This Is the Police
A police chief's final 180 days in a corrupt city.
This Is the Police is an adventure strategy game from Belarusian developer Weappy Studio, published by Nordic Games and EuroVideo Medien. It launched on August 2, 2016 for Windows, OS X, and Linux, then arrived on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 22, 2017, and Nintendo Switch on October 24, 2017. Players control protagonist Jack Boyd, a police chief in the fictional city of Freeburg, who is being pushed into early retirement by a corrupt mayor. The game covers his final 180 days on the force. Critical reception was mixed.
A sequel, This Is the Police 2, followed in 2018 on the same platforms. HandyGames released mobile versions in 2019, with the sequel arriving in March 2020. A spin-off, Rebel Cops, came out on mobile and PC in August 2020.
The gameplay is a real-time management experience shown through an isometric map of Freeburg. As Jack Boyd, the player must raise $500,000 in six months, using methods that may include cooperating with the local mafia. The mafia may ask the player to ignore certain crimes in exchange for money or survival. The player receives calls about incidents, prioritizes them, and assigns officers. More serious calls require more personnel, and later in the game, SWAT teams and reinforcements become available. If no officers are free, crimes go unstopped, reducing the player’s squad and pay. As time passes, officers begin to take sides between Mayor Rogers and a figure named Robespierre. Their political leanings are hidden unless the player makes one a rat, which risks mistrust and the officer’s death while costing money for information. Sending officers with conflicting views hurts unit cohesion, leading to more failures. The game also includes crime investigation segments where the player reconstructs events to catch criminals. The endgame involves an assault on a political rival’s stronghold, requiring strategic unit placement.
The story follows Jack Boyd, a 60-year-old police commissioner in Freeburg, forced into retirement by corrupt Mayor Stewart Rogers after his deputy, Francis Kendrick, faced corruption charges that were dropped but damaged their reputation. Jack sets a goal of $500,000 in 180 days, suspecting he cannot earn it honestly. Kendrick then asks him to become an inside man for mafia boss Christopher Sand. Depending on Jack’s choice, Kendrick either escapes or is murdered with his family.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Weappy Studio
- Publisher
- Nordic Games · EuroVideo Medien
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · OS X · Linux · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch
- Released
- Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux · August 2, 2016 · PlayStation 4, Xbox One · March 22, 2017 · Nintendo Switch · October 24, 2017 · Android, iOS · December 12, 2018
- Genre
- Adventure, strategy
- Modes
- Single-player
- Title
- This Is The Police
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
This Is the Police is a real-time management game presented via imagery and text on an isometric map of Freeburg. The player controls Jack Boyd, a police chief set to retire in 180 days, and is tasked with making $500,000 through various means, including cooperating with the local mafia. The player receives calls about crimes and must prioritize them while managing staffing; sending too few officers can lead to failures that reduce the player's squad and pay. As the game progresses, officers take sides between the two main political figures, Mayor Rogers and Robespierre, and sending squads with differing political opinions degrades unit cohesion. The game also features crime investigation gameplay and an endgame assault on a political rival.
Reader's Guide
The game's significance lies in its narrative-driven management gameplay, which received mixed reviews. Critics praised the plot and design, with Alex Gilyadov of GameSpot calling the plot gripping, and Juan Garcia of IGN praising Jon St. John's voice acting and the visual styles. Caitlin Cooke commended the gameplay mechanics and design, while Kate Gray of PC Gamer said the game looks and sounds 'gorgeous'. However, reviewers disliked the repetition and narrative focus; Jeff Cork of Game Informer found himself bored halfway through, and Caitlin Cooke felt dragged along with little direction after the first 20 in-game days. Brent Ables of Kill Screen mentioned losing sight of the game's goal by day 100. Edward Smith of the International Business Times noted that the game is simultaneously a rich video game and a poor depiction of its subject matter, particularly in light of then-prominent controversies surrounding American law enforcement. The game was followed by a sequel, This Is the Police 2, in 2018, and a spin-off, Rebel Cops, in 2020.
Did You Know?
- The game was funded via Kickstarter in January 2015, raising $35,508 against a $25,000 goal.
- Jon St. John, the voice actor for Duke Nukem, portrays protagonist Jack Boyd.
- The Nintendo Switch version was released digitally on October 24, 2017, and physically on December 5, 2017.
- A mobile version of the series was released by HandyGames in 2019.
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