Sleeping Dogswas released back in 2012 and while it was a sleeper hit back then (no pun intended), it eventually became an underrated gem that gradually gained a venerable status in the open-world genre. Hence, cameSleeping DogsDefinitive Editionwhich was a next-gen upgrade for the game. While its sequel and franchise spin-offs were sadly canceled, it nevertheless remained asignificant game in the open-world communitydue to its unique and fresh take on the classic formula popularized byGTA.
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But apart from that, what exactly makesSleeping Dogsgood? A lot of open-world fans still swear by it and will wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who’s tired of theusualGTAoffering. As a spiritual successor to theTrue Crimeseries,Sleeping Dogsis a solid competitor in the open-world genre. For those still on the fence about trying it out or are looking for more reasons to revisit it again, here areseveral reasons why one shouldn’t sleep onSleeping Dogs.
7The Rare Setting & Atmosphere
Sleeping Dogsis set in the neon-lit and congested heights of contemporary Hong Kong. Not many games have chosen this city as its playground, which already makesSleeping Dogsmore unique compared to the rest. Hong Kong simply exudes a vibrant yet worn-down atmosphere regardless of the media portraying it. Moreover,Sleeping Dogsis brimming with oriental culture, making its setting feel more live-in and soulful.
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Compared to the soulless parody of Los Angeles inGTA 5,Sleeping Dogs' setting is a breath of fresh air. Actually, compared to most otheropen-world gameswith fictional environments,Sleeping Dogseasily wins because of how alive and bustling its open world is and how relatable its cultures are within its digital locale. Everything from the ambient sounds, citizens' idle chatter, and the lowly stalls and vendors help tie up the city together in ways other open-world cities can’t.
6An Accurate Representation Of Hong Kong
What did help a lot in makingSleeping Dogs' representation of Hong Kong so accurate and lively are the developers doing the groundwork. They not only had a team taking photos from the city itself but to encapsulate the fever-dream crime atmosphere in Hong Kong, the creative leads ofSleeping Dogswatched plenty of Hong Kong action flicks. The most important creative heads in the development team even personallywent to Hong Kongfor the research.
Some of their writers even talked to the members of the local Triad groups in Hong Kong just to get a feel of the city’s inner workings. The end result is a game map that can almost double as digital tourism to Hong Kong. They captured the spirit of the place from the endless neon sign avenues to the grimy fusion of western and eastern architecture. This makes the experience feel more authentic, especially sinceSleeping Dogs’story is quite a serious one, coming from itsTrue Crimeroots.
5The Stellar Soundtrack
What immediately stands out inSleeping Dogsas early as the main menu is its electrifying oriental soundtrack. It’s funky enough to warrant hour-long loops. This fusion of electronic beats and traditional Chinese instruments perfectly sum up Hong Kong’s geopolitical position. Of course, apart from the musical themes, the game also incorporates a car radio similar toGTAgames. This makes cruising around the city a lot less monotonous and quiet.
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There are radio stations with some popular licensed music as well, though don’t expect anything as iconic as thosefeatured in theGTAgames. A lot of the radio music is from Hong Kong’s airwaves or other oriental beats. Regardless, most players will still be able to enjoy these even with the language barrier. They certainly complete the Hong Kong atmosphere, especially the rap music on the radio stations. It works well and fits like a glove in acop crime drama.
4A Personal Undercover Cop Story
Speaking of which,Sleeping Dogs' story is a lot more nuanced. While most open-world city stories revolve around the rags-to-riches journey,a-laGTA,Sleeping Dogs' is about an undercover cop named Wei Shen who is tasked with infiltrating the multiple layers of Triad factions operating within Hong Kong in the game’s setting. The conflict is that the line between commitment gets often blurred for Wei as he gets too emotionally invested in his false persona. At times, he even fulfills his Triad duties more enthusiastically than his police work.
Players simply don’t see this kind of multi-faceted personality and conflict inother open-worldcity protagonists. Wei definitely isn’t a one-sided antihero whose writing and dialogue will conflict with what the players want him to do. Here, every action Wei takes can be justified with a made-up player context. Went too gung-ho in vehicular manslaughter to save a person? That’s just Wei channeling his Triad persona too much; after all, he is battling his split personality and dual life.
3The Plot Is Inspired By Real Events
The game’s writers and creative leads didn’t exactly have to venture too far for inspiration as Hong Kong has had plenty ofviolent gang-related fightsand politics. The game’s backdrop was a seething rivalry between the fictional Sun On Yee Triad and the 18K Triad who were not only fighting for money but also for supremacy in Hong Kong. Except, those two gangs are not as fictional as they sound. They take after real Triad factions operating both in Hong Kong and mainland China.
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Sun On Yee is based on Sun Yee On and 18K is based on 14K (they didn’t even try to hide it too much). Likewise, Sun Yee On also had an undercover police operation snooping around in its ranks back in 2011-2012 which thwarted a territorial overtaking attempt. This real-life event resulted in the arrest of more than 200 people in Hong Kong and around 100 people in mainland China.Sleeping Dogsnotably took this operation as a template or baseline for its cop drama story.
2Intricate, Wacky Combat
Apparently, the violence inSleeping Dogsisn’t too far-fetched,according to an ex-Triad member. Wei Shen slamming his enemies' heads into exhaust fans as they spout blood out their ears or assumed undercover agents getting wrapped with their intestines while still alive is just a regular business for the typical Triad member. To that end,Sleeping Dogsdoesn’t seem tooafraid to portray gang violenceas it is.
It’s disturbing and can even border on the wacky at times. Coupled with the game’s impressive action animations,Sleeping Dogsearned a reputation among open-world games for having an immersive and entertaining combat system. Sure, the core mechanics are not that different from theArkhamseries, but it’s the fluidity and the animations that excuses the game.
1Convincing Voice Acting
It can be rare for a western-made game based in foreign settings to feature localized language even in its English settings, butSleeping Dogspulled it off masterfully. The voice actors' Hong Kong accents feel believable (at least for non-Hong Kong natives) and they even intersperse some Cantonese or Mandarin terms and expletives in their accented English dialogue.
This doesn’t interfere with the actors' abilities to convey the emotions necessary to reflect their characters' psyche. Wei Shen’s descent into blind rage and vengeance, for example, is palpable and even worrying. Meanwhile, other character other characters will easily imprint their personalities and quirks into the player’s minds, allowing their beholders to set them apart easily and remember them.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Editionis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
