The Precinct Review

Anybody who's played GTA probably carries a mountain of fond memories from the games. Being the bad guy, stealing cars, and doing whatever you want, including running from or fighting against the law. 

However, we have never really seen what it's like to be on the other end of the chaos until now. Fallen Tree Games has been around since 2011, and this English studio might have started small with simple mobile releases, but they eventually went up in life with the release of American Fugitive in 2019.

Though that's not why we're here, Fallen Tree Games answered the call and set out to give us the opportunity to experience life on the side of the law with their latest release, The Precinct, which released on 13 May. It's not quite what you'd expect, but you're in for a hell of a ride and some mood whiplash because being the law comes with a fair bit of action and a slight mundane side, too.

The Precinct takes place in the 1980s in Averno City. Lawlessness is running rampant, justice is nearly non-existent, and the police force is losing the fight. The city doesn't need a hero or a vigilante; it needs someone to restore and clean up the streets. 

You'll be taking on the role of Nick Cordell Jr., fresh out of the academy and ready to make a change after one of the more infamous gangs killed your father in a shootout. Here's the kicker, Nick's father was a legend among Averno City's finest, but his death crippled the police force and left them too scared to do anything.

Your role in The Precinct isn't one of revenge, though. You'll have to work your way up in the ranks of this noir-inspired game and clean up the streets of Averno City... one criminal at a time. It won't be easy, and there's a relatively steep learning curve, but it'll be worth it in the end. So, buckle up and get ready to dive into the streets of Averno City; order needs to be restored.

Life in The Precinct starts somewhat more on the normal side of things as you're introduced to the rest of the police force. You'll be partnered with Sergeant Kelly, a soon-to-be-retired beat cop who prefers spending more time avoiding work than actually doing what he's supposed to. 

Right from the start, it becomes abundantly clear that the entire ACPD leans more towards the dysfunctional side. However, this does keep the atmosphere light and contrasts brilliantly with the overall noir vibe. Starting slightly more mundane, your role as a beat cop isn't necessarily what you'd expect; it's not a constant chase scene or action around every corner. 

Instead, one of your duties will be patrolling the streets of Averno City, checking parking meters, searching suspects, and writing fines. Yes, it's that mundane, but a necessary part. However, there is always the chance that your supposed suspect will put up a fight or try to run, keeping things at least somewhat interesting.

Now, while The Precinct will have you going after suspects, you'll have to keep one very important thing in mind. Not all crimes warrant the use of lethal force, so depending on the crime, you'll have to respond with either no force, restraining force, non-lethal force, or lethal force. 

Accidentally injuring or killing your suspect is one of several things you'll want to avoid, mostly because it can affect your rank, but we'll touch more on this soon. Things take a slightly more interesting turn when you get to chase after suspects in the squad car or with the chopper; it's still not much in terms of action, but this also highlights some of the strengths and flaws of this top-down release. 

Everything seems mostly smooth when it comes to gameplay while using a vehicle, but steering also seems extremely slippery, almost as if things move a little too smoothly. This would normally be easy to overlook if the same applied to the rest of Averno City but you'll notice very quickly that while your steering is painfully loose and slippery, your chase suspect has damn near perfect steering somehow. 

Maybe this was intentional to add some extra challenge, but it seems very unnecessary. The Precinct isn't just about giving out fines and dealing with paperwork; as mentioned earlier, there's also some (mostly) great action. Remember the gangs? Well, it'll be your job to gather evidence and work on taking them down, and it'll almost always result in a shootout. 

Unfortunately, lethal force is really fun, trying to aim will definitely kill that same fun. The lack of a reticle when you're moving or sitting behind cover makes survival a lot trickier because you'll need to somehow turn your character in the right direction, then aim, which enables the reticle. 

This seems fine at first, but you'll likely change your mind very quickly when 10 other people are shooting at you while you're trying to line up your aim. Cover in a shootout will almost always be your best friend; it keeps you alive and gives you time to reload, but your ammo is not infinite. 

It's a nice touch and brings The Precinct a bit closer to reality, but it will bite you where the sun doesn't shine when you need to go to an ammo box to restock in the middle of a fight. If you're fast, you can refill your ammo and get back to cover before taking too many shots… You can probably see where this is going.

On the other hand, you'll likely unlock some better firepower down the line. A pistol is nice, but a shotgun will add some much-needed stopping power to your growing arsenal. There is something satisfying about getting to mow down several perpetrators with a bullet hell that makes the extra effort so much more worthwhile, bonus points if you don't even have to aim. 

Granted, you'll still have to remember to check what kind of force you're allowed to use. To save one of the biggest aspects of The Precinct for last, there is something about how the city expands as you progress through the story and how the story ties in to everything that just really makes the game shine. 

It might not look like it at first, but the story does have some decent depth that will eventually suck you in. That has to do with how it blends the noir aesthetic with more modern problems. On the visual side of things, The Precinct might actually be one of the better-optimized games to be released lately. 

While it does use the noir aesthetic for atmosphere, it doesn't quite use it for the world and the colours used. There is one other small issue: the walking animation for your character doesn't quite look right. It's almost as if your character slightly bounces forward with a step, which does the same thing for the camera.

Visuals aside, it seems that The Precinct still needs a bit more polish on the voice acting and music. Granted, it's not for the quality or content—it's mostly for the volume. A little audio volume balancing goes a very long way because the background music is barely audible, but turning up the volume will more than likely give you a heart attack the second anybody speaks. 

Overall, The Precinct has its fair share of ups and downs. It has a decent-sized world (Or city) to explore, and some interesting gameplay that will definitely keep you hooked. However, while it is a relatively solid game with a good story and great atmosphere, a bit more polish and balancing are needed to really help it shine.