Drug Dealer Simulator

I’m not saying that I’ve ever necessarily wanted to learn how to sell drugs before, but when a game like Drug Dealer Simulator comes along my curiosity gets the better of me. This is especially true when I know that I won’t have a police raid bashing down my door later because they saw me clumsily dropped a couple hundred grams of narcotics while climbing a fence in an attempt to evade them. This can’t happen in-game, but I can see how a reality where I’m actually dealing drugs would pan out. Regardless, Byterunners Game Studio has produced the drug dealing simulation of a lifetime where you can finally put yourself to the test: would you be able to make it in this ring of the crime underworld?

Become the Next Kingpin

Everyone has to start somewhere. For you, that’s the bottom of the bottom, a dingy hideout with little more to your name than a few bucks and a connection to the cartel that goes by Eddie. From there, the goal of the game is simple: sell drugs, don’t get caught, expand your drug empire, party as hard as you can. As you begin to explore the city, you’ll encounter several buyers and a swath of police officers that have it out for you. You don’t have a lot of time to decide: if you so happen to be carrying a significant amount of drugs on your person, you’d better run before you’re stripped of all your product and have to restructure your approach…once you’ve served your time, that is.

What’s the Deal with Dealers?

The core mechanics of Drug Dealer Simulator are easy enough to dive into, but there are some levels of complexity that become apparent as you attempt to make a profit while keeping your buyers happy. At its simplest, you buy your drugs from Eddie directly, though you’ll have to pick up the actual product at a dead drop. A lot of gameplay features are similar Byterunner’s other title, Thief Simulator, while also sharing some aesthetic aspects that are a bit like Grand Theft Auto (gameplay compared to GTA is not so relevant). You’ll then wander around the dangerous streets trying to sniff out buyers and quickly make connections – some interested parties will just text you their location as well.

Of course, the police throw a wrench into these tasks, being able to frisk you whenever they see fit. Fortunately, you’re able to control how suspicious you appear by choosing your clothes, the size of backpack you carry (bigger = more conspicuous), and the kinds & amount of drugs you carry. Finally, to maximize your profit, you are able to cut some of your products with other substances – for instance amphetamines can have baking soda added to beef up the weight while keeping the extra amphetamine on hand. While these are not challenging concepts, the real difficulty will be a mixture of results. Cutting product nets you greater profit, but doing it too much can cause issues down the line. Likewise, there are plenty of paths to increase your sales, but they often come at the cost of you being a prime suspect for police to investigate whenever they’re near. Luckily, skill points can help you offset these disadvantages as you progress further in the game.

The Bottom Line

For a game that lies more on the humor side of things, Drug Dealer Simulator offers a surprising amount of variety within the game’s core mechanics. The setting feels exaggerated in some ways, especially the cartoonish feeling of chaos the streets present due to the older graphics and odd voice acting, but this adds to the charm more than anything.

Pros

• Addictive gameplay, easy to get into
• Good soundtrack and humorous voice acting
• Atmosphere is strong, paints a unique picture

Cons

• While addictive, most tasks become repetitive
• Overall graphics are a bit behind current gen
• Some performance issues/bugs yet to be addressed months after release