Sleeping Dogs is a game that most of the gamers out there might’ve heard about. It goes on sale quite frequently and has amassed a cult-following over the years. After all, it blends multiple genres into a singular experience, leaving something for everyone.
Unfortunately, unlike most games out there, Sleeping Dogs never really reached the greatness that most games in its particular genre did. Some say that might’ve happened because of the lack of marketing by the then-publisher Square Enix. However, others point to a general fatigue towards the genre that the game tries to tackle.
More than a decade later, this game is still one of the criminally underrated video game titles out there, and a series I wish would make a comeback. For those who missed out on this, here’s why you should try out the Hong Kong action game the next time it is on sale.
A Tale of Loyalty and Betrayal at the Heart of Hong Kong
At the heart of Sleeping Dogs lies its rather simple, yet gripping tale of an undercover cop trying to dismantle a Triad operation. The game puts players into the role of Wei Shen, a Chinese-American police officer with a personal grudge against the triad and certain individuals. It’s a rather familiar plot-line which anyone might’ve seen in movies like Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow, or any number of undercover cop action films.
Thankfully, the game’s premise elevates itself thanks to the plot’s familiarity with those movies. Many times, the entire cop by duty, gangster by necessity plot elevates and even blurs the lines. Sleeping Dogs is good at it, and it ensures that you, the gamer, are always tense, yet filled with this small adrenaline rush of excitement.
And to provide those nail-biting experiences, the cast of the game does a stellar job. Whether it’s Will Yun Lee as Wei, Edison Chen as Jackie, supporting voice cast of Emma Stone, Lucy Liu, etc., they do their job in a stellar manner. They ensure that you don’t forget about any of the characters and remember the game every so often.
Welcome to Hong Kong
At the time of release, open-world in action-adventure games were dominated by the likes of Liberty City and Steelport. Sleeping Dogs instead chose to go for a fictionalized rendition of Hong Kong, which was closer to the real deal.
You had various districts distinct from each other, and a vibrant and active world. You’d see people walking around the streets minding their business, hawkers selling shirts and bootleg CDs, buses going around, rich cars driving through the old town, etc.
It was the variety of each area that made you sometimes get out of your car and walk around the town, basking in the old yet modern rendition of Hong Kong. Sometimes, to go and eat a Pork Bun, or go and visit the Karaoke Club. The interaction was low compared to Liberty City in GTA 4, but the world felt more vibrant and alive.
Mix of Fists and Martial Arts
While the game’s counterparts let players go guns blazing, Sleeping Dogs embraced its Hong Kong roots and preferred a grounded approach. Instead of guns, it provided players with Martial Arts, a fighting style that is always fun to watch and play.
Drawing inspiration from the beat-’em-up combat of Batman games and paying homage to Hong Kong movies, players would beat their way out of the majority of the problems. Punches felt strong, environmental takedowns were brutal and cinematic, and countering a punch just felt correct.
The combat progression was also satisfying. Every time you finished a mission or did something in the game, you’d get points to unlock more fighting styles. The upgrade tree allowed your combats to be more brutal, allowing players to unlock more as they find the scattered Jade Statues throughout the world, which was one of my favorite activities.
When you get access to the guns and cars, the game ensures it does it royally. It lets you hijack vehicles in the most action-movie style possible, and when you do get access to the guns, it makes sense. It maintained that balance, where you never felt like being forced to do something.
Very few open-world games at that time embraced such a unique combat system, the way Sleeping Dogs did. It is also weird that since then, we haven’t received anything similar to that in a mid-sized AA or AAA game.
A Sequel That Never Happened
For all the strengths Sleeping Dogs brings with itself, you’d think it would sell great and make tons of money. Unfortunately, reality wasn’t so positive. Despite selling millions of copies, it didn’t meet its publisher’s sales expectations.
According to multiple reports, United Front Games was attempting to create a sequel to Sleeping Dogs. Unfortunately, the plans never came to fruition because of financial woes, and the project was shelved alongside the studio’s shutdown in 2016.
It is unfortunate that, because of unrealistic studio expectations, Sleeping Dogs couldn’t become a series rivaling big names in the industry. It had the perfect ingredient to be one, but it couldn’t.
Rediscovering a Classic
Fortunately, while the game didn’t generate enough revenue, that hasn’t stopped the publisher from selling Sleeping Dogs on various storefronts. You can purchase the game right now on Steam (granted you don’t use PayPal to purchase games on Steam), Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Fortunately, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions are backward compatible with Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, respectively. So you can pick them up and play them whenever you want.
So, next time if you are scratching your head to play something new, maybe pick up Sleeping Dogs. Revisiting it now highlights how beautiful it was for its time. Its design feels refreshing, the narrative feels like watching a movie, and the combat has aged like fine wine.
Sleeping Dogs is an interesting case of what happens when passionate teams come together to make a great game. How, even with a troubled development, gems can be produced if you are confident. If you never played it before, now is the best time. If you’ve played it before, now is the best time to revisit Sleeping Dogs.
