Overview This is the Police 2

Simulator of the Chief of Police This is the Police 2 overgrown with a fat mechanic and went to permafrost. We are sorting out what the second part of the non-trivial game has turned into from the CIS developers.

The first part of This is the Police was in many ways unique and fresh game. A dozen developers from the WeAppy studio in Belarus did not need the publisher's support or a huge budget - it turned out that there was enough diligence and original concept to create a good product. The second part was developed already with the support of THQ Nordic. The project grew mechanics, became much deeper and more complex, but at the same time it retained the two most important drawbacks of the original: it still exhales to the middle-end and is still weak in everything related to the plot.

After the events of the first part of the former sheriff of Friborg, Jack Boyd went on a run. He follows the mafia, the FBI digs into it, his former friends are blackmailing him - in general, the plan to cut down the money before retirement did not justify itself. From the consequences of his reckless decisions yesterday's cop is hiding in Sharpwood, a snowy outback somewhere in the north of America. A long time to sit around without having to do not have to. Already in the introduction Jack will be arrested and brought to the local police department, where he will become an unofficial assistant to the sheriff.

The plot outline is simple, but WeAppy managed to roll it out in a thin layer for an hour - that's how long the introduction lasts. Be sure that every joke, which you will understand from the third line of the dialogue, is stretched for at least twenty more lines.

This is generally true of the entire plot content. Very few interesting events and a lot of empty chatter - in general, nothing new about the first part. But in everything else This is the Police 2 as the game has become much deeper and more complex.

Previously, the success of the mission was influenced only by the conditional indicators of the 'professionality' of the cop, and the result was calculated automatically. In rare cases, it was necessary to undergo an additional mini-game, giving orders to employees on the situation. Now, in addition to the 'professionality' indicator, every policeman has a set of characteristics - strength, speed, intelligence, secrecy, shooting and negotiation. Their success depends on them.

Each call received will throw you a context menu where you have to choose the action - for example, zalomat criminal force, ordered to surrender, or to shoot to kill. A good negotiator always convince criminals to surrender, cagey cop can sneak up on violators, and so forth. Accordingly, the detachment should be completed so that the police mutually complement each other in the main stats. If the stats are not enough, the used items - batons, shockers and pepper spray can come to the aid.

Especially complex tasks that appear every two to three days, the player needs to be controlled manually. This turn-based tactic is very similar to the extremely simplified variation of XCOM. So simplistic that the enemies do not see beyond their nose, and when raising the alarm, they will not think of anything better than running into the police crowd one at a time and finishing this move.

In tactical mode, all mechanics will turn around the other side. For example, the characteristics of policemen turn into perks, which must be selected before the beginning of the task. The cop, savvy in stealth and shooting, will receive a silencer, the clever man will be able to show where the enemies are hiding, and the runner to go on.

Used items that police dismantle before the beginning of each day of work, will be useful here as never before: shockers, tasers and truncheons deafen criminals and greatly simplify the procedure of arrest.

By the way, the goal is better to arrest, rather than kill on the spot - the reward will be much more solid.

Awards have become very conditional. The budget of the department and relations with the mayor's office are a thing of the past: now at the end of each day you just pour coins for successful actions and deduct them for failure. On this currency you can buy new batons or expand the staff with a new employee.

And these employees are very self-willed. Sharpwood cops can easily go into drinking-bout or not at all to go to work for no reason, and they will not be punished for this - Jack Boyd is not a full-fledged sheriff, but an unofficial assistant. Moreover, the patrol became very capricious: some will require another partner, because the current stinks or it looks bad. Or they just will not go to the call, because they cut themselves into cards.

The indicator determining the degree of caprice of an employee is loyalty. It rises if the player positively answers their personal requests and decreases, if he answers negatively. If the cop loses its loyalty, you'll have to suffer with it. In tactical mode, he does not obey commands at all - they say, he knows best what to do.

As a rule, if there is a disloyal cop in the assault team, then all tactics end on the first move, when he rushes forward without thinking and shoots for defeat at the first counter.

In general, all these changes really went to the game for good. This is the Police 2 is played much more original than the original, and tactical operations bring a pleasant twist to the gameplay. In fact, all this fuss with the police department does not bother until the very end. Blows the game completely for another reason.

It's all about one small, but very important nuance. In the first part, the player himself decided what operatives to use him on the call. The game showed the recommended number of cops, but if she advised to send four, it was always possible to do two experienced patrols. This is the Police 2 does not advise - she gives orders.

To accept a challenge, you must assemble the group so that the overall 'professionalism' of the squad corresponds to a given value. And at first it does not cause any special problems. To separate the two fighting homeless people, you have to send a couple of medium cops. To prevent armed robbery - send half of the department. Everything is orderly and logical.

Toward the end, the game loses all shame. Forget about the logic: now, to separate the homeless, you also have to send half of the department. In addition, homeless people begin to settle in homelessness: queries on characteristics sharply increase, and now the cop needs a maximum score instead of one skill unit. Otherwise, the bum will send him to the hospital.

Here This is the Police 2 ceases to bring pleasure and begins to irritate. The whole game we pumped operatives, but with this crutch the developers devalued all the progress.

The situation in the city does not become tense. It does not start with terrorists or organized crime. The city has all the same problems - crazy grandmothers trying to castrate their grandchildren, and crazy security guards who are laying bombs in kindergartens. But rr-times - and your strongest employees at one point become weaker than themselves at the beginning of the game. Simply because the game in the end should be more difficult, and a more worthy way to increase the complexity of WeAppy could not come up with. Or did not.

Despite this, This is the Police 2 can be safely recommended to all lovers of management. Let it and risk boring, but just give you a couple of merry evenings.

to be continued...