This Is the Police Reviews
The question of morality seems to be at the heart of This Is The Police, but the game doesn’t always seem to understand exactly what it’s trying to say
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.
Gamers who have a genuine interest in police shows, movies and/or books will find a lot to love about this simulator. Those looking for more of a quick fix thriller might want to keep investigating.
This Is the Police ends up being a pretty fascinating character study of a man with good intentions who’ll need to make a lot of bad decisions. You can try to maintain your integrity but the game seems to be written in the direction of not letting you do so for long, or at least not without paying such a steep price that you see the wisdom in picking and choosing when you’ll need to go dirty with good intentions… or at least you’ll tell yourself that. Games like these ask you to put yourself in a different position and then force you to play out events in a world where the deck is stacked against you and you don’t have the luxury of surviving without doing some unsavory things and pairing with terrible people. While it isn’t a perfect game in execution and it can be frustrating, often on purpose, it does make for a fascinating ride.
This Is The Police is undeniably compelling, the player charged with watching over a city that is already spiralling the drain. As with how your police force is broken down, it is best experienced in shifts – otherwise risking the experience descending into monotony, which, we can all admit, is something that we already suffer enough of in our jobs out in the real world.
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 looks and sounds gorgeous, but becomes dull and repetitive after the first couple of hours.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A decent, gritty and stylish cops-n-robbers strategy game that offers just enough variation to keep you interested.
This Is The Police is a challenging portrayal of law enforcement that falters when it comes to meaningful commentary. While it constructs a good form and addresses topical concerns, it fails to say anything definitive. Starting a conversation is worthwhile, but that only carries the game so far before its menial nature drags it down.
This is the Police isn't a bad game, but it feels like the game could have been much more interesting with a little more variety in the actual gameplay. Managing your cops can be fun, and some interesting things happen throughout the course of the game, but a little more variety to keep things fresh throughout would have went a long way with the game. As it stands This is the Police is a decent game that, for many, will overstay its welcome.
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.
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
An intriguing concept hindered by too much going on. There are plenty of details throughout, but few received the attention they deserved.
This is the Police is simple but highly addictive if you have the time to dedicate becoming more invested in Jack Boyd and his personal chaotic life.
When it does manage to deliver a hard-hitting narrative, This Is the Police really delivers. All too frequently, however, it's hard to connect with Jack and the other faceless denizens of Freeburg. While the core gameplay does succeed at conveying the challenge of being a police chief in the midst of a collapsing personal world, it doesn't exactly pull off being fun, especially during the frequent, slower moments.
This Is the Police should be applauded for taking a concept such as police work and making it into a unique, yet somewhat flawed experience. The tale of Jack Boyd and his struggles to escape the trappings of his troublesome life make for an interesting story, but like his state of mind, the constant back-and-forth between work and contending with ambiguous morality choices through each passing day makes it seem like a never-ending cycle of success and failure.