Genre: Real-Time Tactics / Role-Playing
Developer: Spellbound Entertainment
Publisher: Wanadoo Edition
Year: 2003
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Chicago 1930 (also known as Chicago 1930: The Prohibition) is a real-time tactics game with RPG elements, developed by Spellbound Entertainment. It was published by Wanadoo Edition in Europe and later by Microids in North America. The game was released in 2003 (Europe) and in 2004 in some regions.
Players choose to lead either the Mafia—under Don Carmine Falcone—or a police special task force headed by Edward Nash. Each side manages a team of five characters, each with distinct skills such as shooting, melee combat, charisma, and first aid. The game combines tactical squad-based combat with story-driven objectives set during Prohibition-era Chicago.
Gameplay unfolds in an isometric perspective, allowing players to pause the action and issue individual orders to each character. A slow-motion mode enables precise control during chaotic combat situations. Players need to navigate the urban environment, balance stealth and violence, and make moral choices that affect outcomes across mission-based levels.
The narrative-driven structure emphasizes atmosphere and character interaction. As players advance through territories, conflict escalates, reflecting the shifting power dynamics between organized crime and law enforcement. Dialogue and mission goals vary depending on the side chosen, offering distinct perspectives of the same unfolding war.
