The Henchmen is a compact crime sandbox that embraces the reckless energy of 1990s action games while introducing enough modern conveniences to keep the experience accessible. Developed by Alex Von Bronx and published by DOSMan Publishing, it takes players to the fictional city of New Queens, where gunfights, fistfights, stolen vehicles, police pursuits, and criminal ambition form the foundation of the adventure. Its top-down perspective and deliberately retro presentation immediately separate it from contemporary open-world crime games, creating something that feels closer to an arcade interpretation of organized crime than a realistic simulation.
The story follows a career criminal's progression from an insignificant street thug to someone caught in a much larger confrontation between powerful crime bosses. An interesting part of the campaign is its movement between two periods of the 1990s. Snow-covered streets establish the atmosphere of winter 1990, while the warmer and brighter environments of summer 1996 provide a noticeable contrast. This passage of time gives the protagonist's rise through the underworld additional context while allowing New Queens to display different moods without requiring an enormous game world.
Combat is built around speed and player skill rather than simple exchanges of gunfire. Shooting is complemented by close-range fighting, dodging, combos, and evasive maneuvers. Performing these actions effectively can provide health and ammunition rewards, encouraging players to fight aggressively and stylishly instead of remaining at a safe distance. It is a clever way of connecting survival resources directly to combat performance. The result has an arcade-like momentum where improving at the mechanics can make encounters both more manageable and more satisfying.
Vehicles are another major component. Driving uses intentionally arcade-oriented physics, making cars entertaining tools rather than merely transportation between objectives. Police pursuits complement this philosophy particularly well, and the dedicated powerslide mechanic encourages dramatic cornering during escapes. These sequences help break up the combat while preserving the game's fast pace. Optional challenges and hidden collectibles provide additional reasons to explore New Queens, with worthwhile rewards including faster cars, increasingly destructive weapons, and equipment capable of expanding the player's options.
Two-player cooperative play is one of the strongest additions to the formula. Shared-screen and split-screen support allow another player to participate directly in the criminal chaos, while Remote Play Together offers another way to experience the cooperative component. Gunfights and car chases naturally lend themselves to two-player entertainment, especially when both participants are improvising their way through unpredictable encounters. Importantly, the game remains fully playable alone, so its identity does not depend entirely on having a second player available.
Its visual presentation deliberately celebrates the imperfect appearance of early 3D gaming. Rather than simply applying one retro filter, customizable graphics options let players combine effects inspired by hardware-accelerated 1990s PCs and polygonal console graphics. The result is chunky, colorful, and intentionally dated, but that roughness is fundamental to its identity. Players nostalgic for the transition from 2D games to primitive 3D should appreciate the aesthetic considerably more than those expecting modern graphical sophistication.
The audio follows the same philosophy. An energetic 1990s techno soundtrack complements shootouts, driving, and police pursuits, while collectible audio tapes add another incentive for searching the environment. Together with the period-specific visuals, exaggerated violence, vehicles, and urban environments, the music gives the experience a consistent personality. Modern quality-of-life features prevent the retro approach from becoming excessively restrictive, allowing the game to celebrate older design ideas without reproducing every inconvenience associated with them.
The relatively small-scale nature of the project is simultaneously an advantage and a limitation. Players expecting a massive modern open world filled with elaborate simulations and cinematic storytelling may find the experience comparatively straightforward. Its priorities are action, driving, combat mastery, exploration, collectibles, and cooperative entertainment. The intentionally rough visual treatment will also be an acquired taste. Mature content includes firearm and blunt-force violence, blood, strong language, and partial nudity, so the colorful retro appearance should not be mistaken for family-friendly content.
Steam Deck compatibility is officially rated Playable rather than Verified. The game runs successfully on SteamOS and its default graphics configuration performs well on the handheld. The default controller setup is functional, although players may encounter controller prompts or icons that do not always correspond perfectly to Steam Deck controls. These are relatively minor qualifications, making it a practical handheld option for players comfortable with a Playable rating.
Ultimately, The Henchmen works best when approached as an affectionate modernization of the top-down crime sandbox rather than a miniature attempt at today's blockbuster open-world formula. The combination of skill-oriented fighting, gunplay, arcade driving, police pursuits, optional exploration, local cooperation, retro graphics, and pounding techno gives it a distinctive character. Its smaller scope and deliberately dated appearance narrow its audience, but those same qualities provide much of its charm. For players interested in chaotic old-school action with a cooperative twist and a strong affection for 1990s gaming culture, it offers an entertaining trip through a criminal playground that knows exactly what era it wants to celebrate.
Rating: 8/10
