Developer: Aesir Interactive
Publisher: Astragon
Release Date: 10th November 2022
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox and Steam
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
▫️ Code provided by the publisher ▫️
At this point in 2022, it really does feel like we have a simulator game for everything. Multiple for a goat, one for a deer, one to mow the lawn, one to run an internet cafe and even one where you are a rock. Yeah, a rock… that you just stare at. So when Police Simulator: Patrol Officers was readying itself for release I thought to myself, you know what – that could actually be a laugh.
As the title suggests, you play as an officer patrolling the fictional American town of Brighton. Those hoping for our protagonist to rise through the ranks and end up leading the homicide unit or become chief of police may be left disappointed, but that’s not to say there isn’t progression in the game.
You’ll start as a beat cop, ticketing jaywalkers, people littering etc. But day by day you’ll progress onto bigger crimes, while also gaining access to a vehicle. There are two different types of points in the game; shift points and conduct points. Shift points are earned by doing a good job and correctly following procedure, while you start with 100 conduct points each shift and lose them by making errors. Shift points are then used to level up and access new equipment, areas and more. I enjoyed the game’s progression and it never felt too overwhelming.
Any NPC in the world can be spoken to, but you want to make sure you aren’t just swaggering around abusing your power. A keen eye will help you spot people up to no good. Some may have a concealed weapon, while others may stumble getting out of a car. But you can’t just run over shouting “HAW! You’re pished! Get on the ground!”. You need to process each crime correctly or risk losing valuable points.
Some of the more involved incidents you’ll come across will be road traffic accidents. While quite tame in terms of gore, I found this to be one of my favourite areas of the game. You have to take pictures of any damage, take statements from drivers, corroborate these accounts with witnesses and even check for signs of drivers being under the influence. It was during these accidents I felt most like the cop I was tasked with portraying and even sometimes had a little notepad beside me as I preferred keeping track of things that way.
It should be noted that keeping track of things yourself isn’t necessary. There are two modes in the game – causal (which the game defaults to) and simulation. In casual you get all kinds of assists like a progression bar when you are processing a crime or a handy pop-up to suggest when civilians may be up to no good. I just found I liked the added element of keeping notes throughout.
In a nice touch though, you don’t just have to pick between casual and simulation. If you would prefer a hybrid between the two you can enter the settings and choose which elements of the game you would like to make harder or easier. I really like when games offer this more granular approach to difficulty, allowing you to tailor the difficulty to your liking.
The game’s presentation is a mixed bag. You start your journey by choosing from one of the pre-made officers. While this is merely a cosmetic decision, it would have been nice to see even a basic character creator to shape your officer in your own image. There are different districts in Brighton that you can unlock and patrol, but in truth, they don’t do enough to differentiate themselves and so the main reason to choose one over the other is that certain areas have more of specific crimes.
My time was spent on PlayStation 5 and while the game wasn’t bug-free, I didn’t encounter too many issues. I have spoken to a few friends who have also played the game and experienced some crashes, but in my experience, some graphical pop-in was as far as it went. The performance felt solid, as you’d expect in a slower-paced game, but one thing that really impressed me was the menu implementation. With so many options it would have been easy for things to get overwhelming, but some smart design decisions meant everything felt close at hand and easy to navigate.
Those looking to earn the platinum or 1000G can expect to put a shift in. A lot of the awards will come via natural progression, but objectives like justifiably reporting 100 people for speeding and justifiably arresting 50 people will not come quickly. Although if you are specifically hunting for the trophies/achievements then a quick Google will help you find prime spots to catch certain infractions.
VALUE: If simulation games are your thing, then £34.99 is a decent entry price for a game that can offer a fair amount of longevity. It won’t be for everyone though.
In closing, as someone who is a casual simulator fan, I enjoyed my time with Police Simulator: Patrol Officer. The potential issue with the game is that it sounds more exciting than it is. People may jump into this game expecting to play GTA: V Cop Edition. This isn’t that. It is much more in line with other simulator games where the procedure is more important than the action. If you like the slow-paced, more methodical gameplay of other simulator titles, this is worth a look.
-Mark 🦉