Within your first week as a beat cop in The Precinct, you’ll encounter parking violations, gang violence, and a sanitized version of the 1980s. There’s almost always action around the corner as you speed through neon-lit streets in intense car chases. Or on-foot pursuits sprinting through alleyways after criminals. Developer Fallen Tree Games sets the perfect aesthetic for their neon-noir world.
The story follows a rookie cop whose police chief father was killed in the line of duty. Unsurprisingly, this plays a role in the plot despite rarely coming up. The story instead focuses on taking down two major gangs that you don’t know a whole lot about. You’d think collecting evidence would reveal new info, but you barely get anything. This is where bios for major characters in the theme of a background check would go a long way.
That lack of development leads to a lackluster main story that fails to build momentum for the big finale. For a while, I thought the main story followed a serial killer but that was completely separate. That homicide case had an intriguing pattern where victims were displayed creatively to represent a larger story. I almost wish this were the main narrative since it was my highlight. I even got a kick out of an early victim’s name being Bernard Belfort, a reference to Bernie Madoff and Jordan Belfort.
An easy-to-miss Ghostbusters reference that says, “Injured at work? Who ya gonna call?” While naming two Ghostbusters, Spengler and Stantz.
References like these are common as the developers chase 80s movies and culture. In an attempt to accurately represent that period, Fallen Tree Games worked with an NYPD officer. Which is interesting because Averno City’s atmosphere is a great backdrop for the crime littering it. However, the setting ironically comes across as a cleaner version of that time.
It ends up doing a disservice to that era especially when the protagonist is a black cop. I’d love to imagine this is because it’s a fictional world where racism and prostitution don’t exist. Which then calls into question what inspirations are they taking from 80s cop movies and the NYPD officer they consulted? New York City’s Times Square was notorious for being the “sleaziest block in America” during the 80s.
I wonder if the developers were scared to tackle sensitive topics and if that limited their story. I read about a black female cop in the 80s who dealt with racism and sexism among her fellow officers. In the end, her team supported her in confronting racism from another squad. That story shows how The Precinct could have put a positive spin on the terrible parts of that era while creating a conflict to overcome.
I would have taken any conflict even if it wasn’t a racially fueled one. My character barely exists aside from having a renowned father. Which would have been a great mystery to play more into. It could have been a revenge story trope where my character overcomes that vengeance. The lack of character development is an unfortunate pairing with a heavily voiced cast of characters.
Regardless, the majority of the gameplay revolves around solving crimes to get experience and level up. This is where the RPG side shows itself as you pick upgrades, unlock vehicles, and new weapons. I wish there were an upgrade to speed up the arrest process somehow. Every time you catch a criminal, you check their ID, search them, check their vehicle’s trunk, use a breathalyzer, assign offenses, and then handcuff them.
The developers should have made certain actions simultaneous to break the monotony. I eventually opted to lose experience by no longer following every procedure because they became repetitive. At first, it was neat learning how to get the most experience out of each encounter. Especially because every shift ends with a leaderboard ranking you based on how much experience you earned.
At least I could customize each shift to create a session I’d enjoy more. For example, if I wanted more gunfights, I could make my shift revolve around gang activity. Or if I wanted a more peaceful shift, I could write tickets for parking violations. But that’s not to say someone won’t run up and punch me for no reason.
Averno City is a lively one where all sorts of crimes are prevalent. It’s somewhat interesting that the setting is still rooted in reality due to a tiny mention of the broken windows theory. It’s another missed opportunity to explore a controversial topic.
The Precinct developers may not accurately represent the time, but they did create a great environment to support exciting car chases and cool helicopter shifts. It’s always a good time drifting into an alleyway and hitting a makeshift ramp that sends my car flying through the air. And when I inevitably smash right into a wall, there’s a neat mechanic to call for backup.
Performing well during a pursuit generates points that you can use to call for help, like cop cruisers or spike strips. I just wish the AI were occasionally dumb enough to drive through spike strips. Instead, most chases end in me repeatedly yelling to surrender or a riot van ramming them into a wall. These chases become an area where I can see The Precinct’s inspirations more clearly. Almost every chase ends with a colossal amount of damage to the city that I can see my captain yelling at me for being a loose cannon.
This unfortunately comes back to my character lacking depth for this to work. Am I a goody two-shoes? Am I a by-the-book cop? Almost every opportunity for character development is sidestepped, preventing our rookie cop from becoming a complex character. I had one moment I actually appreciated along the street racing storyline where my character made a moral decision.
Aside from the story, The Precinct runs into problems with its cover-based combat too. Almost every major event has you get into cover, take a couple of shots, wait to heal, and repeat. The environment may be different but the experience doesn’t change enough for it to stay engaging.
Cover-based systems are fine but they have to be more involved. Fortunately, it’s not the end of the world, but it does leave me wanting more. I would have appreciated a smarter AI or more features to interact with. By the end of the game, I no longer used that system and instead strafed back and forth from walls.
The Precinct | Closing Thoughts
The Precinct has a great aesthetic that makes for a good time chasing criminals even when you’re only writing tickets. The car chases are entertaining, the helicopter gameplay is a nice change of pace, and the neon-noir vibe works well. While some characters are shallow and certain systems become repetitive, it’s still an overall good experience. I can see myself returning to Averno City if they decide to add more content later.
Review Score: 7 (Good)
The Precinct was provided by the publisher via a Steam code.
Jeff is a journalist with over 10 years of experience writing, streaming, and making content about video games. With an associate degree in journalism, he’s a sucker for RPGs, survival games, roguelikes, and more.