POLICE SIMULATOR: PATROL OFFICER
Early access is such a vague feature that provides a gateway to scammy devs to publish unpolished incomplete games on steam and have a dumb excuse for it and with there being no limit on how long can a game be on early access, things only get worse. And with that said there are some good developers out there who want to make a game while interacting with the community. One such game I have come across recently is Police Simulator: Patrol Officer, which as the name suggests, is a game that simulates police work. This game has A LOT of potentials to be a massive hit once it comes out of early access but in this review, I will specifically review its current stage.
-Graphics and Details
-Police Work
-Sound Work
-Conclusion
Graphics and Details
The good thing about this game is that it feels graphically rich. The details look very good. To start, the characters look pretty good and detailed but have a short range of selection. The animations of the character might feel a bit odd, but it would take no time for the player to get accustomed to it. Now for NPCs, they are good but they aren’t interactive in a natural way (for example: bumping into them while running). NPCs however, are detailed and look good. The cars too are highly detailed (like they have a visible scratch or crack on their windshield). Sometimes, the game might break and cause some glitches but that rarely ever happens.
The map is quite small but quite diverse. There are only 5 districts available to play with. Not so many, but it gets the job done. There are various types of buildings which makes the game even more diverse. The use of vegetation is very perfect and resembles that of real-life (kind of). The roads of this game are gorgeous. They are just made beautiful.
Police Work
This game is certainly the most detailed cop game out there. It has a LOT of different actions to do and manage while playing. The player needs to be a keen observer of the surroundings. There are various types of mechanics the player needs to understand perfectly. Although there are many mechanics, it might get boring after a 2-hour long session. This is mainly because of the repetitiveness it has. Mostly, one would not notice the repetition because this game gives you punishment for the mistakes committed by the player, for example: if you ticket a vehicle for no reason, then your conduct points are deducted, which in hence, reduces the credibility of the player. This makes the player focus more on the game. The punishment isn’t that harsh but it could get you demoted or fired from the job. The game also offers to investigate accidents by asking the drivers about the incident. The player gets to inspect the vehicle thoroughly by also checking all the necessary details of the drivers. The player can also inspect the drivers for consumption of drugs or alcohol. All these details make the game interesting and enjoyable to play with.
There is nothing much to talk about the mechanics but the NPCs can do random stuff at different periods. For example: if someone is caught littering, the player can either fine them or give a verbal warning. If you see a car that is parked at a No Parking Area, then the player can either ticket it or can even tow it. Though I would have loved to see the NPCs reaction of getting their car towed away or getting a ticket for wrongdoing.
Sound Work
The sounds are good enough but all it lacks is diversity in them. Although while playing, the players wouldn’t even notice it, those players who want to experience the beauty of it may find it lacking. All the vehicles have a very generic sound with little ups and downs. This makes the game a little bit lame. The character sounds are surprisingly good. I would like it if the devs do a rework to the sounds and some diversity to it. It can make the game feel more alive and rich.
Conclusion
As I would like to say that “This game is worth the try” I also regret saying that this game feels very bland. Don’t get me wrong, the game is in itself very beautiful but the problem is the game has no life. It feels like everything in this game is scripted. There are little to no expressions shown from the NPCs. The sounds are good but the thing is they don’t feel like they are natural (like as we naturally talk with other people). Also, as this is a police game, I would love to see some more different types of undercover missions such as hunting down a notorious gang, hunting for smugglers or getting into shootouts, calling for backups, etcetera. This game is still in beta so we shall wait and see what happens, though the game improvement roadmap provided by the devs is very promising.
That’s it for the review, thanks for reading. See ya later!