CELLBLOCK

You take the night shift as a new guard in a women's prison facility with complete autonomy after dark. The core loop involves running nightly rounds through the block, deciding which inmates to cover for or transfer out, and working the intake desk to process new arrivals. By catching inconsistencies in their stories, you accumulate leverage that inmates must repay through favors.

The game operates on a favor economy rather than currency. Inmates request various privileges—phone calls, extra food, protection, smuggled items—and granting or refusing these requests shapes your relationship with each character. You can build trust gradually or break resistance quickly, with each choice affecting how they respond to you going forward.

Progression involves climbing ranks from Night Guard to Warden, unlocking more authority and capacity to manage additional inmates. Each of the five available characters has distinct personality types and escalation patterns, responding differently to the same actions. The system tracks your rule-breaking through a heat meter; breaking too many rules draws administrative attention that you must manage or face consequences. Dialogue is freeform rather than menu-based, allowing negotiation and persuasion through actual conversation.