It’s a dog-eat-dog world.
Situated in the Sleeping Dogs universe, Triad Wars is an open world online game where you strive to climb the ranks to become the Dragon Master – the head of the Triad.
Currently on beta phase, the game employs turf and gang management, crime raids, police evasion tactics, and accomplishing missions as you claw your way to the top ranks in the Hong Kong underground.
It’s A Steep Uphill Climb
Can you rise within the ranks?
Triad Wars exposes you to the harsh life living as an Enforcer of a Triad, an organized crime group with its main base of operations in Hong Kong. Being in the lower ranks, you strive to earn a good reputation in your Triad, rising slowly in the hierarchy to reach the title of Dragon Master, the head of the group.
The rules inside a Triad can be strict and unforgiving; the same goes to the environment and the status quo of the Hong Kong underground; rival Triads want to claim superiority above others, your own aiming for the same goal, and the government tries to stop your shady business and purge your operations for good.
With the strengthening of the police forces that hinder your every action, enemy Triads trying to skin you alive, and the creeping reality of the omnipresent danger, what bright future lies ahead of you in the dark alleys of Hong Kong?
Choose your Destiny
Feeling lucky in the gambling den tonight? Shing Wo’s the way to go.
That sounded like it came from another title, but that’s the reality: every Triad Wars game is different depending on your actions.
After logging in, three Triads present themselves to gain your allegiance: 18K’s brash group specialized in counterfeiting goods, Sun On Yee’s backstreet thugs excelling in extortion, and Shing Wo’s having a name in the gambling scene.
Take a pick on several looks and threads and you’re good to go, man.
You start as a rather lowly Enforcer, gaining brownie points as you engage in missions, inching your way towards becoming the Triad’s leader, and in the future, grasping the whole of Hong Kong in your hands.
That’s only the beginning.
Let’s Get Down To Business
Thug life on the fast lane.
Whichever Triad you affiliated with, you will undergo with a tutorial on how the game is played. Triad Wars’ game mechanics are pretty much straightforward; get a mission, accomplish it, profit. Improve your Enforcer’s stats and you’re lookin’ good. Sleeping Dogs mastered this concept.
However, it doesn’t stop there.
Aside from mainly killing other Triad’s members, you also engage in other missions like raiding another player’s turf, spreading your influence, managing your own territory by upgrading your gang’s stats and secret operations, as well as getting side missions for some quick cash.
Taking down another gang involves destroying their main base. Clear-cut, isn’t it? However, that reaps only a fraction of what you can actually gain.
Your Triad debut starts with a shipyard raid. Nice.
Having a limited time for assault, you may want to shut down the opponent’s Rackets, a gang’s running operation – for example, running a factory with hackers designing and making fake e-gadgets, before engaging the main base and nuking them down with your Enforcer’s brute awesomeness.
This gives you the maximum Face points you can achieve, lower your rival’s reputation, and run away with gold for your next fedora purchase.
Your getaway might not be scot-free though; if you run out of raid time, the police will intercept your operation and they’ll never stop until you’re caught – that is if you can’t outrun them. An arrest or incapacitation leads to a loss of Face points and a reputation gain to the rival that you attempted to destroy. Don’t mess up, Enforcer.
Unfortunately, your rivals can do the same to you.
This is no clan war; it’s where Money is gold and elixir, with Face replacing tier medals.
Sounds like Clash of Clans, doesn’t it?
Perhaps that’s how some players see it, but there’s more to it than just raiding. Police officers litter the streets, and you are always at the verge of getting arrested. Moreover, enemy ambushes might happen anytime. You’re literally on the run 24/7 by foot or by wheels, and there’s a little breathing room to do something else without getting your Triad’s turf compromised.
Got arrested? You’ll be detained at the police station for a bit. Someone drove a bullet through your skull? Ironically, you won’t die. The hospital will be your safe haven for a few minutes before you head back to the streets after your recovery.
However, these scenarios shave off Face points; the loss of reputation might jeopardize your promotion.
Hacking into communications satellites to snatch product designs turns into a lucrative activity.
If you wanted to take a tiny break from fighting, do some rather ‘peaceful’ Rackets to hone on your Triad’s craft and start a shady, lucrative business to keep your Triad (and your wallet) in top shape. Counterfeiting bills has never felt so right, and these can pay YOUR OWN underlings too.
Good deal, eh?
An Eye For An Eye
Who's next?
Sleeping Dogs boasts its gruesome combat mechanics; with a number of martial arts moves ranging from taekwondo to backstreet boxing, executing your opponents is just the icing on the cake. This made its way rather smoothly into the Triad Wars game universe.
Your limbs may prove lethal in most cases, but the things that make the franchise shine will be the uncanny use of the environment to kill - brutally.
Too bad you cannot scream – anymore.
Repeatedly smacking one’s face on concrete sounds vanilla; driving a carbide-tipped drill through your rival’s skull as you raid his workshop is too good to pass up, not to mention the horror of splitting his head open with a circular table saw if you’re in a sadistic mood.
The possibilities are endless.
A wild Police Car has appeared! A bullet to its a tire can be super effective.
While those usually apply in raid scenarios, a road massacre is just as exciting. During an enemy ambush on a freeway, swerving a lot to let them collide with other vehicles would be a little mainstream. A clever bullet to the wheels will send them flying, and a headshot to the driver’s brain will make you say “Points for trying.” in an instant.
Of course, you can bring the same hell to the police on your tracks. Just keep in mind that you have limited ammunition.
Keep Your Friends Close And Your Enemies Closer
This is payback, pal.
Once you get used to the thug life, you and your gang will grow stronger in time; that certainly means having more dogs willing to bite your neck as you roam around Hong Kong’s alleys.
The main villains in the storyline will be your rival Triads. The devs are adding more to it, and we are expecting see more when the official launch will be announced.
Since it’s an online, multiplayer F2P game, other players are your worst enemies, and your own decision-making coming to a close second.
Players will be enhancing their strongholds and expanding their turfs much like you do. Infiltrating their territories surely sounds simple enough, but the difficulty lies on how other players supervise their gangs and Rackets.
As players improve their assets, their respective gang AIs will be improved too, making the main base harder to penetrate. Turf defenses can effectively shut down a raiding Enforcer if the enhancements are good enough.
All these rest on the palm of your hand. Just remember to keep those pesky rats away.
Striking a good balance between Enforcer offense and base defense can be a test to your judgement.
Sure, you might be strong enough to take others on single-handedly, but other players can burn your lawn even while you’re online, busy nuking other bases.
Managing everything down to the most basic of resources require intelligent planning too; running out of bullets in a raid could spell disaster when you’re in the middle of a heated turf war. You certainly don’t want to eat lead, do you?
Ready to be an Enforcer? Here’s a beginner’s guide.
United Front Games and Square Enix made Triad Wars a game that can be exciting and mind-wrecking at the same time. Having its roots from Sleeping Dogs, the underground lifestyle is brought to light with the complexities of making a name for yourself while carefully managing your exploits with the constant pressure of law enforcers trying to pin you down.
We will see more in the future as updates and patch details roll in regularly on the official forums and Youtube channel.
Triad Wars is expected to have its official release this 2015. Want to experience the life of an Enforcer? Check out the official site and scale the ranks in Hong Kong’s challenging crime world.
