Several years after being originally announced, Curve Digital and developer Kuju have announced a released date for Narcos: The Cartel, a turn-based tactical strategy game based on the Netflix original series. The long-awaited Narcos: The Cartel will in November for all platforms, bringing the dangerous world of drug cartels and enforcement to all players, including the Nintendo Switch.
Narcos: The Cartel is set within the dangerous and hostile world of Narcos, the Netflix series that details the rise, fall, and aftermath of the notorious drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar. Seen as a Robin Hood figure, Escobar is seen as a hero of the people, using his wealth from drugs to help fund and support the local community. It is a business practice made from the blood of slain rivals and the deaths of those overly addicted. As he ascends, Colombian authorities try and combat him, only to be met with constant hostility and the threat of death. America sends special agents from the DEA to combat the threat of the drug cartels, but each step made toward their goal is another step towards darkness. The lines between righteousness and wrongdoing are blurred and the streets are filled with the sounds of gunfire and bombs. Narcos ran for 3 seasons, with one spinoff season being made. Altogether, the series was critically and commercially acclaimed, especially as one of the very first Netflix original series.
Narcos: The Cartel is a collaboration between Curve Digital, Kuju, and licensing agent Evolution USA. Striving for authenticity, Narcos: The Cartel presents itself in the vein of classic tactical titles, such as X-COM. Players utilize tactical combat to move and take action in the streets of Colombia. Players use tactical commands and thoughtful thinking to flank and properly subdue enemies, but in the world of Narcos: The Cartel, no operation is easy. Each mission ahs the potential to erupt into chaos, and the enemy has the resources to stay one step ahead. Unique to Narcos: The Cartel is the ability to use special ability to make multiple actions in one turn. Additionally, players have access to third-person shooting for more direct control of their character, as well as the ability to provide critical damage through kill-shot and counter-attacks.
Combat is not the only priority in Narcos: The Cartel. players will have to face choices, building their agency and selecting the right persons for the job. Each choice will have lasting implications as the campaign continues and what those choices will determine success or failure. Narcos: The Cartel allows for two entirely different experiences as either the Cali Cartel or the DEA. The DEA seeks to stop Escobar and the flow of drugs into the U.S, using any resources made available. The Cali Cartel will use violence, drugs, political influence, and propaganda to turn the city in its favor and against those who oppose them.
Seeing Narcos: The Cartel is exciting as the series was an extraordinary polished and slightly fictional view into the war against Pablo Escobar and his drug empire. Characters were well-written in a grimy and bloody take of the world of the 1980’s. the use of Colombian-descended actors and actresses lent itself to the realism and authenticity the series strived for, and the sequences of tension and action were down incredibly well. Seeing Narcos: The Cartel translated into a tactical game is refreshing and welcome, as Narcos wasn’t about guns blazing in the streets of Columbia but instead, a dark, tragic, and at times, hopeful view into the pursuit of justice and how it shapes the offender and the enforcer. Narcos: The Cartel looks to be a solid release to end 2019.
Narcos: The Cartel releases November 19th for PC and PlayStation 4, November 21st on Nintendo Switch, and November 22nd on Xbox One.
