This Is the Police
- August 2, 2016
- Weappy Studio
- 7h median play time
This Is The Police looks and sounds gorgeous, but becomes dull and repetitive after the first couple of hours.
"This Is the Police" is a narrative-driven strategy game where you play as Police Chief Jack Boyd, navigating a corrupt city amidst crime and intrigue. Manage your staff, respond to emergencies, and investigate crimes, while dealing with mafia underworld and political manipulations. Your choices and approach to situations will determine your retirement outcome in a city on the brink of chaos.
Reviews
- Engaging and well-written story with strong voice acting.
- Unique gameplay mechanics that combine resource management with narrative elements.
- Atmospheric art style and excellent soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
- Gameplay becomes repetitive and tedious, especially in the later stages.
- Choices often feel meaningless, leading to a lack of impactful decision-making.
- The game is overly long, with many days feeling like filler without significant story progression.
- story2,760 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "This is the Police" is a compelling blend of noir themes and moral dilemmas, following the struggles of police chief Jack Boyd as he navigates a corrupt city while trying to make a fortune before retirement. While the narrative is engaging and features strong voice acting, many players feel that the gameplay becomes repetitive and that choices often lack meaningful impact on the overall story progression, leading to a sense of frustration as the plot unfolds. Despite its flaws, the game is praised for its unique storytelling approach and atmosphere, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games.
“The story is well-written and compelling, making for an experience that is actually worth your time.”
“The story is gripping and keeps me on the edge of my seat; it plays out like a movie!”
“The story is absolutely superb, with a great concept, solid execution, and cool characters.”
“The story is a force that overrides a lot of choices.”
“The story forces you to make the decisions it wants you to, otherwise you get a game over.”
“The gameplay becomes really boring, hard, and tedious where you are up against RNG for whether or not you will have enough resources to do certain missions.”
- gameplay1,344 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "This is the Police" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it becomes repetitive and tedious after a few hours. While the initial mechanics of managing police resources and responding to calls are engaging, the lack of variety and the lengthy campaign can lead to boredom. Additionally, some players criticize the disconnect between gameplay choices and story outcomes, making the experience feel less impactful over time. Overall, while the game offers a unique premise and interesting narrative, its gameplay struggles to maintain interest throughout its extended playtime.
“The gameplay is fun, as managing your limited resources to respond to issues and solve crimes is simple but enjoyable.”
“The gameplay is incredibly unique, giving you the responsibility of managing crimes, responding to them, dealing with various situations, investigating and solving crimes with detectives, working with criminals, and so much more!”
“For the gameplay itself, while it can sometimes be stressful, I really enjoyed managing the police station and juggling the day-to-day grind with my principles, the occasional conflicting guidance and politics, while also trying to achieve the long-term goal.”
“Gameplay gets repetitive quickly.”
“The gameplay itself gets quite repetitive; the mechanics are slowly introduced, but the overall dispatching and managing of crime scenes gets old very quickly.”
“The gameplay is boring and I can't get any fun from it.”
- music673 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic jazz and blues soundtrack, which enhances the noir atmosphere and immerses players in the setting. However, many reviewers express frustration with the manual music selection process, which can become tedious over time, especially as tracks end mid-gameplay. Despite these issues, the overall quality of the music is considered a standout feature, with some players even wishing for a downloadable soundtrack option.
“The game has a lot of charm, intriguing characters, and a fantastic musical score.”
“Speaking of sounds, the music in this game is just phenomenal.”
“The soundtrack is amazing and the storyline is so well written.”
“Everyday selecting the song to play gets tiresome if you do it for the 50th time and towards the later half of the day the song is finished.”
“The part at the beginning of each day where you put on music to listen to is simply annoying as heck.”
“Having to manually select a music track each day can be quite irritating and becomes more of a chore, having an option to have it play randomly and shuffle would probably be more ideal.”
- graphics371 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique, minimalist art style that blends comic book aesthetics with low-poly designs, creating an immersive atmosphere that complements its narrative. While some players appreciate the simplicity and charm of the visuals, others find them lacking in detail, which can detract from gameplay. Overall, the art style is generally well-received for its ability to enhance the storytelling, despite not being cutting-edge.
“The art style is great and pretty much timeless.”
“Furthermore, the art style and soundtrack fit this game perfectly; it immerses you in this crime-riddled 80s city like no other game does!”
“The game's spare art style is fitting and beautiful, and lends itself to what the game speaks to - tough times and tough choices.”
“With the graphics and art being so basic, there needs to be more to do.”
“I'm not a fan of the visuals (or lack of), and I would much have preferred a 3D visual experience in the game.”
“The graphics aren't playing in a high-quality league, but they are good for the atmosphere and so is the music.”
- grinding137 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being slow, tedious, and repetitive, particularly in the mid to late stages where players feel bogged down by monotonous tasks and unskippable sequences. While some players appreciate the narrative and management elements, many find the gameplay becomes a chore, detracting from overall enjoyment and engagement. Despite its interesting premise, the excessive grind often leads to frustration and boredom, making it a significant drawback for many reviewers.
“The narrative is just interesting enough to make you want to complete one more day, and having to choose which cop/detective to send to which call was engaging, yet not tedious.”
“Grinding isn't necessary to progress.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and tedious and sometimes unforgiving depending on RNG.”
“The general gameplay loop becomes more difficult over the first couple of days, but then stagnates, reducing this resource management simulator to the digital equivalent of doing the dishes, where around day 60-80 you have your 500k USD, but the main storyline is spread out over such a long period that you're painfully grinding through the non-challenging days until the bitter end.”
“The only downside is the pacing of the game: it starts off at a quick pace and keeps you invested wanting to learn more; before slowing down to a painful and tedious crawl so that by the time you're at the climax of the story and the pace picks back up you've lost all real investment in the story.”
- atmosphere104 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich, immersive qualities, effectively capturing a noir aesthetic through strong visual design, compelling music, and excellent voice acting. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a gritty, engaging environment that enhances the storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay pacing and repetitiveness. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making the game a captivating experience for fans of narrative-driven and atmospheric titles.
“You get a typical noir story with rich atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is drenched in a thick coat of mystery, the characters are interesting, very believable, and the voice acting is superb.”
“The game has an atmosphere to perfectly fit its aesthetic.”
“Solid game with some noir atmosphere, but way too long so it becomes quite tedious to play.”
“Great premise, atmosphere, and idea, but the gameplay lacks something and turns to mindless grinding soon.”
“The atmosphere is too much to bear, and the gameplay does not redeem it; it only makes it worse.”
- humor103 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- -1 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and variety, ranging from dark and cynical to light-hearted and absurd, often enhancing the engaging narrative and gameplay. Players appreciate the funny scenarios, quirky dialogue, and the comedic performances of the voice actors, which contribute to a unique blend of humor that keeps the experience entertaining, despite some criticisms of repetitiveness. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that adds depth and enjoyment to the game's exploration of serious themes within a comedic framework.
“The voice actors give proper full-on performances, the artistic style fits the setting well, and the narrative carries this game from an average point-and-click game into a captivating story that will have you laughing at the hilarity one moment and stopping your jaw from hitting the floor the next.”
“I loved the way they included the humor in the small scenarios; you could make your policemen do the funniest things while chasing a criminal (and face the consequences for it).”
“The humor in this game is hilarious too, with a very engaging story, especially the investigation side of things, where you need to gather evidence and make your decision on how things happened or to take down a serial killer.”
“The jokes in the game are not funny at all.”
“The humor falls flat and feels forced.”
“I expected more laughs, but the humor just didn't land.”
- replayability100 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits low to moderate replayability, primarily due to its scripted events and linear story progression, which lead to repetitive gameplay experiences. While some players appreciate the option to explore different choices and endings, many express disappointment over the lack of significant variation in subsequent playthroughs. A few users noted that the game could be enjoyable for a single run, but the absence of meaningful consequences for choices diminishes the incentive to replay.
“I've only beaten it once, but I'd say it's replayable; I already want to go back and try different endings.”
“The great thing about replayability is facing different crimes and investigations.”
“This game gets its replay value from the multiple approaches you can take to playing it.”
“Unfortunately, it has low replay value due to the fact that each run will have the same crimes occur at the same times, but it's well worth it even if you only get one run out of it.”
“0 replay value for me, which I was not expecting at all. I was playing through assuming I would be able to work towards very different outcomes with a different playthrough, but that is not the case at all.”
“The saddest thing is - the game itself was great, but it has no replay value. I'd still recommend it, I guess.”
- emotional29 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heart-wrenching narrative and the ability to evoke strong feelings through player choices, often reflecting the harsh realities of life and human nature. Players report a mix of emotional engagement, from heartbreak to frustration, as the story unfolds in a way that challenges their moral decisions and creates a lasting impact. While some struggle to connect with certain characters, the overall storytelling and emotional depth are praised as significant strengths of the game.
“Without spoiling it, it has a very emotional story.”
“It is for adults only, but this limitation also frees this game to be as hard-hitting and emotionally challenging as it can possibly be, unashamedly & impressively captures the best and worst of humanity.”
“The story for me is the game’s biggest strength, in that it made me want to play until the end and made me feel like my choices made a difference.”
- optimization26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players noting that it runs smoothly even on lower-end systems, and there are no significant crashes or lag issues. However, some players experienced performance drops during specific events, such as the pre-election phase, which detracted from the overall experience. While the graphics are simple yet effective, the game's length and repetitive nature can lead to a sense of monotony, overshadowing the otherwise polished presentation.
“The minigames, struggles, and even investigations are absolutely amazing. The cutscenes the game provides are very rewarding and really worth the effort. The game is definitely a grab for 15 bucks, and I like that it is still being updated with game modes, setting optimizations, and graphics improvements. The devs really care about this game, and I can see it easily through the updates.”
“Every so often you can award 'stripes' to officers, which can improve the performance of all the officers sent on a call.”
“Nice-but-simple graphics, runs well/optimized, mellow soundtrack, and effective voice acting round out an exceptionally polished presentation.”
“The frustrations of bureaucratic incompetence will bear down on you as the tools at your disposal are stripped away from you because of poor performance, in turn worsening your ability to perform.”
“However in the end, it all affects nothing and basically your performance throughout the entire slog of a game was meaningless.”
“City hall is not pleased with your performance, because the city is overridden with crime, we are cutting your force, which will make it harder for you to stop crime.”
- stability13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs and freezing issues that hinder gameplay, particularly during critical moments like decision-making and investigations. While some players experienced a smooth performance without glitches, others faced frequent crashes and unresponsive elements, leading to frustration and a recommendation to avoid the game due to its instability. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a major concern for a substantial portion of the player base.
“The game itself was pretty much bug-free, providing a smooth experience overall.”
“Despite a minor issue with Steam not recognizing the game, the stability during gameplay was impressive.”
“Even the final day is buggy because the intended music and the song selection both try to play on top of each other.”
“Stuck on day 5, I pass through everything and the game just freezes, cannot go further!”
“As soon as I choose which cop to hire or fire, it automatically freezes and I have to exit the game and restart that day.”
- character development13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and emotional resonance, particularly with key characters like Jack Boyd, contributing to a compelling narrative. However, some players noted inconsistencies, such as characters reverting to previous traits and a lack of development among supporting characters. Overall, while the character design and dialogue are well-received, the depth of character development varies, with some feeling it could be more robust.
“I do highly recommend a playthrough to anyone who enjoys a deep immersive story, strong character development, and management games.”
“As I said, the character development is generally great, especially with Jack Boyd, as you really start to feel for him and his struggles.”
“Phenomenal plot, fantastic character development, and a compelling balance between corruption and justice.”
“You achieve some character development in Act 2, but revert to your old self for Act 3.”
“There was a chance for real character development among your officers here - as it was, they just look like a bunch of whingeing pussies.”
“The gameplay only mimics RPG elements and character development is extremely shallow.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as reasonable, with users noting that the story serves as a key selling point, suggesting that the game's value is primarily derived from its narrative rather than aggressive monetization tactics.
Critic Reviews
This is the Police
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.
65%This is the Police Review
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.
60%This Is The Police Review
A beautifully dark tale woven around an adequate management game. The pacing is too slow, topics addresses are handled awkwardly and as much as I wanted to love this game for its writing and style, every new day of police work was a struggle.
50%