The liberally regulated market that is the Steam Store has, in the past, allowed all sorts of “indie” games to come out that are either terrible, terribly offensive or –more often than not – an off-putting mixture of both. You only have to check out Jim Sterling’s ‘Squirty Plays’ series to find stinkers like “Slave Tetris”, Grass Simulator or...well, it’s best if you see for yourself. So when a game like Rogue State comes out, developed by an unknown studio called Little Red Dog Games and marketing itself as a strategy game in which you “assume control of a Middle Eastern country recovering from a violent revolution”, alarm bells begin ringing in my head.
Lo and behold Rogue State is actually not bad at all. Sure, the stunted voice acting and low production value are certainly nothing to be blown away by, and certain aspects of the game come off as a little politically tone-deaf -- even if the intentions were good. But, Little Red Dog Games have successfully managed to take a politically sensitive topic and transform it into a comprehensive resource management game.
As the newly-elected leader of a fictionalized country (clearly inspired by The Arab Spring of 2011), it is up to you to restore peace and prosperity to the great nation of Basenji. This is far from easy though; as with any political situation, there are interests to please, hard decisions to make and finances to worry about. As a player, you can use turns to formulate policies, alter taxes, conduct international relations and wage war. In doing so, you affect the levels of favor with the various political factions: liberals, fundamentalists, capitalists and patriots. Granted, this might be a rather zero-sum way of understanding the complexities of political opinion and association in a country, but it’s interesting to see how different groups react to your political conduct.
For example, in setting a healthy minimum wage rate for the workers of Basenji, I earned the support of the liberal caucus, but at the expense of a lowered approval rate among the capitalists. To rectify this, I legalized gambling, but this in turn brought displeasure from the fundamentalists. There are a whole number of policies you can change and -- if you already thought this sounds pretty complex -- there are a variety of other things to worry about too: the budget, terrorist and migration flows between your regional neighbors, natural disasters, parliamentary support, regional trade and industry proliferation, not to mention the looming threat of your revolutionary brother who seeks to take your place as leader.
It can all get a bit overwhelming, and it’s not made clear how or in what way your decisions can actually affect the various factors of the game’s make-up. But Little Red Dog Games should be admired for at least respecting the complexity that comes with running a country in these circumstances.
In terms of tone, Rogue State doesn’t seem to know whether it wants to be a satirical take on a politically topical subject or a serious simulation of governance in the Middle Eastern theatre. In the end, it sits somewhere in the middle, which can be a little jarring at times. One minute you can be negotiating an important trade deal with a regional neighbor, the next you can be siphoning off public funds to your own personal bank account for in-game unlockables. It manages to avoid politically incorrect territory for the most part, but it certainly toys with the idea.
If you have any interest in politics and video games, you should take it upon yourself to check out Rogue State. It’s far from perfect, but it’s also one of the few games to tackle a subject like this in a semi – respectful manner. What’s more, as a strategy game on its own, it surprisingly complex and robust; even if a little chaotic at times.
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