Byterunners is a game development team from Poland that specializes in 3D graphics, asset creation, and sound development, as well as designing PC and mobile games. To be honest, it was a little hard to find much information at all about these guys, even on their official website. I have been a huge fan of them ever since they released Drug Dealer Simulator back in 2020, which, judging from the reviews on Steam, a lot of other people liked as well. So, when I heard that they were releasing a sequel to the original game, I got more excited than a tweaker after his last hit of meth. Thanks to Byterunners, we got our hands on an early version of the game to start building our drug empire.
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 is a first-person drug cartel crime simulator game where you can organize your cartel by hiring people to carry out hits and transactions to earn money. And if ordering people around isn’t sufficient for you, you can take matters into your own hands and carry out business yourself. Rack up your products, sell them in shady transactions, escape from your getaway car, and pile up money to upgrade your cartel.
You start out as a nobody on a foreign, hostile island, without resources or connections. Work your way up to the heights of respect and fortune. Establish your hideouts, produce drugs, and sell them on the streets. Reach clients and suppliers… and grow your operation. Expand to other villages and towns, but beware. The big fishes don’t like it when someone stirs their waters. Welcome to the early 2000s! You are Eddie, and a lifestyle of bad choices made you an outlaw seeking refuge. Don’t worry, tho, Isla Sombra is the perfect place for fugitives like you! You’re not planning to just surrender and stay there forever, though. Prove your worth, use your talents and get your life back! Making a fortune along the way won’t hurt either.
You can’t run an empire alone. When you’re wealthy enough, hire people who’ll take over some of your duties. Assign them with ranks in your gang’s hierarchy. Give them specific jobs, and they’ll know what to do. Expand and decorate your hideout and lab, and move on to establish new ones. See all stages of the career, from a street corner dealer to the cigar-smoking mastermind. Your industry wasn’t built on friendship, so better find a way to deal with crooked cops, hostile gangs, and the local militia. Avoid them, bribe them, or run away. Jumping on rooftops, sliding down ladders, and hopping over walls has a name in DDS2. It’s called a workday.
As you progress through the game’s storyline, you’ll inevitably learn about equipping clothing using the wardrobe on the top floor of the bunker. You’ll find a backpack that significantly increases your inventory size in Drug Dealer Simulator 2. Alongside the backpack, certain pants and jackets, like a hoodie, also increase your carrying capacity. However, you don’t have to wait that long to increase your carrying capacity in the game. If you visit Helen Rodriguez, the first merchant you interact with just off the beach where you spawn, she’ll sell you a Plastic Bag for $250. It increases your inventory size by two slots, which isn’t much, but it helps in the early game. Once you unlock additional islands and earn some cash, you can vastly increase your inventory with better clothing and equipment.
Navigating Isla Sombra can be irritating when you are racing against the clock. You can fast-travel by bus, car, or bike, or you can drive a boat. However, bus stops/Docks/Parking spaces are restricted and often far from most objectives. The only way to use it efficiently is to have a lot of vehicle options, but it’s exorbitantly expensive to set them up, making sprinting the only option. As I pointed out, the map is huge. The biggest issue is that the ramped-up of demand and supply potential isn’t balanced. I am constantly struggling to meet demand, usually held back by the time it takes to make the drug. Also, the cash flow feels off; for instance, the small Island we start on consumes way more drugs but pays way less than the Archipelago. As a result, I have constantly constrained funds, tied down in bill payments, and sourced immediate substances over expanding. Upgrades and expansion only provide a short breathing room. Of course, this is also a result of my play style.
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Most of the glitches were annoying, and they never really broke the game. DDS2’s overall rhythm is easy to sink into and really fun. Surprisingly, despite the repetitive nature of the tasks, it never felt repetitive. Enough, I want to get friends to join me in the co-op mode because I have a feeling that would make it better. Despite my misgivings about DDS’s themes and my concerns about how detailed the drug creation process is, this is a solid game. Until then, Don’t do Drugs! Just stay away from them, unless it is in this game.
