Sleeping Dogs’ mission structure springs from the location like a serialised TV show. Its virtual Hong Kong is not a playground, it’s a setting for dramas big and small. The source of its strength is its unmistakable sense of place. Which it should be, because frankly, it’s the best non- Rockstar open-world game ever made, and it gives the Rockstar ones a good run for their money too. The status of Sleeping Dogs as of 2021 is, well, who knows, but its inclusion by Xbox’s backwards compatibility team in the latest round of FPS Boost enhancements hints that it is still beloved by many. Some lacklustre DLC, an ill-fated multiplayer spin-off, some rudimentary remastering and abandoned plans for a sequel would follow before the studio, United Front Games, slept their last dog in late 2016. The project changed names and owners a number of times originally conceived as a new IP, then folded into an existing franchise as ‘ True Crime: Hong Kong’, under which guise it was unceremoniously cancelled before finally being published under Square Enix back in 2012. The history of Sleeping Dogs is almost as chaotic as that of Hong Kong itself. Whether it corresponds to the vibe of its real-world counterpart is rather beside the point. It has an unmistakable vibe, in the way that all world cities do. It’s all carefully stage-managed and blocked out in very precise and clever ways to sell its illusion, but what an illusion. Sleeping Dogs is one of the greatest games of all time. Betrayed, even, such is the apparent realness of Sleeping Dogs as someone who has never had the privilege of visiting the real place. If I ever visit Hong Kong, and discover that Pork Bun Guys are an invention of the game, I would feel deeply unsettled. What I do know is that Sleeping Dogs’ representation of it is one of the most authentic feeling worlds that has ever been depicted in a video game. Is he real? Am I real? I don’t know if Hong Kong has an abundance of pork bun stalls. READ MORE: Meet the supernatural heroes of ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’.He just wants to go home and do some Pork Bun Guy stuff, before these streets once again demand their daily tribute of delicious charred pig in a sweet, soft bun. But that’s of no concern to the Pork Bun Guy. The thick din of Hong Kong’s bustle is broken by the distant revving of engines and wailing sirens.
The Pork Bun Guy thinks about packing up for the day, ending another long streak of serving life-giving snacks to passers-by.
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