Police Quest: SWAT
- December 15, 2016
- Yosemite Entertainment
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamPolice Quest: SWAT is a tactical squad-based simulation game. Players lead a SWAT team in various high-risk missions, using strategic planning, precise tactics, and teamwork. The game features tense hostage situations, dangerous drug operations, and intense bank heists, with the ultimate goal of serving and protecting the community.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Ms Dos
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for those who enjoyed it in the 90s, with a charming retro feel and cheesy acting.
- It provides educational value regarding SWAT tactics and police procedures, making it an interesting piece of 'edutainment'.
- The game runs smoothly on modern machines without compatibility issues, allowing players to relive the experience without technical difficulties.
- The gameplay is overly complicated and frustrating, requiring very specific actions that lead to frequent game overs, making it feel like a trial-and-error experience.
- There are only three missions, and the time spent in between is filled with tedious training and drills, which can be boring and slow-paced.
- The controls are clunky and unintuitive, leading to a frustrating experience, especially when trying to execute commands under pressure.
- story28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story of "Police Quest: SWAT" is criticized for being underwhelming, with only three missions that feel overly simplistic and reliant on specific inputs for success. While the game attempts to blend interactive movie elements with tactical gameplay, many players find the execution lacking, particularly in terms of mission variety and logical game design. The educational aspects of police work are noted as a positive, but overall, the narrative fails to engage, leaving players disappointed with the limited content and questionable acting.
“You take the role as a new rookie member of the famous LAPD unit to complete three increasingly tactical missions.”
“Your actions as a member of your unit will directly impact the efficiency (and potentially safety) of your entire team and the outcome of the mission.”
“Anyway, in this title there are several 'call ups' which are missions you get a call to go to, each have a couple different ways for the scenario to play out.”
“I think the Police Quest series as a whole might be the weakest of Sierra's quest franchises, and the first SWAT entry is no exception.”
“The acting is dubious at many points in the game and there are only a small handful of missions.”
“All in all, there are only three missions to go on in this game.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being random, frustrating, and lacking accessibility, with clumsy controls and a slow pace that detracts from the experience. While some games offer educational value or nostalgic appeal, they often suffer from poor gameplay polish, making them more suitable for laughs than genuine enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant drawback across various titles.
“My litmus test for if an adventure game is worth it is if the gameplay is worthwhile.”
“The game has a ton of educational and historical value; it's just completely missing any semblance of gameplay polish.”
“If you know exactly what to do, the whole game can be completed in 2 hours, but even with a (in my opinion absolutely obligatory) walkthrough it took me more than six hours to finish it because of the clumsy controls, snail-paced gameplay, and generally random and unpredictable nature of the game.”
“This game is a respectable effort, but likely more of a game to get for the laughs than the actual gameplay experience.”
“The game has a ton of educational and historical value, it's just completely missing any semblance of gameplay polish.”
- music5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic and nostalgic 90s vibe, particularly the title screen track, which is described as impactful and heroic. Reviewers highlight its ability to enhance the gaming experience, making it a standout feature.
“The kind of music that makes you feel like a hero.”
“Banger 90's soundtrack.”
“Dank soundtrack.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers a moderate level of replayability, primarily through the opportunity to explore different solutions for missions. While this approach enhances the experience, some users note that the game's drawbacks may limit its overall replay value.
“This is a pretty cool approach that creates a ton of replayability, if not for the game's drawbacks.”
“It even has a tiny bit of replay value in trying to figure out different solutions for the missions.”
“This game still has some mild replay value to it.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's serious tone contrasts humorously with the ability to engage in chaotic and "bad behavior" sequences, particularly involving an elder character, which many players find amusing. While the humor may not be consistently strong, it shines through in moments of absurdity and player-driven antics.
“The game takes itself very seriously, so it's funny to mess about.”
“I can recommend this game only if you want to make fun of it and laugh out loud with the 'bad behavior' sequences, especially those involving an elder suspect you can kill as much as you want.”
“Otherwise, it's kind of funny.”
