Cartel Tycoon | Xbox Review

It’s interesting how our upbringing can influence our gaming preferences. I’ve always had a fondness for simulator games, primarily because it was the only thing I could get running on the PCs I grew up with. However, as The Gaming Outsider’s go-to reviewer for simulator games, I’ve recently had a realization. There’s a specific subset of games within the genre that doesn’t quite resonate with me: management sims, particularly those lacking creative opportunities that would allow for problem-solving.

Developed by Moon Moose and published by tinyBuild, Cartel Tycoon is a business management sim revolving entirely around the illicit drug trade. This game, however, falls into that subject I mentioned. It’s purely a management sim, a well made management sim, that doesn’t really afford the creative freedom I crave.

White Lines, Runnin’ Through My Mind

In Cartel Tycoon, the main campaign offers five different interconnected narratives, each one immersing the player into the high stakes world of illicit drug trafficking within a fictional Latin American country during the 1980s. Story mode is where you’ll spend a majority of your time. It’s also where you’ll find the highly detailed (and initially daunting) tutorial section. It serves as a much needed introduction to the game mechanics and concepts, providing players with the necessary knowledge and skills to build and manage your drug empire.

In Survival mode, players must navigate through increasingly challenging scenarios, testing their strategic prowess and adaptability in the face of ever-mounting threats. Sandbox mode allows players to experiment without constraints, shaping their own narrative of cartel dominance within the 1980s Latin American drug trade.

As aspiring drug lords, players navigate the cutthroat world of narcotics trafficking, filled with power struggles, betrayals, and moral dilemmas. It is up to you whether to choose a path in pursuit of wealth and power, or seek redemption and legitimacy. While each of the five stories have different character motivations and backgrounds, they all have a common thread of making decisions dealing with life and death or dealing with wealth and poverty. 

Twice as Sweet as Sugar, Twice as Bitter as Salt

In Cartel Tycoon, you play as the head of your cartel. The fictional country is divided into different territories, each controlled by different cartels. Players must establish and expand their product operations by constructing the necessary infrastructure for production, transportation, and storage. Investing in various transport methods—land, air, or sea—is crucial for reaching lucrative trade ports. Balancing dirty and clean money is essential, each with its own benefits and drawbacks, while navigating police crackdowns adds another layer of challenge to maintaining profitable income streams. Dirty money represents the profits derived directly from your illegal activities. Having it laundered into clean money requires you to physically dispatch your lieutenants to deliver your illicit earnings to any legitimate front you own to successfully launder.

With roughly 5-6 hours spent on the tutorial alone, I appreciated the game’s guidance for keeping track of objectives by allowing them to be pinned to the screen. However, navigating menus and UI layouts can be confusing and cumbersome, often leaving objectives unclear. As a result, players may find themselves frequently backtracking and retracing steps to progress.

Age of (Drug) Empires

Defending your empire is just as crucial as building and maintaining it. Rival cartels control their own territories, each with a capital city represented by clusters of buildings on the map. While diplomacy is important, direct action may be necessary. As your territory reaches capacity or lacks essential infrastructure, expansion becomes vital. Whether through negotiation, force, or trade, securing access to key resources and territories is essential for success in this 80s-inspired world. 

In Cartel Tycoon, it’s essential to not only watch out for rival cartels but also to ensure the well-being and loyalty of your own men. Money is the driving force, and failing to pay your employees well and on time can lead to a decrease in loyalty and success rates, potentially resulting in betrayal. However, if your men do turn on you, it’s not the end of the game; instead, they become the new leader, able to continue running the operation as the new “El Jefe.”

I will say that it’s a nice change of pace for a business sim to have a survival element. It adds a layer of tension and urgency that keeps you on your toes, constantly adapting and strategizing to overcome the challenges thrown your way. Success isn’t just about maximizing profits; it’s about outmaneuvering rivals, evading the law, and ensuring the survival and expansion of your empire in a cutthroat world. I don’t ever remember that being a feature in SimCity! 

Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy

Cartel Tycoon offers an immersive dive into the world of illicit drug trafficking, with its interconnected narratives and detailed management mechanics providing a realistic simulation of building and managing a drug empire. While the game’s survival element adds tension and urgency, some players may find the lack of creative opportunities and confusing UI layouts detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, Cartel Tycoon remains a solid choice for fans of management sims, offering a unique and challenging gameplay experience. While I may not personally recommend it due to its lack of creativity, gamers who enjoy the genre may still find it worth checking out.

To hear me talk more about Cartel Tycoon, be sure to listen to the March 13 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:37:44 time stamp.

This review is based on an Xbox Series X/S copy of Cartel Tycoon provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.