Schedule 1 is the chillest game about running a drug empire I’ve ever played. My little dude, whom I’ve nicknamed The Eggman because all drug lords need a cool moniker, spends his time skating around town, laundering money at the laundromat, and peacefully snipping away at his plants in a dinky little room above a Chinese restaurant. When I invited my friend to play this new early access title, it wasn’t thirty minutes before three police officers were dead and half our supply was sinking to the bottom of the river.
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This is a game where you grow weed plants, cook meth, and procure cocaine. Sometimes you can mix fun ingredients together, like horse semen and gasoline. I’m sorry if you’re reading this Google. It’s just a game, I promise. Many games have attempted this magic formula of the drug-dealing lifestyle that many people have fantasized about since Breaking Bad first burst onto the scene back in 2008. Schedule 1 is the best attempt yet. Only I don’t need my Jesse Pinkman. In Hyland Point, I prefer to go it alone.
Pure Vibing
Schedule 1 has immaculate vibes. Hyland Point is a sleepy town where the game takes place , which makes sense considering how much product I’m shifting every day with the help of my dealers, Benji and Molly. Even after my RV suddenly explodes at the hands of a rival gang – or something, I’m not sure, I haven’t seen this so-called cartel again since, so I’m not really phased. The sunrises are beautiful, the soundtrack is bliss, and I love the sound of the electric clippers as I shave my plants.
The game pushes you towards expanding your drug empire with warehouses and workers and supply lines, which all sounds great if The Eggman gave a crap about any of that. He’s too busy sitting around a burning barrel with his good friend Jerry Montero smoking a joint that reduces the world’s gravity. Literally. Schedule 1 doesn’t glorify drugs or the dealing because everything about it is just so goofy.
There’s a character called Cranky Frank who walks around town with a saucepan on his head and a pair of tighty-whities. If you want, you can chuck all your trash in the river. The police won’t bother you much as long as you don’t get caught with seventy jars on you. You can buy cars and houses if you want, but it’s also just fine to whizz through Hyland Point on a golden skateboard wearing a pair of fly sunglasses. I spent a good few hours gambling-maxing in the casino, rolling six slot machines at the same time.
This actually seems like a great way to make money. In Schedule 1, not real life.
Once you start introducing more players into the game, these immaculate vibes get ruined a bit. It’s going to be fun building an empire with some friends, if we can get past bludgeoning our customers with baseball bats or driving our cars into the river. The more players you’ve got, the easier it is to reach the great heights and become a proper drug kingpin. To be honest, though, the joys of the game aren’t about grinding for that extra special strain or establishing a thirty-person workforce in a damp warehouse. I don’t mind taking my time and taking it all in.
Schedule 1 is still fresh, and the developer has posted a detailed roadmap of what’s next for the game. While most of it is focused around production lines and rival gangs, I’d love to see more activities and life in the city. Maybe The Eggman wants to play golf, or sing karaoke, or get drunk in a bar with Jerry. I’m paying for the drinks. Jerry lives in a tent. I can’t wait to see what else gets added to Hyland Point, and until then you’ll find me nurturing some seeds in my tiny motel room.
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