Should this be a video game? This may be what indie developers ask themselves when crafting their next title, as indie games have explored some of the more ‘busy work’ tasks in recent memory, like checking passports in Papers, Please!, and reorganizing bookshelves and other oddities in A Little to the Left. So, when given the opportunity to explore the AmigoOS in Ancient Machines’ debut title, VICE Undercover, I was eager to take a look behind the curtain. VICE Undercover immerses the player in a crime drama as the Undercover Agent, Vida, and introduces a novel approach to thinking and playing the game.
VICE Undercover takes place in 1980s Miami, and you are Vida, an undercover detective in the Electronic Crime Unit, who has tracked down the cartel’s most notorious hacking crew and infiltrated their supercomputer. For one hour a day, Vida infiltrates the office of a high-ranking cartel member codenamed ‘El Mago,’ a high-ranking hacker who works for a massive criminal enterprise.
In this 1985 version of Miami, drug cartels use advanced technology to learn the identity of ruling Judges, video surveillance systems, and other ‘advanced technology’ from the 1980s to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. VICE Undercover deploys Amigo OS, a retro-inspired operating system for Vida to retrieve sensitive data from and to turn the tide against the criminal enterprises.
In typical noir genre fashion, many seedy organizations are mentioned, and the major players of the episodes know more than the player. By design, the player is left in the dark until the last possible moment for that ‘Aha!’ feeling when everything comes together. Even Vida, your played detective, knows more than you. From the small segment I played, the developers at Ancient Machine do a great job juggling all of the dialogue on screen at once without notable overlaps or missing leads.
“VICE Undercover deploys Amigo OS, a retro-inspired operating system for Vida to retrieve sensitive data from…”
The major players (introduced so far) are Ricky Casanova — your commanding officer— and Alex Farina, who seems to be a co-worker or partner in your VICE unit. VICE Undercover doesn’t shy away from other examples in the genre and instead embraces them with the slapstick dialogue between the characters, secondarily giving the player needed exposition between the main characters.
My time with VICE Undercover allowed me to play through a couple of the beginning episodes of the story, and believe me, the tutorial is necessary. As Vida, you will have to navigate many on-screen computer menus and databases to retrieve information on particular individuals/places, sometimes this comes with a time limit.
Using Vida’s Notes, databases, and chat logs, the player is tasked with finding the sensitive data they need to paste to solve ‘contracts’. A contract is a small mission that pops up during the one-hour time limit you have with the AmigoOS (Ancient Machine’s version of EZIC tasks in Papers, Please!), denoted by Yellow or Red identifiers. Vida can fail the Yellow contracts without penalty, but Red contracts must be passed.
On one occasion, a Red contract with a time limit popped up, and VICE Undercover tasked me with locating a bank robber only by her photo. This was set to a time limit of 3:30 minutes, and scrolling through the ‘DELFI’ database for a photo with over 483 entries was a very sweaty and anxiety-inducing affair. After locating ‘Laura’ and inserting the information found, a small timer loads to let you know if the contract was solved correctly or not.
When solved correctly, the feeling of relief is immense. It’s as if you, yourself, are Vida. Ancient Machine navigates immersion with deft hands, and VICE Undercover is at its best when these contracts are given to the player. When solved correctly, VICE Undercover doesn’t miss a beat and keeps the contracts coming, leaving the player gasping for air after barely making it past the time limit. If you fail a Red contract, VICE throws you back to the beginning of the episode.
After playing through the first episode (and failing the second multiple times), I’m excited for what comes next in VICE Undercover. The enthralling narrative so far, a comprehensive AmigoOS operating system, and the seamless integration of VICE Undercover’s moving parts allow the player to become immersed in this version of 1985 Miami seamlessly. Not to mention, the soundtrack is a blaring synth-infused trip sent directly from the 80s to immerse the player further. Ancient Machine’s first title, VICE Undercover, is one to keep an eye on as it nears a TBD launch date in Q2 2025.
