Beat Cop review for PC

Platform: PC
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Developer: Pixel Crow
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
ESRB: RP

Beat Cop is a new game brought to you by newcomer game studio Pixel Crow which was founded in 2014 by two developers – Maciej Miasikthey and Adam Kozlowski. Pixel Crow are releasing their first game on March 30th, 2017, which is Beat Cop. Beat Cop is a game that drops you in the role of a former detective framed for a murder and robbery. Having been denounced publicly and fired from your job, you get put into the role of being a regular street patrol officer. As you enter your first day on the job, you are instructed to follow the current officer on the road you will be patrolling from today on.

As you take your tour of your road, the officer you are replacing introduces you to some of the shop owners and functions of the game you will be using for the rest of the game. The way most days in Beat Cop work has remained mostly the same for me with minor differences in what is required of you each day (I got to day 14). You will be walking up and down your street, watching for people parked illegally, or who have busted lights or worn out tires and writing them a ticket to meet your quota for each day (a lot less boring than it sounds, I promise). Within each day, you will have random events happen that are supposedly non-linear, so our stories would probably differ.

In the days I played through, I was called to catch people who try to rob stores, bust drug dealers in allies, and had to buy a dozen donuts for a poor old lady. One of these things is not like the other. Where this game really shines through is in its sense of humor. While there are many situations that feel like they have a serious undertone, the loudest aspect is the way your character acts as your favorite, cheesiest ’80s action cop. He’ll push people around if you want him to, or be the nice guy, but who would want to do that?

In Beat Cop you can create alliances or create enemies among the three factions that exist within the game along with maintaining your balance between the local gang, Mafia, and your reputation among your fellow police officers. All the while fighting to get yourself absolved of the crime you’ve been accused of and become the most renowned police officer in Brooklyn. Beat Cop will be available Thursday, March 30th for $14.99 on Linux, Mac, and Windows on Steam, and will also be available on the Humble Store DRM-free. Pre-orders get 10% off on all platforms.

Grade: A-