Prison Boss Prohibition takes the quirky contraband-crafting gameplay of the original Prison Boss VR and reimagines it for the streets of New Yolk City – a vibrant and chaotic new setting where everything from cigarettes to beer can become hot commodities overnight. Built for Meta Quest and enhanced with cooperative play and expanded crafting mechanics, this version introduces more freedom, more silliness, and a few new potential headaches as you dodge cops and cater to shady clientele in a satirical take on prohibition-era economics. The result is a game that thrives on tactile immersion and cartoon absurdity, even if it occasionally gets repetitive under all that hustle.
The game’s premise leans heavily into the absurd, casting you as an anthropomorphic egg-shaped hustler trying to corner the market on black-market goods in a city where laws change as quickly as your inventory. The mayor’s bans can turn your most lucrative product into contraband in an instant, keeping the stakes (and your stress levels) high as you juggle demand, crafting efficiency, and the ever-present risk of police raids. This setup lends itself well to VR’s strengths, especially in terms of physical interaction, where stirring a beer batch or rolling a cigarette isn’t just a menu selection, but a hands-on process that captures the thrill of doing something slightly illegal while ducking authority.
Gameplay-wise, Prison Boss Prohibition evolves the formula of its prison-bound predecessor by expanding its scope. Now you’re managing a series of street stalls rather than a cell, with opportunities to move between locations, serve new clientele, and accept faction-based special jobs that boost your street cred. These additions introduce some welcome variety and progression, with gear upgrades and customization options that let you tailor both your shop’s efficiency and your avatar’s flair. The physicality of the crafting – whether you’re mixing, folding, or pressing items – remains satisfying, though repetition can start to creep in once you’ve mastered the rhythm of a particular level or activity.
Co-op, whether online or local, is a highlight – not just for the added fun of having a partner-in-crime, but for the strategic layer it adds. Dividing up tasks between players, coordinating around police patrols, and sharing the occasional frantic panic when things go sideways leads to the kind of moments that VR co-op thrives on. That said, the experience can feel uneven depending on your partner’s reliability and skill, and there’s room for deeper cooperative mechanics beyond just parallel multitasking.
Visually, the game’s aesthetic is unmistakably playful, with bold colors, exaggerated animations, and a surreal cityscape that brings the absurdity of the concept to life. It’s not technically groundbreaking, but the art style fits the tone perfectly and keeps things light even during the most chaotic moments. The audio design follows suit, with a bouncy soundtrack and cartoonish effects that enhance the overall atmosphere. However, some sound effects and music loops can grow repetitive over extended play sessions – especially when you’re grinding through similar orders again and again.
On the downside, Prison Boss Prohibition sometimes struggles with pacing. While the ever-shifting legality of items is meant to inject variety, it can also interrupt your flow in frustrating ways, especially if you’ve just invested in an item’s production pipeline only to see it suddenly banned. Likewise, the crafting depth doesn’t always keep pace with your increasing reputation, which can lead to a sense of mechanical stalling unless you deliberately pursue new areas or jobs. The leaderboard system gives high-score chasers something to aim for, but more narrative or goal-driven content could have given the campaign structure a bit more substance and longevity.
Still, despite its quirks and occasional stumbles, Prison Boss Prohibition succeeds in expanding the franchise in a direction that makes perfect sense for VR. It’s fast-paced, tactile, and laced with enough humor and chaos to keep things engaging – especially with a co-op partner along for the ride. For anyone who enjoyed the original or just wants to embrace the life of a crafting criminal egg on the run from cartoon cops, this Prohibition is well worth breaking.
Score: 7.4/10
Press Play Media 