PAX East 2017: RIOT Civil Unrest Is Prettier Than It Looks

With another PAX East this year means another look at the upcoming games for this and next years stores on consoles and Steam primarily. RIOT is a game that’s currently in development but with a bright future ahead of it. After playing a demo of the game I spoke with Leonard Menchiari, one of the developers for the game.
RIOT Civil Unrest simulates some of the most notorious riots of the modern world into four campaigns:

• Italy – NoTAV Movement
• Spain – Indignados Movement
• Greece – Battle of Keratea
• Egypt – Tahrir Revolution

“The game is based on what you see, knowing that what’s on TV is everything but true. Just biased and they’re hiding the reason why. It is better to see with your own eyes than what’s broadcasted to our homes.”

The game gives you the option to play on either side of the riot and depending on your outcome will shift how the riot develops in the mission and future missions in the campaign as well. Police is controlled more RTS defending with three different teams: assault, tactical and ballistic. While rioters are more of a mob that’s influenced by your actions. For example, if the rioters act more violent towards the police they become more relentless and unstable to control, and for the police makes them vulnerable to being subdued by rubber bullets and tear gas depending on how violent they are. Each mission takes about 5 – 10 missions with over 30 levels divided into 4 campaigns, gives the player about 4 – 5 hours depending on how your outcome was of the riots to reach the end of the game. Short, I know, but there’s still more to it.

After asking if there were any future project for more riots to be added to the game as DLC, Menchiari answered with:

“no, but there will be a level or “riot” editor to the game. The community will be able to create new riots and expand from the game. Giving you endless riots for even ones that the devs wouldn’t come up with.”

RIOT Civil Unrest has to be one of my more anticipated games to look forward to from PAX East. From the realism of the games settings to the movement of people and fire, it is overall one to look forward to and hopefully see next year in 2018 on what changes they’ve made to what is already here.