In Gangs of London, the player assumes the role of a criminal gang member seeking to take control of London. The basic gameplay premise is similar to that of the GTA series, but instead of a free-roaming experience, the campaign consists of 70 short missions selected from a menu screen. A comic-style story sequence accompanies each one and has a variety of objectives: escorting, infiltrating an enemy post, 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, and the stealth segments are simple, requiring only to detect and kill guard patrols from behind. If the police see a crime, they will intervene, 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 abilities, such as the Triads’ ability to drive faster.
Furthermore, the game includes many play modes and mini-games, such as free-roaming in London, driving a taxi, photographing tourist attractions, and fighting off zombies. The pub mini-games can be played with two players: darts, bowling, pool, and a Snake variant as an arcade machine. The last notable mode is a tactical game similar to Risk: the player takes control 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 hire more men or obtain bonus cards that grant him certain advantages. This mode has three difficulty levels and several winning conditions.
