The Precinct, The Good Cop Simulator
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by Charlene Sarmiento
The Precinct, The Good Cop Simulator
Welcome to the Rotten Apple, Averno
Fighting Crime, All In A Day’s Work
An Open World Police Simulator
In this neon-noir sandbox police simulation game, you will step into the shoes of Officer Nick Cordell Jr, Averno City Police Department’s newest rookie cop. Find yourself in a world where criminals and scoundrels freely roam the streets, committing crimes left and right. It’s up to you, the front line of defense for the innocent citizens of Averno, to protect those from the evil that lurks. Patrol the streets, apprehend troublemakers, do your lawful duty as a cop, and also solve the mystery of your father’s peculiar murder along the way.
The Precinct is a “love letter to classic cop movies,” flawlessly combining simulation and action all in one sandbox game. Safeguard the city by taking on several procedurally generated crimes, ranging from small time parking infractions to large-scale bank heists and drug dealings. None of the boring cop paperwork here—race through the city on foot, car, or even helicopter to pursue those no-good criminals, and bring them to justice. Choose your own tactics on these high-speed pursuits and shootouts, calling for backup at the ACPD whenever you need it.
Inspired By 1980’s Cop Shows
Fallen Tree Games is an indie game developer studio founded in 2011 and is based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. The Precinct is their second game, with the first being American Fugitive that came out in 2019.
American Fugitive, as suggested by its title, is a game where you play as an escaped felon evading the law. Fallen Tree Games then took that idea and thought “What would it be like to be on the other side?”
The developers take great inspiration from the “style, feel, and tone of 1980’s cop shows and movies” such as The French Connection, The Blues Brothers, Miami Vice, among others, and recreating the thrills of being a cop at that era in the game. They have even consulted with a veteran NYPD officer who served in the 1980s to oversee the creation of the game. However, they stress that “the game is not intended to be an exact depiction of police work,” but players will still find it enjoyable nonetheless.
The developers take great inspiration from the “style, feel, and tone of 1980’s cop shows and movies” such as The French Connection, The Blues Brothers, Miami Vice, among others, and recreating the thrills of being a cop at that era in the game. They have even consulted with a veteran NYPD officer who served in the 1980s to oversee the creation of the game. However, they stress that “the game is not intended to be an exact depiction of police work,” but players will still find it enjoyable nonetheless.
While the game does have the underlying story of learning about the truth of your father’s death, the developers shared in a quick interview with Power Up Pictures in EGX that “if you want to go through the story, then go through it [the story]. If you just want to play police simulator—yeah, you do that!” You’re free to roleplay and play the game as you like, at any pace you want.
GTA-like, Cop Edition
Eager players have compared the title to the Grand Theft Auto series, but in the perspective of a cop rather than the gangster. Others have also mentioned the Activision game from 2003, True Crime: Streets of LA. Comments on various social media platforms expressed their excitement for the game, noting that it showed very promising and exciting gameplay. After all, there seems to be a niche for cop-centered video games, and The Precinct might just be that game to inspire even more games in the future.
Buckle up in your police car, and get ready for an adventure through the city streets!
The Precinct will be released on August 16, 2024 on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
