"Some get tattoos for fun, some get tattoos for art. Russians get tattoos for sins."
It is a very rough, very amateurish and extremely short little venture exploring one of the most unique criminal tattoo hierarchies ever devised besides that of the Japanese Yakuza. In many ways, the "criminal passport" of the world of Russian prisoners is among the most interesting rabbitholes as far as art and meaning goes.
The game itself is extremely minimalist, all sketched out with a brush pen of some sort. It seems like something that may have been made in a few days. For a cheap price, you get ten or so minutes. There are multiple endings, but really, overall - it is a very minimalist idea and it merely exists as a small, interactive representation of a unique culture that still lives in the heart of Russian prisons, hard labour camps, as well as even the military and some mercenary factions.
Overall, the game does not glorify or romanticize prison life, but instead it briefly shows the harsh reality of it. Men from the Caucasus give you a Muslim greeting, yet ask you to forcefully tattoo an inmate against their will for the heinous act of the crime that landed him there in the first place. The irony is lost in the unique world they inhibit, a counter-civilization within walls that bar them from civilization itself.
Its surprisingly educational in a small way, but really - all it does is give you some anecdotal knowledge at most. It only focuses on ring-tattoos and thus, while a fundamental part of the criminal code and "body passport", much more is lost.
Conceptually, this is grand. The execution is not entirely there, but its worth buying with some spare cash to support a young, ambitious game dev's unique, neat little idea.
Unfortunately, you get more or less the same gameplay as looking at the promotional screenshots. But once again, less is more in some cases and for something virtually free, you may just walk away with something more valuable than a long game: an appreciation for your freedom and your own integrity, that has avoided putting you in such a harsh circumstance as the many men, young and old, in Eastern Europe who are still subjugated by the socio-economic conditions that they "inherited" as a direct ticket to a prison cell. For some people, however, they are truly born into this against their will.
Also, don't work with the cop. He's just a mobster in another uniform.
