In Gangs of London, the player assumes the position of a criminal gang member seeking to take control of London. The central gameplay premise is similar to that of the GTA series, except instead of a free-roaming experience, the campaign consists of 70 brief missions selected from a menu screen. A comic-style story arc accompanies each one and has a variety of objectives: escorting, infiltrating an enemy station, stealing cars, kidnapping people, racing, defending one’s position against enemy waves, and killing people.
The gameplay is what one would expect from a game of this nature: if the player is on foot, the game is essentially a third-person shooter – sometimes, he has a few other gang members with him and can give them a few commands. The driving is action-oriented in either first or third person, while the stealth phases are simple, requiring simple to detect and eliminating security patrols from behind. If the police see a crime, they will interfere, but there is no wanted system like in other games. At the start of the campaign, the player can choose between five gangs, each with unique skills, such as the Triads’ ability to drive faster.
Furthermore, the game includes many play modes and small activities, such as free-roaming in London, taxiing, photographing tourist attractions, and battling zombies. The bar mini-games can be played with two players: darts, bowling, pool, and a Snake variant as an arcade machine. The last notable option is a strategy game similar to Risk: the player takes leadership of a crime organization and attempts to conquer London, divided into approximately 30 districts. He has three actions per round, such as moving men to another section. Between games, he can employ more men or obtain bonus cards that grant him certain advantages. This mode has three difficulty levels and many victory conditions.
