The Precinct is an indie recreation with ambition. Its fictional Eighties setting of Averno Metropolis is an enjoyably complicated little sandbox, presenting gamers with an limitless provide of procedurally generated crimes that must be stopped from a top-down perspective, harking back to outdated Grand Theft Auto video games.
You play as rookie cop Nick Cordell, who’s surrounded by a forged of endearingly cliche characters, starting from hardboiled detectives to comically evil criminals. Nick’s on the path of his father’s killers, you see, however the one approach he is cracking that case is by hitting the streets.
To be clear, you are not taking part in The Precinct for its story. Plot factors are dished out by means of static, portrait-driven dialogue scenes, and though the writing’s fairly snappy and entertainingly schlocky at occasions, narrative stress is not actually what the sport’s going for.
The principle story performs out in chunks, with new missions unlocking everytime you rack up sufficient proof whereas out in your normal patrols. It is a first rate construction given how dynamic these patrols may be, however the grind for proof — which drops at random as you full goals — does begin to really feel a bit tedious in direction of the top of this 10-ish hour marketing campaign.
However as talked about, the title’s sandbox leanings are on the forefront of the expertise. Every in-game day begins with Nick and his beat associate Kelly selecting a patrol route and fixing crimes throughout the space. Once more, the crimes themselves are procedurally generated; one minute you are issuing a parking ticket, the subsequent you are chasing down armed financial institution robbers.
The entire system feels impressively alive and fluid. Whether or not you are driving down the freeway or hoofing it by means of alleyways, you will be alerted to close by disturbances — after which you have to attempt to do issues by the guide.
Image this: you hit your sirens on somebody suspected of rushing. They pull over, you organize them out of their automobile, and run by means of the standard procedures; a background verify on their ID, a breathalyser check. They’re clear and it is trying like an easy tremendous, however you then ask them to pop their trunk — and guess what? They dive again into their automobile and bomb off down the street.
A automobile chase ensues, and after requesting some assist — or possibly even a spike strip — the escapee’s able to name it quits. You slap the cuffs on them, discover some narcotics of their trunk, after which work your approach by means of the sport’s fees menu. You guide ’em for possession of unlawful items, rushing, and, after all, evading arrest.
All of this occurs within the house of about two minutes, and that is what makes The Precinct such a moreish recreation. Any of the elements we simply described can change on the fly — each crime’s completely dynamic, and by paying consideration and slapping suspects with the proper fees, you are awarded further expertise factors upon ending your patrol.
And naturally, callouts do not at all times go so easily. When firearms are concerned, you are given license to make use of deadly pressure, through the title’s twin-stick capturing mechanics. Though we want that the quilt system was a bit extra concerned — you’ll be able to solely get behind waist-high objects, for some purpose — the gunplay is surprisingly tense and lethal, even on the default problem setting.
On that word, we must always level out simply how technical The Precinct feels. Due to its branching crime mechanics, the controls do take a little bit getting used to. Between remembering completely different button prompts for sure actions and navigating the assorted charge-related choices through the aforementioned menus, there’s lots to maintain observe of.
However as soon as you’ve got received the dangle of issues, the sport’s well-balanced mixture of pretty normal policework and full-on cop film motion makes for a delightfully enjoyable sandbox. Everytime you go away the station to start out your shift, you simply by no means fairly know what you are going to encounter.
As with all sandbox title value its salt, there’s potential for hilarity on the streets of Averno Metropolis. Whilst you’re supposed to attempt to function like RoboCop and comply with the legislation to the letter, there’ll, inevitably, be occasions when the whole lot goes to sh*t and all you are able to do is chortle within the face of catastrophe.
Certainly, NPC AI may be brilliantly reactive, leading to a form of domino impact the place total neighbourhoods devolve into chaos. Firefights, for instance, can spill out onto highways, the place criminals may be mistakenly mowed down by oncoming site visitors.
Abruptly, each driver within the neighborhood begins to panic, pedestrians are operating for expensive life from rogue autos, and you have got no selection however to only watch in awe as automobiles pile up on the nearest intersection. Your goal’s a complete bust — you’ll be able to’t arrest a street stain — however you’ll be able to’t presumably be mad about it.
Conclusion
The Precinct is a powerful sandbox romp. Fueled by a dynamic crime system that provides up hours of enjoyable, bite-sized goals, it is a very tough recreation to place down. Each patrol is completely different, and though tedium does begin to set in because the marketing campaign approaches its conclusion, it is nonetheless simple to understand the intricate and tight design of this ode to outdated cop films.
