Vice Undercover imagines an alternate past where '80s drug lords had the internet, so obviously you've gotta hack 'em

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Grow out your bushy moustache, people. We got work to do.

Wanna hack some '80s drug kingpin computers while sick vaporwave pumps in the background? Of course you do. You're alive, aren't you? In Vice Undercover, which debuted a new trailer in today's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted that's just what you'll do as you take on the job of police investigator in an alternate history where '80s drug kingpins had an early World Wide Web to back up their criminal empires and stay selling 24/7. Your specialty? Cracking those computer kingdoms to take them down.

Vice Undercover is a point-and-click thriller that takes place, mostly, inside Amigo OS, a fictional operating system that's based on Windows 3.1. Kind of. "Players can explore an '80s-era operating system with over 15 fully working apps, including databases, police apps, illegal cartel apps, and a music player resembling the classic Winamp," says the developer.

The trailer in today's PC Gaming Show sets up a world of intrigue, excitement, and dog-eat-dog betrayals as your undercover investigator tries to keep one step ahead of the cartels' hacking crews. It also showed off some minigames that you might not have expected—lockpicking, for example.

The trailer shows all kinds of apps and tools to mess around with. One's a clear email client called Chainmail, while another is a police link that lets you rack up and turn in info you've found on Cartel members and suspects. You'll also compare faces to the police database to identify people, use satellite imaging to identify locations, and get into banking systems to move money between currencies and locations quickly and efficiently.

Vice Undercover is made by Ancient Machine, an indie studio that includes the producer of cult classic The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

You can find Vice Undercover on Steam, where it has a free demo, and where it will release in March 2025.

Jonathan Bolding
Contributor

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.

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