This Is the Police

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 250 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 169 out of 250
  2. Mixed: 59 out of 250
  3. Negative: 22 out of 250

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Oldsport78
    Aug 9, 2016
    9
    This is where you can truly see what reviewers are reliable and not, the first days in the game is a trap for reviewers to see if they're paying attention, kotaku was one of those who fell in it.

    If you love the atmosphere from movies like mob city and dick tracy this game was made for you. The soundtrack is absolutely brilliant, i do not listen to modern music at all so songs like Ben    This is where you can truly see what reviewers are reliable and not, the first days in the game is a trap for reviewers to see if they're paying attention, kotaku was one of those who fell in it.

    If you love the atmosphere from movies like mob city and dick tracy this game was made for you. The soundtrack is absolutely brilliant, i do not listen to modern music at all so songs like Ben Matthews, Holli Scott - No Good, was just another reason to dig into this game.

    Why i give it a 9 and not a 10, There are no rng at all, everything is the same when you fire it up again, even the cops look the same and have the same names like the first time, i know this is not one of those games where you keep playing over and over but still i couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed even with the 13,49€ pricetag.

    When you love a game you just get these ideas in your head on how to make it even greater, for me some rng on cops and assignments and investigations would have been refreshing and maybe some random stats and backgrounds for cop cards that could affect how well they do their job.    … Expand
  2. Gr4nt
    Aug 4, 2016
    9
    Don't believe the Kotaku reviews. This game dabbles in some serious subject matter, but it gives you an option to either be a good or a bad person, along with very serious consequences for your actions later on in the game. It's not meant to stand on the side of social justice (i.e. Giving you the option to fire all black cops for a corrupt mayor), but it's up to you to do what you thinkDon't believe the Kotaku reviews. This game dabbles in some serious subject matter, but it gives you an option to either be a good or a bad person, along with very serious consequences for your actions later on in the game. It's not meant to stand on the side of social justice (i.e. Giving you the option to fire all black cops for a corrupt mayor), but it's up to you to do what you think is right (Be it morally right or wrong).

    The way the story is told screams Max Payne and is very effective, although I always expect the protagonist to say something like "I've got balls of steel" because it's the same voice actor as Duke Nukem. But the story is enough to send shivers down the spine at time, not to mention just some of the deprived things that you have to deal with playing the game. They exist mainly in text and frames, but those with imaginations who are easily disturbed will be.

    The simulation aspect is a little mindless at times, although there are times where you need to select a course of action for your officers as they're on duty to either defuse bomb threats, negotiate with people trying to jump off bridges, and allocate the correct resources to keep your officers alive. Also what's also included is an investigation ward of your police force. Occasionally, some kind of investigatable crime will pop up and you can send your investigators. Over time, they'll uncover what happened from the victim being alive to the victim being a corpse in the course of uncovering pictures of what could possible have happened. You, armed with the pictures and witness testimonies, have to correctly piece together the timeline of events, to which you can arrest the perp. You can also find after you arrest the person that they're in a gang and you can further investigate that. It's a welcome system that is a good distraction to the bump and grind of the base game.

    There's also a lot of replay value in the game: you can veer on a different path to play a corrupt cop and see if you can get though without getting legally chewed up and spit out, or ignore mafia presence and how long they'll go before they get impatient, but what's certain is there's different ways to roleplay in this game.

    There are definitely some gameplay flaws, like how cops have to come back to the police station across the city and cannot respond to a call a block away from their location and the fact the investigation frames can be a little confusing to understand what's going on. There's still some typos to offend grammar Nazis, but aside from that the game is pretty sweet.    … Expand
  3. MiniNinja
    Aug 3, 2016
    9
    This game is in my opinion brilliant. I inmediatly fell in love with the game when I opened up the game and listend to the brililant music and saw the start screen with its beautiful animations.
    The game feels like Maffia II but from the side of the police. The game is made up out of several different parts. At first there is a story that you can influence by making choices, a bit like    This game is in my opinion brilliant. I inmediatly fell in love with the game when I opened up the game and listend to the brililant music and saw the start screen with its beautiful animations.
    The game feels like Maffia II but from the side of the police. The game is made up out of several different parts. At first there is a story that you can influence by making choices, a bit like the telltale games. Then there is the cop management and finally the detective management. These three elements give the game a lot of variety and al the parts have depth, they are worked out very well in my opinion.
    If you love story driven games with good gameplay this is the game for you, and if your like some good old music then, this game couldn't be better.    … Expand
  4. wafle
    Aug 3, 2016
    10
    You know you have to play a game when the identity politics police doesn't want you too.
    From the game devs:
    “This Is the Police is not a political game, but a human one,” says Yanovich. “We do not believe that the problems discussed in the game are political in nature.” And yet.... identity politics critics: official review contains trigger warnings. "Freeburg may be a generic    You know you have to play a game when the identity politics police doesn't want you too.
    From the game devs:
    “This Is the Police is not a political game, but a human one,” says Yanovich. “We do not believe that the problems discussed in the game are political in nature.”

    And yet.... identity politics critics:

    official review contains trigger warnings. "Freeburg may be a generic Western city, but not all of humankind lives in generic Western cities. I have no idea what a game called This Is the Police would look like if it was made in Singapore or Iran, but I suspect that it would be very different. This game probably wouldn’t be made in Canada either, at least not in its current form—the sheer proliferation of derogatory language and identity-based violence would be unthinkable in today’s climate, and for good reason. " -KS

    " This Is The Police is simultaneously a rich video game and a poor depiction of its subject matter. Whether the game's creators welcome it or not, at times like these, when police officers in the US are under intense scrutiny, This Is the Police's representation of their work bears similarly close examination. By that measure it falls short of relevance and borders on removed." IBT

    "Despite having only previewed This Is The Police at PAX East just a few months ago, so much has happened in the US and the rest of the world in that time. It’s something that’s impossible to ignore when examining a game where you play as the Chief of Police in a city full of racial, gender, and sexual prejudice -- where you make decisions every day that affect citizens of a fictional city." Destru

    "And worst of all, you’re all but forced to partake in some decisions that have morally repugnant real-world implications, especially while police brutality and government surveillance are directly in today’s spotlight."WGTC

    "Los episodios de violencia racial en Estados Unidos se suceden y es por ello que puede que sea un momento delicado para lanzar un juego como el que hoy os traemos." IGN esp    … Expand
  5. deathmachinept
    Aug 6, 2016
    9
    Don't read or take for granted the score of the payed reviewers are giving, some reviewers are so **** that they take offense for having in this game a Feminists Movement that make illegal protests and where you can suppress them by force or crimes that are committed by criminals that use ideologies to justify their crimes just like in real life.

    Pros and Game information This game    Don't read or take for granted the score of the payed reviewers are giving, some reviewers are so **** that they take offense for having in this game a Feminists Movement that make illegal protests and where you can suppress them by force or crimes that are committed by criminals that use ideologies to justify their crimes just like in real life.

    Pros and Game information

    This game does not spare any side from LGBT, Black Movement, racism, homophobia, profiling, rape, mafia, pedophiles, women that are serial killers, corrupt police, corporations paying policeman, church asking for police favors, pornography, conspiracy..
    It is as police officer and detective that you see the worst in society which this game shows.

    The game is set around the early 80's but has some modern issues that we face today, for an indie game it has a significant number of choices and approaches. The main objective is to earn half a million in 180 days, the time when you will be forced to retire from the police force, it's much easier to earn that money with illegal or less moral choices but it can be done avoiding the most serious stuff, the game will take you around ~30h to complete.

    For me the game is on the level of "this war of mine" it has an interesting art style that goes well with the game but focus much more on story with a dialogue like a noir detective film with some dark humor but it's always believable and realistic.

    It has really good voice again especially the character you play with, I think he is voice by the Duke Nuken guy but his voice here is a perfect fit.

    Cons & Wishes

    The only misses I can point out are small like when you choose a snitch he gets kill randomly and his skill and rank seems not matter, some decisions seem to have no consequence in the game for example I order one of my policemen to be ambush by the mafia I then took down the mafia and it's boss, I'm pretty sure in the real world he would have release evidence that showed that I payed to kill my own officer as well reselling narcotics or guns taken by the police from committed crimes.

    I also wish you had more information about your police officers something you unlock or earn by events or by having them work with you for more time and some of the events associate with them were less random.

    In some cases the game has very few feedback on what particular perks do or their effects.

    Also sometimes the art style is so simplistic that you it's difficult to understand what the frames mean which make find a sequence to solve the crime can be frustrating.

    I would also point out that if all crimes that are reported had a 911 audio clip associated with them from the witnesses would make it so much engaging and add much to the immersion of the player.

    Conclusion

    But these are minor issues on a indie game, that went to kickstarter raise what It need to complete the game around 30k and launch DRM-Free at an affordable price and it's more polish compared to Darkest Dungeon at release, it deserve a full 9 for all of this.    … Expand
  6. headsean
    Aug 9, 2016
    10
    Great game. Juggling the options presented and having them come back to haunt you through the rest of the story is fantastic. Appreciated the non politically correct narratives as well.
  7. Greenvortex2017
    Jul 12, 2018
    10
    Great User Interface and Progression. Since the sequel is a different story and setting, I can appreciate this game a lot more now for a gritty TiTP1 and a Rural setting and more open world vibe to TiTP2.
    Cant wait to play that game! Anyway This is an original game with lots of things to do and keep my attention. Im not bored when I play this game.
  8. Thilus
    Aug 16, 2016
    9
    This game is exactly why I stopped reading on-line reviews a while back. The only reason why I looked at Kotaku's review of this game is the fact that people here slammed them for being PC police. I read the review and it gave me instant cancer. The level of moronism in mainstream media is overwhelming. How people fail to understand that making a game that touches difficult subjects isThis game is exactly why I stopped reading on-line reviews a while back. The only reason why I looked at Kotaku's review of this game is the fact that people here slammed them for being PC police. I read the review and it gave me instant cancer. The level of moronism in mainstream media is overwhelming. How people fail to understand that making a game that touches difficult subjects is pro-PC, and not the other way round, is beyond me. Especially that this game clearly states that some of the choices you might make are morally and legally wrong. Like the LGBT/Black/Pro-life supporters protests that you might be forced to quench - just before you make the choice to disperse the protest by force your deputy often states that people have the right to protest, and that their protest is proceeding peacefully. Only then you get to choose if you want to use force, and what's important - YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE IT. The game gives you a choice. After you decline to beat up the protestros you will get a call from the bastard-mayor, saying that they will make your life miserable, but if you're doing a good job managing your police officers and detectives, solving cases and keeping the crime in check, you are fine. Just like in real life. When you're at the very top, it's impossible to stay true to yourself and not step on someone's toes. FYI all you PC policemen - hate is a part of human nature, not talking about it won't make it disappear. Only cowards fail to meet the problem head-on, trying to sweep it under the rug.

    Oh, by the way "This is the Police" is a really cool police-themed micro-manager with an excellent visual novel-style story, nice voice acting and some fabulous jazz music. Highly recommended.    … Expand
  9. Tatar
    Apr 2, 2017
    8
    Very nice game with a lot brand new mechanics and most important with very interesting plot and characters. I was absolutely delighted being by a main protagonist - Chef of Police. His story, problems, his metamorphosis and most of all his dilemma was a story I participate like a best old fashion police story movie.

    Strategy part of the game when we have our police station and must    Very nice game with a lot brand new mechanics and most important with very interesting plot and characters. I was absolutely delighted being by a main protagonist - Chef of Police. His story, problems, his metamorphosis and most of all his dilemma was a story I participate like a best old fashion police story movie.

    Strategy part of the game when we have our police station and must send our crew to cases and other things is also very interesting but sometimes is to many random deaths of our crew. Graphics is specific but I like it, music is fantastic and voice acting good :) So if You like films like "L.A. Confidential" or want participate in very interesting plot so its game for You.

    So have a nice day :)    … Expand
  10. HarveyDoran
    Sep 1, 2016
    9
    Sleek, smooth and stylish. This is the police is every bit a management simulator as it is a neo noir police drama. Striking and unique art style (all main characters have an universal lack of...eyes) smoothly slide in the cut scenes. These cut scenes scatter throughout the game and strings together a complex and intriguing storyline.
    You play the role of Jack Boyd, a police chief in his    Sleek, smooth and stylish. This is the police is every bit a management simulator as it is a neo noir police drama. Striking and unique art style (all main characters have an universal lack of...eyes) smoothly slide in the cut scenes. These cut scenes scatter throughout the game and strings together a complex and intriguing storyline.
    You play the role of Jack Boyd, a police chief in his 60's with 180 days left on the force, and you need to decide if and how you will obtain a sizable retirement fund through some less than honorable means.
    The game conveys the suspense subtly as the protagonist spirals out of control, and despite the choices players are given in attempts to change the inevitable path Boyd is going down, every decision will have consequences.
    Mechanically, the gameplay presents itself as a real time strategy and management game, which can prove to be repetitive at times and some random events which can be frustrating. Although the repetitiveness can be intepreted as the cynism in Boyd growing as he begins to find his job tiresome.
    The game features a stylish soundtrack of swing jazz and soul music, well known artists like John Sangster adds a layer atmosphere to the game that makes you want to light a cigarette and start speaking like a 1920's gangster.
    Voice acting is excellent throghout the game, capturing the essence of each characters through professional acting.    … Expand
  11. Panica3643D
    Jun 17, 2018
    8
    Неплохой проект, который цепляет и в который можно просидеть не один вечер.
  12. PimN
    Feb 28, 2018
    8
    A great indie title. Recommended at the current price on sale (and anything under 10 Euros).

    Pros: + Good story + Great artstyle + Clean and fluid UI + The choices you make impact the story and can cause you to fail or succeed the game + Diverse and original gameplay + Lots of content + The game mechanics expand over time + Great choice of music In the middle: +/- The    A great indie title. Recommended at the current price on sale (and anything under 10 Euros).

    Pros:

    + Good story
    + Great artstyle
    + Clean and fluid UI
    + The choices you make impact the story and can cause you to fail or succeed the game
    + Diverse and original gameplay
    + Lots of content
    + The game mechanics expand over time
    + Great choice of music

    In the middle:

    +/- The voice acting is acceptable. It's not really convincing. However, this is a low budget title so I understand why this is the case.
    +/- The cutscenes aren't really cutscenes. It's a comic book format, where there's a few pictures on screen which simulate the sense of progression of time (i.e. a picture of a closed door, followed by a knocking sound, followed by a second picture appearing of the door opening). However, there's still sounds like doors opening, conversations and such, as if there should be a cutscene. This was confusing at first, but it's a design choice by the developers.

    Cons:

    - The detective investigations in this game are a con for me. First of all, it's very hard at times, and there doesn't seem to be a way to cancel an investigation, so if you don't get any more evidence, your detectives will work every shift on.... nothing.

    This is just nitpicking though.

    Overall it's a great experience, and the price I bought it at (7,49 Euros on the Summer Sale) is most definitely justified. I'm not sure about the full price though.    … Expand
  13. savvym
    Apr 8, 2021
    8
    Preview:
    This is the Police is a story driven management adventure where choices matter a great deal. The city is filled with crime and some cases will falsely be assumed criminal. We are organizing a police unit and investigators with two shifts, having an option to call someone to work the next day or take extra tasks. Some people will call in sick, or there will be a corruption    Preview:
    This is the Police is a story driven management adventure where choices matter a great deal. The city is filled with crime and some cases will falsely be assumed criminal. We are organizing a police unit and investigators with two shifts, having an option to call someone to work the next day or take extra tasks. Some people will call in sick, or there will be a corruption occurring. The worst part is, that sometimes we will decide badly and our team members will die which will trigger an investigation and the difficulty will only ramp up as our team tightens in numbers because make sure to be ready for a lot of unpredictable events and our finances and total amount of workers are limited so some games may spiral to defeat very easily. We sure can get a valuable experience out of each playthrough, however cases are repetitive and main events happen the same way, we can even know the exact proper action when deciding how to approach those same cases. Investigating the homicides are nice puzzles that bring up new photos of proof as a new victim or information is provided to police over time. I have replayed it a few times but always failed. It is an interesting game concept with good voice overs, visual and musical atmosphere. Story is a bit lackluster and gameplay frustrates me a great deal but still I reckon it is worth a try.    … Expand
  14. Tabby3456
    Oct 13, 2018
    8
    This is the Police was quite the good game, there were little things i wanted to add or i wish the devs worked on more such as
    - Police Officers being more distinct from one another rather than just RNG calling in a sick day with the exception on sandbox mode
    -Cop stats determined by rank and not by there actual skill -optional good cop bad cop play through -Encouraging the player to    This is the Police was quite the good game, there were little things i wanted to add or i wish the devs worked on more such as
    - Police Officers being more distinct from one another rather than just RNG calling in a sick day with the exception on sandbox mode
    -Cop stats determined by rank and not by there actual skill
    -optional good cop bad cop play through
    -Encouraging the player to do detective work (either than money and increase in rank)
    but everything went smooth, with the sequel following up its a game you can't miss    … Expand
  15. nintendo-sekta
    Dec 4, 2018
    10
    Игра хорошая. В ней есть интересный гемплей, есть хороший сюжет который является основой всей игры.
  16. defenz
    Sep 17, 2021
    8
    ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
  17. StarkAgentos
    Mar 8, 2022
    10
    Прошёл игру за 5 часов на концовку, где Джека арестовывают. Офигенная игра с интересным сюжетом, которая не забывает про геймплей.
  18. hydroquaqua
    Mar 19, 2022
    10
    _пластмассовый мир победил, макет оказался сильней часто приходиться играть за плохого парня? как часто приходиться ему сопереживать, разделять эмоции и деньги придётся со стариком Джеком Бойдом и его заработанную половину миллиона, честно

    _the plastic world won, the layout turned out to be stronger often have to play as a bad guy? how often you have to empathize with him, share    _пластмассовый мир победил, макет оказался сильней часто приходиться играть за плохого парня? как часто приходиться ему сопереживать, разделять эмоции и деньги придётся со стариком Джеком Бойдом и его заработанную половину миллиона, честно

    _the plastic world won, the layout turned out to be stronger often have to play as a bad guy? how often you have to empathize with him, share emotions and money with old Jack Boyd and his earned half a million, honestly    … Expand
  19. renyw
    Dec 19, 2022
    9
    great great great great great great great great great great great great great

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 35
  3. Negative: 4 out of 35
  1. Worth Playing
    Apr 6, 2017
    70
    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.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Oct 27, 2016
    50
    A clash of approaches that doesn't quite work. [Issue#179, p.84]
  3. Everyeye.it
    Oct 17, 2016
    78
    This is the police is a bold game, innovative and creative. It has an impressive style and a compelling narrative.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »