Review: Don't sleep on "Sleeping Dogs"

 It’s not often that you’re put in the position of a hero in an open-world, sandbox game. The most popular titles in the genre are games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Saints Row,” both of which usually put you in the shoes of a criminal who also happens to be an antihero. Considering the trend of putting criminals in the spotlight of sandbox games seems to be the norm these days, putting an undercover cop into the lead role of “Sleeping Dogs” was an interesting move to say the least. 

“Sleeping Dogs” is an open-world, sandbox game developed by United Front Games and Square Enix and was released last August. Set in Hong Kong, you take on the role of Wei Shen, a native of the city who has recently returned after several years spent in America. Soon after his return, he manages to reconnect with friends from childhood – friends with strong connections to the Triad organization known as the Sun On Yee. Despite his role as an undercover officer, Wei starts becoming closer with the members of his gang and as time goes on, Wei visibly struggles with his job as a police officer and his life in the Triad. 

Those who dismiss “Sleeping Dogs” as just another “GTA” clone will surely be missing out. Rather than go the route of cinematic stylization, like the “Grand Theft Auto” series, or the over-the-top outlandishness of “Saints Row,” “Sleeping Dogs” presents a game that is much more firmly rooted in reality. Wei’s relationships with peers and friends are just as important to the game’s story as the plotting and scheming of the various Triad organizations that operate in Hong Kong. 

Due to Wei’s role as a police officer, he must conduct himself with a bit more restraint and tact than the usual protagonist of an open-world game. For example, Wei can’t store stolen vehicles in his garage but instead must buy his wheels from police impound lots but also extends to not creating havoc or damaging public property. Wei being an undercover cop is only part of what sets “Sleeping Dogs” apart from other titles in the genre.

Wei Shen (right), an undercover cop, must work his way up in the Triads

Being that this game takes place in Hong Kong, firearms are regulated more strictly than they are in the states. What this means to gameplay is that Wei will be cleaning up the streets with his fists far more often than firefights. In fact, Wei can only carry one weapon at a time so fans of “Saints Row” may find themselves at a loss for things to do, since explosions aren’t the only language “Sleeping Dogs” speaks.

The strength of the fighting system in “Sleeping Dogs” is its simplicity. Light and heavy strikes are performed with the X button, grapples and throws with B and counters with Y. The hand-to-hand action is fast and intense, keeping you on your toes as you perform combos while deftly countering attacks from all angles. Wei is often outnumbered in the fights and luckily has plenty of nifty moves to help even the odds. By finding special collectibles, Wei can unlock new fighting maneuvers, some of which will stun the attacked foe and stagger others nearby. He can also perform special attacks with certain pieces of the environment to instantly incapacitate a foe. These insta-kills are often quite brutal and add a lot of flavor to standard fist fights.

But what I most appreciated from the fighting system was how well the game handles collision detection. If Wei grapples an opponent and throws him, he will perform a standard back-trip slam. But he grapples and throws near a wall, he will smash his opponent head-first into said wall. If he does the same near a low railing, he can even tip his foe right off the edge. I’ve never noticed any instances of enemies clipping through environmental objects. Even if they happen to be thrown into a wall or dumpster by a powerful strike, their character model reacts naturally to the collision. 
 

Though I said earlier that fans of “Saints Row” might not know what to do without constant access to a giant arsenal, I don’t want that comment to imply there isn’t anything to do in “Sleeping Dogs.” Wei can embark on Triad missions as well as missions for the police. The Triad missions follow the main story of the game but the police missions have their own smaller storylines as well. Completing missions for either the police or Triads earn you XP and unique upgrades from each faction. Police upgrades affect your driving and shooting abilities and allow for actions like the “action hijack” (jumping from one vehicle to hijack another) while Triad upgrades increase the effectiveness of your hand-to-hand fighting. A third XP tree, the Face tree, will earn you upgrades that affect how much new clothes and cars cost as well as the effectiveness of food buffs (which can increase health regeneration or the power of your punches).

The fighting system of "Sleeping Dogs" is simple and fun yet brutal

Wei can earn a slight bit of Face XP by completing missions and activities but earns much more by completing special activities scattered across Hong Kong. These Face missions are only some of many sidequests available to Wei, such as fight clubs, street racing and cockfights. Though I can’t say I’ve engaged in the fowl bloodsport too often, the fight clubs and street races are excellent diversions.

There is a fight club located in each of the city’s four districts. Though each consists of six rounds of battles, the makeup of your opponents is different for each so you’re always on your toes. Street racing is also handled a bit differently from other games in the genre. Several different classes of cars are available for purchase in “Sleeping Dogs” and each usually has a unique set of races to participate in. Ranging from various motorcycles and styles of cars, the street races actually challenge you to drive better, since you can’t just race your fastest car every time. 

There are even more activities to take part in, like collecting cars for Triad members, stealing armored vans and even karaoke. Thankfully, most sidequests are optional so you won’t have to spend time doing karaoke outside of a few story missions.
 
Though I eventually became accustomed to the driving mechanics in “Sleeping Dogs,” I did notice they weren’t necessarily as tight as other sandbox titles. Cars and bikes sometimes felt too heavy and that they weren’t driving over the environment, but rather sliding on top of it. Also forget trying to shoot while driving (even though the game asks you to do this rather often. You need to hold a button to lean out your window and hit another button to shoot all while still trying to steer and drive while often looking everywhere for your foe except watching the road in front of you. It’s cumbersome to say the least. 

The camera was also often a source of irritation. Sometimes it felt too stiff, that you had to fight to get the angle you wanted. While other times the camera seems to come unhinged, swinging wildly from one direction to another with the slightest touch of the right stick. Luckily the camera usually stays directly behind Wei, giving you a fine view of whatever is ahead. But when trying to locate a speeding motorcycle to shoot during a car chase or trying to focus on a certain enemy in a large group during a fight, the flaws with the camera become much more apparent. 

Overall, “Sleeping Dogs” is a more closely grounded in reality than most other sandbox titles. Wei’s role as a police officer takes precedence over all other aspects of his life and he’ll get into more foot chases, governed by a simple parkour mechanic, and fist fights than shoot outs and heists. The arc of Wei’s character is an interesting one, as he struggles with fulfilling his role as an undercover officer while climbing the ranks of the Triad. Over time, it becomes clear that Wei himself seems to start forgetting whether he is firstly a cop or a criminal.With so many missions to embark on, clothes, cars and other items to collect, coupled with an incredibly fun fighting system and competent driving mechanics, “Sleeping Dogs” is without a doubt one of the most underrated sandbox games of its generation.