Payday 2 is an addicting game with one big problem: there is nothing to do without three friends. It’s not only about the need to coordinate their actions, but also about the technical implementation – the game does not have dedicated servers, the match takes place on the computer of one of the players.

The ability to play alone with fellow bots does not save the situation, since the computer-controlled comrades are extremely dumb and can only run and shoot. Opponents, however, are also stupid, but they crush with the masses. You can’t count on a perfect heist in solo mode: you can only go through the simplest missions on a normal level of difficulty alone. More advanced tasks require clear coordination of all team members, and only with the proper level of interaction, robbers are able to give pleasure from the game.

You will also have to cook methamphetamine (obviously not without the influence of Breaking Bad), make deals under cover of night, carry bags of drugs and plant cocaine at the senator’s house. And if a store can be robbed in one sitting, then more complex missions have already been broken down into several stages, for each of which you have to prepare separately and carefully plan your actions. In Payday 2, some tasks can generally be done quietly, without attracting the attention of the police, but for this you will have to upgrade your character and purchase the necessary equipment.

Hero development is a key part of the game. A novice robber does not know how to do anything at all: only shoot from the cheapest rifle and pick locks for an excruciatingly long time. Only then do the possibilities open up like installing a “jammer” that turns off the alarm, using a circular saw to open doors and ATMs, or C4, which allows you to instantly “unlock” safes, and not drill them for five minutes with a drill. As you can imagine, in the profession of a robber, time is the most important resource: the faster you perform an operation, the more chances you have to leave it alive.

Alas, this part of the game is rather monotonous: you often have to fight off waves of policemen while you drill a safe or wait for a van in which to hide with the loot. But the cops do not give a descent: they break in the doors, go down from the roof, jump into the windows and run out of the gateways in droves. And don’t forget about the snipers sticking out on the neighboring buildings.

The backwardness of artificial intelligence is compensated by the number and endurance of enemies: even simple patrolmen can withstand a couple of hits in the head, and even armored special forces are able to “swallow” half of the store and not choke.

Here the game once again reminds you that you need to act quickly: even if you take additional ammunition (you have to choose between cartridges, a first aid kit, a jammer, explosives and a portable turret), the ammunition still ends quickly, no matter how well-aimed you are. And at high levels of difficulty, the enemies do endless flow. Gape a little – and you are already on the ground, and if a friend does not raise you, you will have to wait a few minutes in prison. An arrested raider can be exchanged for a hostage – if, of course, you have one. Unbound and unattended witnesses will surely give a fight.

Sooner or later, it all boils down to shootouts, but Payday 2 is a rather multifaceted and complex game that requires all four accomplices to give their full dedication. Everything needs to be done quickly and clearly. Alas, at the same time you clearly understand that the work of a robber is largely a routine, and it is a dubious pleasure to break into one after another bank cells, holding one button for each one for a minute. Let the game reward generously upon successful completion of the mission (especially if you bring a bonus bag with gold bars or money), the thought “earn money to upgrade and earn more money” does not leave for a second.

However, leveling a character and repeating the same mission is a typical evil of online games, and without that Payday 2 would be too fast. Developing the hero to the maximum, making a unique mask for him, assembling a cool gang and ideally completing a three-day mission on the maximum difficulty level Overkill is the dream of any robber. It’s a pity, for this you will have to fight not only with the police, but also with a network lag and a bunch of various bugs – if not for them, Payday 2 would be a miracle as good.

In the meantime, we have to hope that the Swedes will succeed in the ideal robbery at least the third time. In the end, the progress compared to Payday: The Heist is more than noticeable. So, saw the castles, comrades – behind them there are mountains of gold.