Title: Police Simulator: Patrol Officers
Type of Game: Simulation, Open World, Strategy
Developer: Aesir Interactive
Publisher: Astragon Entertainment
Released: June 17, 2021
Platforms Available: PC, Xbox, PlayStation
Platform Reviewed: PC
Level of Maturity: Teen
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Being a Police Patrol Officer
Simulators are generally great because they allow us to try out jobs that we wanted to do when we were little but didn’t end up getting to do for some reason. Plus, in Germany, which is kind of the mecca of simulators, they still seem to be running out of ideas on what else to “simulate.” Unfortunately, these games quite often lack quality and are more like silly things for a while. This was also true of police simulators, which presented highway chases in a not-quite-hilarious guise. Catching thieves and giving fines doesn’t sound bad at all, does it? That’s why I was looking at the PC version on the internet, where Police Simulator: Patrol Officers came out less than two years ago, and judging by the reviews, it looked like a solid effort. The original version also came out on consoles two years ago. Still, I only got my hands on the game now via the PlayStation Plus Extra game catalog. So, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check it out. Let’s find out what all of the police work we get to try out, how it all works, and if it’s even fun to play.
Shift Work
We’ll be transported to the fictional city of Brighton, where we’ll encounter misdemeanors or crimes at every turn. Otherwise, we wouldn’t really have anything to do here. Before we head out into the dangerous streets, we choose what our officer or constable will look like from several pre-made looks. Honestly, there’s not much choice, and one is more unsympathetic than the other. It’s a shame the options aren’t a little more refined, but the look is ultimately just a cosmetic issue, so I picked someone. And finally, I could go on my first shift. These can be set between 10 and 90 minutes of real-time, so it just depends on how long we want to roam the streets and keep an eye on things. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it at first, as the job was to check parking and hand out tickets, which is not the most exciting police work I want to do. Anyway, I set about checking to see if everyone had paid at the machines or if anyone was standing where they shouldn’t be. The seemingly easy thing wasn’t so easy after all. Yes, it’s easy to check a parking meter, just like parking at a bus stop. But there are also places where you’re allowed to stand at certain times or days, which you need to watch for just as much as you need to check if someone happens to have an inconspicuous sign outside their window indicating a handicap or a special parking permit for employees.
Progression and Activities
The extra activities we can do are gradually increasing as our policing improves. As a result, we get something new with each level, either in equipment or available activities. The desire to progress further is preserved. Gradually, the territory we’ll be moving around increases, so it’s good that pretty soon, our policeman will get a car, which will expand the gameplay and significantly improve our action radius.
Dynamic Gameplay
What I admire about the town here is the fact that everything is pretty dynamic, and no shift, day or night, is the same. You’re kind of given what our job should be, but nobody says we have to do it that way. There are thieves on every corner, and someone parking stupidly. Handheld radar means we can measure speeds whenever we want or go out to document traffic accidents, muggings, or search for wanted persons. I was driving my car like this once and noticed someone drinking on the street, which, of course, is not allowed. So I turned on my beacons and got out of the car to go talk to him when another guy with a truck rear-ended me. So I started to solve the accident, took pictures of everything, and of course, there was a drug and alcohol check. In the end, it turned out that Mr. Driver was definitely not driving sober, so he went to the police cell. This incident caused a minor traffic jam, which I then solved by directing traffic. Please, this was all the content of one shift; it all happened by complete accident.
Challenges and Mistakes
Of course, even a police officer is not infallible, so every now and then, I’ve given a ticket to someone who didn’t quite deserve it or arrested someone who tested positive for drugs, but I chose alcohol. I’ve also had cars towed illegally or given tickets for bad parking that the game judged to be wrong, even though I still stand by them. And then there’s the pile of accidents caused by the occasional person in a hurry while zigzagging through the city. Anyway, just so the player doesn’t make a mess, in addition to positive points, he can also get negative points just for mistakes in his decisions. We are given a certain number of points for errors for each inning, and if we use them up, our inning ends prematurely. Moreover, whoever would find the game kind of easy can make it more challenging by switching from casual difficulty to simulation. The main thing I noticed is that the game doesn’t suggest at all in simulation mode, so you hatve to rely more on your instincts and skills. But honestly, what annoyed me a lot was that, as a result, I had to learn some things myself or look online. Although our police officer has a manual with all the procedures and what to do, but the developers somehow forgot that it would be good to also write there what button is used to perform this or that action. They forgot to do that for pretty basic things like stopping the car or asking the driver to get out. So they should have done a lot better in that respect.
Technical Issues
Now, to the technical side, because it doesn’t deserve that much praise, unlike the gameplay itself. It seems to me that cars do not appear at quite the same distance. This is annoying not only when measuring speed but also when hiding behind a car. We can miss a vehicle, or the registration plate may not be visible. Texture bouncing and other stuff is actually a daily occurrence here. What’s worse are the character movements. Walking is fine; they can get in/out of the car and somehow interact with us, but they like to get stuck somewhere or even bypass a given situation with too much of a detour. And then there’s driving, which is just a very big arcade. The cars don’t have any weight; they are basically just boxes on wheels that can corner very well and brake mediocrely. This also makes it very easy to cause an accident despite other drivers trying to swerve while driving with their beacons on. Anyway, the steering takes some getting used to because the first few kilometers are not too easy with the local driving model. Also great is the collision model, which, at higher speeds, behaves as if it was programmed by Semir from Cobra 11.
Conclusion Ticket
However, despite the shortcomings mentioned above of a rather technical nature, Police Simulator won me over. There are tons of things to do, control, or save in an ever-increasing territory. The game shows very well not only the complexity but also the care with which police officers have to approach their work. Moreover, we don’t have to fine everyone, which also brings a certain amount of humanity to the game. And these are things that I really wouldn’t expect here. It’s a shame that, technically, the game is not better handled and has its flaws, but I still recommend the game.
Where to Buy Police Simulator: Patrol Officers
Steam (PC): Available for $24.99. You can purchase it directly from Steam.
Xbox Store (Xbox): Available for $24.99. Check it out on the Xbox Store.
PlayStation Store (PlayStation): Available for $29.99 or included in Plus Extra . You can find it on the PlayStation Store.
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