Sleeping Dogs is a 2012
open world action-adventure video game by
United Front Games and
Square Enix London originally released for
PlayStation 3,
Windows, and
Xbox 360 platforms, and a later definitive version was released for
Playstation 4,
Xbox One, and
Windows. Set in contemporary
Hong Kong, the
single-player story follows Wei Shen, an undercover Hong Kong-American police officer on assignment to infiltrate the Sun On Yee
Triad organization. Gameplay focuses on Shen's fighting, shooting and
parkour abilities, and on gadgets that can be used for combat and exploration. Players must complete missions to unlock content and continue the story, but they may instead wander the game's open world and engage in both legal and criminal activities. The latter may incite a police response, the intensity of which is controlled by a "heat" system. Actions such as fighting, driving and racing grant Shen statistical rewards and earn the player
achievements.
Sleeping Dogs' difficult and prolonged development began in 2008. The game was announced in 2009 as part of the
True Crime series but was canceled by
Activision Blizzard in 2011, as a result of the project's delays and budget issues. Six months later, Square Enix bought the publishing rights and renamed the game
Sleeping Dogs, without the
True Crime license, but considered a
spiritual successor. During development, United Front staff visited Hong Kong to conduct field research for the visual environments and sound.
Upon its release in 2012, the game received positive reviews for its combat, voice acting, experience system and depiction of the city; but its graphics, camera, and animations were criticized. Within one year, the game had sold over 1.5 million copies. New outfits, missions and add-ons, as well as three
expansion packs, were released as
downloadable content in the six months following the game's debut. A
remastered version, subtitled
Definitive Edition, was released in October 2014 for Windows,
PlayStation 4, and
Xbox One. It features improved gameplay, setting and audiovisual quality based on community feedback.
[11] The macOS version of
Definitive Edition was released on 31 March 2016 by Feral Interactive
[12]. A spin-off,
Triad Wars, was canceled mid-development in 2015.
Gameplay[edit]
Sleeping Dogs is an
action-adventure video game that takes place from a
third-person perspective. The player controls Wei Shen, a
Chinese-American police officer who goes undercover and infiltrates the Sun On Yee
Triad organization.
[13][14] The first missions of the game are a linear tutorial for controlling the character.
[15] After these missions, the player is allowed to explore the game's world and take part in side missions and other activities.
[14] Shen navigates the world by running, jumping, climbing over obstacles, swimming,
[16] and driving cars, boats and motorcycles.
[17] The
heads-up display (HUD) interface features a
mini-map that indicates targets, key locations (safe houses and contact points) and Shen's current position. The mini-map incorporates two meters: one shows Shen's health and the other his
face. When the face meter fills, upgrades are unlocked such as health regeneration, improved combat abilities and reduced equipment costs. The HUD also displays the weapon carried and its ammunition count.
[18]
The game features
role-playing mechanics based on three types of
experience points (XP): Triad, Face and Police XPs. Triad XP is obtained through melee combat and violent actions such as "environmental kills". Face XP, obtained in civilian side missions, fills Shen's face meter and unlocks cosmetic items such as clothes and vehicles. By reaching a higher Face level, the player can freely buy vehicles or clothing. When it is full, Shen gains
health regeneration, increased attack damage and other benefits.
[19] Police XP is gained by minimizing civilian casualties and property damage in missions and by completing police side missions. Gaining XP unlocks abilities such as
hot-wiring cars and disarming opponents.
[20] The clothes, accessories and vehicles purchased by Shen affect
non-player characters' reactions toward him. Players may also collect jade statues used to unlock
melee combat skills.
[14][21]
Sleeping Dogs' melee combat has been compared to that of
Batman: Arkham Asylum: it consists of attack, grapple and counter-moves and can be performed with
[22] or without
[14] weapons. These three basic commands are chained together with the character's movement to execute attacks.
[23]The player's face meter fills up faster when enemies are defeated with different moves in rapid succession or with environmental attacks.
[14]Environmental attacks are performed by dragging enemies to certain objects, which Shen uses to eliminate opponents.
[15] Melee weapons such as knives and tyre irons are available, but they break with extended use.
[24] Players can perform "action hijacks" while driving vehicles. These cause Shen to leap from his vehicle to steal another in motion.
[25] In combat, Shen loses health as he takes damage. This can be mitigated by taking
cover where available.
[26] If the health bar is depleted, the character will
respawn at a hospital.
If players direct Shen to commit crimes, police response is indicated by a "heat" meter on the HUD. The meter displays the current wanted level; if it reaches 5, the police will aggressively pursue Shen. The meter recedes when Shen is hidden from the cops'
line of sight. Police officers continue to search for Shen even if he leaves the wanted vicinity, and they will resume the chase if he is sighted. If Shen is arrested or killed by officers during missions, players can restart from the last
checkpoint.
[27]
Some areas in the world remain inaccessible until milestones in the story are achieved.
[15] Although players must complete missions to unlock content and continue the story, they may also wander the game's open world and participate in activities such as visiting a
karaoke bar,
carjacking,
street racing and joining a fight club.
[14] There are several potential girlfriends for Shen:
[28] successfully dating them awards collectibles and bonus content.
[28] The completion of side missions rewards the player with new missions,
[29] vehicles, and outfits, among other things.
[30]
The game has no
multiplayer component, but online leaderboards are available for players to compare scores.
[14] Many activities that are not central to the story grant Stat Awards in three tiers: bronze, silver and gold.
[31] These unlock achievements and trophies.
[32]
As the game progresses, the players acquire various safe houses to save progress in, but at certain times is required to go there to progress further. Like other houses, the player can survey unlocked areas (i.e. if they unlock the hack boxes given), change outfits, and a parking spot is accessible in which they can use unlocked vehicles.
