This Is the Police Reviews
If you don't mind a drip feed of soul-crushing events, then This is the Police will work for you. The actual gameplay is littered with questionable content, but the core is engaging for both quick and marathon sessions. The story is what holds things together; the many twists are fascinating, and the presentation is charming due to its artistic simplicity. It may not be for everyone, but for those looking for something a little different, This is the Police is worth a shot.
Taking over the role of police chief to run Freeburg would have been a great simulation/management game on its own, but then add layer upon layer of villainous folk and reasons to go over to the dark side, and the game becomes a fully immersive experience that requires great difficulty to put down.
A decent, gritty and stylish cops-n-robbers strategy game that offers just enough variation to keep you interested.
If you’re a fan of strategy and management games then, at its core, This is the Police delivers an experience that should satisfy you. The story is dark and broody with some nice voice-acting moments in parts and some great beats, even if they are cliché. The way it deals with serious political issues in its late 1980’s fake American setting is often a little too on the nose, but it gives the player the freedom to tackle the issue as they see fit. It has a unique art-style that helps it stand out and, even if you don’t stick around until the very end, there are still hours of entertainment to be had.
This is the Police is quite pleasant and original title, but because of its humdrum gameplay, it fails in an attempt to keep the player near the console for londer sessions.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The excellent visual novel-style, animations, and minimalist character designs give off a surprising amount of personality, and the voice acting is, once again, top notch.
This is the Police has a very charismatic character, well written and hilarious dialogues. The most strong point is a very interesting story to play, along with a pleasant soundtrack and peculiar art style. But, in most of the game, the strategic gameplay of the police, becomes tiresome after a few hours. Even so, it is fun to have an experience of the police routine.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Although Jon St. John (known for voicing Duke Nukem) is the voice of Jack Boyd, I found myself not genuinely caring how the narrative played out. I thoroughly enjoyed the management sim portion of the game and could see myself play through a sandbox mode for quite some time, if one is ever added. Add randomized cases and crimes, and it could be something special, but as it is, the lack of true freedom in the narrative holds the game back. Having your playthrough cut short after only a handful of days because you wouldn’t listen to the mayor’s racist request is something that should not happen. Don’t give the player a false sense of choice when in practice there is only one way to play the game.
When looking at the entire package, This Is the Police is a decent way to kill time in short bursts, but anything more than an hour at a time just feels like a chore. Despite the awkward political moments and somewhat monotonous gameplay, the skewed perspective of good vs. evil makes for an engaging story.
A cool story with great writing and voice acting, hampered only by the day-to-day mechanics of running a police station. I could argue the game would have been better if the 18 hours of playtime had been trimmed to 13 or 14, but I still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to gamers who love a well told story and don’t need constant action.
This Is the Police will most assuredly find an audience. There is a tinge of Tharsis in the way that difficulty is handled – the world is out to get you, and things only get worse as you lose more and more resources. Most people won’t like this approach. But for those of you who enjoy having the odds stacked against them, for that one triumphant run in which luck is finally on your side and you come out of it all bruised, battered, but ultimately victorious, then This Is the Police may be right for you.
An interesting genre mash-up that offers noir adventure and city management in bite-sized chunks. An expertly crafted atmosphere can't hide some rigid storytelling and shallow systems, but fans of cop movies and resource management should give this one a go.
So here I am, trying to protect the city by allocating my force to adequately address issues that arise, when a green icon appears on the screen. I click on it, like I would any other case, and it is a night club looking for help in controlling a line outside, due to a missing bouncer. Without giving it much thought, I send a capable officer over to support the community’s need. At the end of his shift, he quits - citing that the club pays more than the police, and the club owner slides me $4700 for the “favor”. Just like that, I’m a corrupt cop with a hole in my roster. Apparently, I need to pay more attention, or I’ll be in the pokey myself.
The first five minutes of This is the Police will no doubt hook players into the world they’re about to step foot in. Unfortunately, the only way to progress through the story is to grind through the gameplay, which at times can slow the game to a screeching halt. This is upsetting due to the game’s fantastic storytelling. There will be people who will pass through the gameplay with ease and find enjoyment in it. However, in my case, it provided me with a negative experience. This is the Police is by no means a bad game, it just fails to hold up after the player starts the gaming sections. There will certainly be those who enjoy the gameplay and find it thought provoking, however, if a player wants something more involved, they might be disappointed.
An excellently acted story. Really puts you in the unconfortable shoes of a jaded knight who triest to believe in good in a world where at most you can sail on a sea of shades of grey.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This is the police is a bold game, innovative and creative. It has an impressive style and a compelling narrative.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Playing through This Is The Police made me think about morality, bigotry and oppression more than any other video game
This is the Police is a good idea, but somewhat clumsily executed despite its potential to be much more. Overwhelming pressure forcing the player to play along a certain route and too many virtual days to survive hamper this game from being “FTL with cops”. There will be those players who will love the rigor of its challenge, but for now it might be best to wait for an inevitable balance patch.
This game reached its peak (for me) about half way through when it started to become a little too repetitive and tedious. The decisions you make do shape the story (initially) but only to an extent as you are basically forced into becoming a corrupted cop anyway. Instead of it being ‘choice driven’, I found this game to be more about skills management and balancing resources (no matter how corrupted you are) to make sure all parties you interact with are happy. The controversial content (racism, sexism etc.) may be a bit hard to swallow but it certainly adds to the story of police corruption and gives the game a different edge. I would say it is good value for money for the crime buffs among us, but not a must play title.
It’s a bit of a mixed bag. If you’re happy to sit idly waiting for balloons of jobs to pop up, and take each day as slowly as it comes, then you’ll probably get a lot more out of this tale of corruption and downfalls than I did. But if you’re interested in deeper systems and micromanaging your officers, forget it, it’s Chinatown.