Beat Cop | Review | Donuts, Bribery, And Racism: All In A Day's Work
22The 80’s cop drama—I’m sort of amazed that we don’t see more nods to the style, in games in particular. The loose cannon cop who wants justice, no matter what it takes. The furious commissioner with steam coming out of his ears. The girls and glory and occasional car chase: my guess is that the 80’s cop flick led to more than one kid joining the police force only to get a sudden rude awakening about the banal ins and outs of being your average everyday guardian of the peace.
And it’s that hum drum, tickets and paperwork reality that brings us to Beat Cop. The first thing that developer Pixel Crow tells you during Beat Cop is that police simulator is most definitely not meant to actually represent Brooklyn in the 80’s. Instead, it’s meant to be a tribute to those 80’s cop shows that we all love so much. And while I’m not completely sold on that theme, I will say that Beat Cop is a genuinely engaging experience.
If you’ve ever seen an old cop drama, you know the story: you play Jack Kelly, a former detective who’s been framed by the powers that be for a crime he didn’t commit. You’re demoted to a run of the mill beat cop, and have 21 days to clear your name, all while handing out parking tickets, getting to the know your block, and taking the occasional bribe.
Interestingly enough, if Beat Cop reminded me of any game, it was Papers, Please. Not necessarily in the attitude and overall theme: Beat Cop is filled with crude humor that doesn’t exactly make you think about throwing off the shackles of a totalitarian government. But when it comes to the tedium of your daily existence, there’s certainly a comparison to make. Like Papers, Please, you’re given a list of tasks to complete by the end of your shift: usually this centers around how many tickets you’ll be required to write. But throughout the day you’ll still be faced with a lot of decisions: do you get cozy with either of the gangs that live and work on your beat. Do you take bribes from citizens in exchange for not towing their cars? Are you morally obligated to help a former male porn star make back on top after a decade in the shadows living on an all-donut diet?
These decisions rarely have easy answers, and I found out pretty early on that it’s nearly impossible to play through the game without occasionally taking a bribe or doing a favor for the mob. It doesn’t exactly paint a bright and rosy picture of the police force, but it’s not like you get paid a ton of cash for what you’re doing. And those weekly alimony payments you’re saddled with stack up fast. Like Papers, Please, the tediousness of your every day life isn’t exactly what I’d call balls to the wall fun, but it’s engaging as hell, and the different plot points that interrupt your day are usually just bonkers enough to keep you playing.
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