with a fun, sometimes challenging and never-too-frustrating management and combat experience. Like Tropico, the music is cheesy, and is best muted, though.
Publisher: Kalypso
Distributer: SilverScreen
