Narcos: Rise of the Cartels Review Summary

Manual shooting and counterattacks, a fun loop, and nice visuals are undermined by one unit per turn crippling squads and poor enemy AI, so wait for a sale.

Manual shooting and counterattack system: The real-time first-person shooting during enemy turns (counterattack, overwatch) is widely appreciated for adding active engagement and reducing reliance on random chance. Many call it innovative and satisfying.

Enjoyable overall gameplay loop: Many players find the game fun and entertaining, especially for fans of turn-based tactics. It offers a rewarding micro-XCOM experience with strategic depth.

Positive visual presentation praised: Multiple clusters highlight the game's graphics positively, describing them as beautiful, good, or acceptable for the genre. Some note detailed characters, blood effects, and cutscenes that align with the TV series.

Good music and sound design: The soundtrack, largely taken from the Narcos show, is frequently praised as excellent and fitting. Voice acting and sound effects are also noted as decent or good.

Character classes and skill system: The variety of classes, skills, and perks allows for diverse playstyles and synergies. Leveling up and unlocking new abilities is a satisfying progression system.

One unit per turn cripples squads: Players repeatedly complain that despite having a squad of 4-6 characters, only one unit can act per turn, making the rest useless and the squad mechanic pointless. This restriction applies to movement, actions, and even the core turn structure, severely reducing tactical depth.

Poor enemy AI behavior: The AI is widely criticized for being dumb, suicidal, and lacking self-preservation. Enemies often rush out of cover, get stuck, or do nothing for multiple turns, severely undermining the tactical challenge.

Repetitive side missions and maps: Side missions are criticized as highly repetitive, often reusing the same maps and requiring players to grind them to unlock main missions. This repetition extends to story missions as well, leading to tedium.

Inferior to XCOM and Jagged Alliance: Many reviewers compare the game unfavorably to XCOM and Jagged Alliance, stating it tries to emulate them but fails in almost every aspect, including strategy, implementation, and overall fun.

Lacks tactical depth and strategy: Reviewers state the game fails as a tactical experience, with very little strategy involved. The turn-based system and one-move-per-turn rule are specifically called out as lacking depth and not feeling tactical.

One unit per turn: Only one unit can be moved or acted with per turn. This applies to both player and enemy turns.

Turn-based tactical strategy: The game is a turn-based tactical strategy game. It follows the XCOM style with a mission structure.

Two campaigns: DEA and Narcos: There are two story campaigns: one for the DEA and one for the Narcos cartel. They share identical missions but have different stories.

XCOM-like gameplay: The game is similar to XCOM, featuring turn-based tactics and strategy. Some find it simplified compared to XCOM.

Side missions unlock main missions: Side missions are required to unlock main campaign missions. Completing a certain number of side missions progresses the story.

Frequent crashes: Multiple reports of crashes, including occasional crashes and lots of crashes during gameplay.

Performance issues and FPS drops: The game does not always run fluidly, and cutscenes suffer from FPS drops. This affects the overall smoothness of the experience.

Crashes on specific maps: The game crashes on certain maps such as Casino, Bridge, and Suburbs with a Fatal Error 4 UEngine. This prevents players from completing missions on those maps.

Mouse cursor disappears bug: After completing a Narcos story mission, the mouse cursor disappears, forcing a force quit. This may be related to playing in Windowed mode.

Crashes during NPC turns: Crashes occur when an NPC takes their turn, forcing players to restart the mission. This disrupts the flow of gameplay.

Wait for a sale: A recurring recommendation is to buy the game only on sale or at a deep discount, as the full price is considered too high for the offered value. Some suggest waiting for a bundle or a 90% discount.

Not worth buying: Many reviewers strongly advise against purchasing the game, calling it a waste of money and time. They feel it is not worth playing even if free or very cheap.

Fans of Narcos show: Reviews frequently mention that fans of the Narcos TV series will enjoy the game, though some warn that even fans might be disappointed. The game is seen as tailored to that audience.

Poor XCOM comparison: Many reviewers compare the game unfavorably to XCOM, stating it does not meet that level of quality. Some recommend avoiding it if you expect an XCOM-like experience.

Good for turn-based fans: The game is recommended for players who enjoy turn-based combat and tactical strategy games. However, opinions are split, with some saying it is not for connoisseurs of the genre.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 25.0h.

Story completion: 18.0h.

Session length: 0.8h.

Some players get at least an hour or two of fun before repetitive missions, shallow tactics, and repeated content make the game boring. The game does not sustain enjoyment for most reporting players.

Friction: Repetitive side missions are required to unlock main campaign missions.; Only one unit per turn and limited movement make encounters slow and repetitive.; Repetitive AI, enemies, and locations reduce tactical variety.; Too few maps and reused locations diminish progression.; Poor storytelling and simplistic mechanics make the game boring.; Early squad weakness and scarce resources can make missions frustrating..

Narcos Show Fan: Plays through the campaign for the show's characters and narrative, often tolerating simplified tactics. Motivation: Seeing the Narcos TV series world, characters, and story adapted into a game. Stance: buy.

XCOM-Style Tactics Veteran: Expects full squad control, customization, strong AI, and meaningful tactical decisions; judges the game against established XCOM-like systems. Motivation: Deep, challenging squad-based tactical strategy comparable to XCOM. Stance: no buy.

Casual Turn-Based Newcomer: Plays casually on easy or medium difficulty, accepts the one-unit-per-turn system, and values short missions and simple mechanics. Motivation: Accessible, low-pressure turn-based tactics for chill solo play. Stance: buy.

Linux and Proton: Reviewer evidence centers on Steam Deck / Proton compatibility. Users consistently report that the game is labeled Steam Deck Verified but does not launch out of the box, and that the only reliable path to gameplay is manually forcing Proton 6.3-8 via the compatibility settings (a workaround found on ProtonDB). Once that Proton version is selected, at least some users reach a stable playable state. There is no evidence of anti-cheat, DRM, or native-build blockers; the friction is launch reliability and required Proton version pinning.

Based on Narcos series: The game is based on the Narcos Netflix series, specifically its first season, with DEA and Narcos campaigns reflecting the show's events.

XCOM-like tactics comparison: Numerous reviews compare the game to XCOM, noting it lacks depth and options, with some calling it a stripped-down or micro-XCOM experience.

Two short campaigns: The game features two campaigns (DEA and Narcos) lasting about 20-25 hours combined, with similar missions aside from main story differences.

Not as deep as Jagged Alliance: Comparisons to Jagged Alliance and similar tactics games suggest the game is not on the same level, with a less satisfying turn system.

Low price good value: Many reviewers purchased the game at a low price (under $5) and found it worth the cost, though some note it's not worth full price.