American Fugitive review – homage to old-school Grand Theft Auto

PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch; Fallen Tree Games/Curve Digital
This top-down retro journey into the 1980s criminal underworld pairs car chases and con artistry

Will Riley has made some bad choices. Friend to lowlifes of various persuasions and no stranger to the odd legal and moral transgression of his own, he winds up in a tight spot when police find him standing over the body of his recently deceased father. He acts to preserve himself by making yet more bad choices, such as escaping prison and diving right back into a life of crime while on the run.

Often when we occupy a criminal's shoes in games, film or TV, we're shown a few glimpses of their underlying kindness to endear them to us. This top-down action-game-meets-heist-drama has different ideas. As soon as he busts out of Redrock County jail in this fictionalised 1980s US deep south, Riley goes back to the only way of life he knows. For the player, that means two-bit burglaries, acts of wanton vandalism and appropriately - given the developer Fallen Tree Games' obvious affection for old-school Grand Theft Auto - a serious body count.