Beat Cop

As another beat draws to a close, I take a break to wrap up this review. I’m hooked on this simple, but loveable title. While I’m still itching for a realistic police title, I’m pleased with how more games about law enforcement fiction are appearing in the last year or so, and Beat Cop sits at the top of the pile in terms of enjoyment.

Rather quietly, overshadowed by triple-A releases, comes a game worth noticing. Beat Cop is, in some respects, quite similar to Papers, Please, but in this case, we can choose between good and bad cop.

We tell you, it’s a good game! It’s not average! It might have some problems here and there, but you have to admit it is a “Good” game.

Beat Cop makes parking tickets fun, but flubs some story and puzzle designs.

The best thing about Papers, Please is the way in which its work-like gameplay combines with narrative elements to create a stressful, oppressive atmosphere. You're checking documents for discrepancies against the clock, while travellers plead and bargain with you to let them pass, putting your job on the line when your family is already sick and hungry. Beat Cop, from developer Pixel Crow, attempts a similar design, although it handles it far less elegantly.

Just like anything that you’re forced to do day after day, writing tickets won’t be enough to keep you interested in Beat Cop unless you can bear to stick it out for a few hours until the story picks up. The gameplay is easy to learn, but it doesn’t do much to keep gameplay new and exciting. Its unpalatable themes, even though clearly put there on purpose, could do with being toned down a few notches. Grab Beat Cop if you’re looking for something very easy to learn and don’t mind a bit of mind-numbing repetition. But if you’re looking for something with a rich story and replayability, you’d be...

I've played it for so damned long, and have just run out of patience with it, and absolutely do not care any more about the arc story. It's taken so long to go anywhere, crawling along every few days of play, and just isn't compelling at all. When the reality of playing is failing yet another challenge because the game's car searching mini-game is broken from start to finish, rather than getting involved in the intrigue of its police corruption tale, there's no motivation to stick around. I got shot at, entirely randomly, while looking at my screen-covering notepad, and honestly I'm happy that...

Beat Cop is meant to be a tribute to cop shows from the 1980s, complete with snarky dialogue and questionable characters. When it comes down to it, however, it’s a stressful sim that’s heavy on time management and largely unforgiving. There are multiple endings you could discover, but after several hours with the game it’s hard to muster the patience for even one.

With rampant corruption and tough choices to make, Beat Cop can be grim. At the same time, it’s often funny, if only because of the insane situations Kelly ends up involved in. Unexpected complications await you as you try to solve the mystery, and you never know just what the next day will bring.