The Occupation

 Xbox One
The Occupation Image
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

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  • Summary: It's 1987 in North West England; A time of 80's British pop, grand architecture and political unrest. An explosion has triggered a controversial act which threatens to erode civil liberties of the population to be rushed into place. You are tasked with investigating and questioning people onIt's 1987 in North West England; A time of 80's British pop, grand architecture and political unrest. An explosion has triggered a controversial act which threatens to erode civil liberties of the population to be rushed into place. You are tasked with investigating and questioning people on their actions from a tumultuous night which resulted in the loss of many lives. Each person has a different account of the night's event and you must use the tools at your disposal to get the results you need for your investigation.

    Will you take the most direct route at the risk of getting caught, or plan your approach carefully whilst precious time ticks by? Events happen in real-time and you must make decisions based on the evidence. You are the reporter. You decide the narrative.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Xbox Tavern
    Mar 13, 2019
    84
    The Occupation’s compelling story sits rather well with its intelligent framework. This is, for the most part, an intriguing real-time detective game that sports some solid features and robust mechanics, collectively putting forward a tense and constantly exciting affair. Indeed, there’s a few persistent technical flaws present that tend to interfere with the game’s flow, but in the face of everything that The Occupation gets right, they’re easy to overlook.
  2. TrueAchievements
    Mar 12, 2019
    80
    The Occupation brilliantly blends elaborate levels, breadcrumb-chasing, gotcha journalism, and a politically-charged drama to become one of 2019's most interesting games. It deftly adapts to the many successes and failures you can have and always leaves the clues in the open for those with a keen eye, rarely holding your hand. It's ironic that a game that so smartly builds urgency through strict time limits would've done better with some extra time of its own in the studio, but the bugs I saw can't prevent The Occupation from being the game I won't stop talking about this year.
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Apr 9, 2019
    80
    An original and intriguing stealth puzzler that will test your investigative skills.
    All this publication's reviews
  4. SomosXbox
    Mar 10, 2019
    65
    As a journalistic exercise of a research work, The Occupation shows a faithful representation of the profession and presents interesting playable proposals. Pity that is lost in a myriad of questionable design decisions and errors that break the gameplay and narrative rhythm.
  5. Gameplanet
    May 23, 2019
    65
    When The Occupation works, it’s a thrilling investigative adventure that allows the player freedom to explore and chase leads in a way that feels incredibly exciting. Frustrating controls can be overlooked, but unfortunately, the bugs in the game are incredibly persistent and capable of completely turning a promising experience into one that’s too annoying to go on.
  6. XBLA Fans
    Apr 22, 2019
    60
    Over time, we have seen ideas become recycled and reskinned and we’ve become used to it. We’ve even labeled them into specific genres. The Occupation is a fresh idea that comes very close to becoming its own. It provides you with a lot of choices. I can see why it shot just at par level with its attempt to accomplish such a difficult combination of stealth and realism. There is a level of complexity that doesn’t match its easy going attitude. It’s labeled as immersive and if that was the main goal, then it has exceeded. While it’s an experience to be had, it struggles to push you into wanting more.
  7. IGN
    Mar 4, 2019
    59
    The Occupation is an investigation game that tries to make every second count but is ultimately a missed opportunity.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Mar 9, 2019
    8
    In The Occupation I really enjoyed the amount of freedom while investigating because not only did it keep things immersive but it also madeIn The Occupation I really enjoyed the amount of freedom while investigating because not only did it keep things immersive but it also made the game more exciting and satisfying as well. There’s been a few games that have required you to do investigating to come to the end conclusion, and some of them have been good but they lacked in terms of realism. The Occupation though is unique, because it features a real-life clock that you have to follow closely and even though finding all of the clues in a specific time can be a little frustrating it definitely made finding the truth that little bit more important (Zelda Majora's mask strike a bell?). Finding the truth is also rewarding as well because getting there is very exciting indeed and that’s mainly because the game gives you a great sense of freedom when interacting. You will find a few technical issues along the way when interacting though and fortunately none of these are major issues. I was able to look past these small issues and that was mainly down to the game’s story which is interesting and immersive as well. This immersive environment combined with the overall presentation impressed me. The Occupation has a few imperfections present it still offers you an exciting adventure that’s worth experiencing and as far as other games in the genre go The Occupation offers you a unique flavor which makes recommending this game to you a very easy affair. The occupations is with the price of admission and get a thumbs up from me.… Expand