Police Simulator: Patrol Officers XSX Review 6.5 / 10 "Finally, a police simulator with promise!" 🚔🚨👮‍♀️ @PolSimulator @AesirInteractiv #IndieGames #GameDev

Those who have followed my reviews over the last few years may remember my odd fascination with Autobahn Police Simulator 2, a game that -  whilst not scoring highly due to the numerous technical issues - ignited my passion for a police simulation title that focused on the basics of the job.

There was clearly a lot of fuel in the tank in pottering around handing out tickets, catching crooks and generally doing pretty standard police work. I was genuinely disheartened when Autobahn Police Simulator 3 failed to capitalise on what could have been a wonderfully quirky game based on typical police work…

BUT... then along came Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, and whilst this admittedly isn’t a super-high-scoring-rootin’-tootin’-Frozen-In-Time-Games-Freezer-10/10-recommendation… there really is a lot to appreciate here, and again – patch up and build on, hopefully, end up with a pretty top-class game, although that does feel some ways down the line.

A new officer on the beat in Brighton (not that one, so don’t bother wandering around, hoping to bump into Nick Cave), you have some light customisation options open to you, and after selecting your cop, it’s time to hit the streets!

A relatively small, but enjoyable open-world game presented from a third-person perspective, in Police Simulator: Patrol Officers you begin by traipsing around on foot, checking parking meters, ensuring that no one’s car is mounting the kerb, or parked too far into the street, gaining experience with each successfully recorded violation – and also losing points for incorrect assessments – until you unlock new areas to patrol, and even vehicles to use in your quest to reduce the crimes taking place in Brighton (not that one) as well as tools such a radar gun - to catch speeders - and a taser.

I had a WHALE of a time for the first few hours of Police Simulator: Patrol officers, greeting the citizens of Brighton, constantly charging fines to anyone I saw dropping coffee cups (I genuinely hate littering), helping out at accidents, and ensuring that all damage and mayhem was captured on my trusty camera, before handing out accident receipts and taking statements – it really was a ball.

After a few hours, however, some gremlins began to creep in. Admittedly this isn’t the prettiest game out there, although the visuals are clean and the game runs at a pretty solid clip (with some indoor areas being especially troublesome).

The dialogue lines, sound effects and even routines began to get repetitive…but I wasn’t too bothered by this, as I still had such a good time with the core gameplay…until I noticed some irritating things happening, such as getting penalised for ticketing cars that were clearly parked at expired meters, arresting someone for clearly having a stolen ID and the game acting as if I’d made a mistake - though the game was clearly wrong – and that’s where my enjoyment faltered.

The main thrust of gameplay here is calming, cosy and oddly zen fun – but when that falters…it really knocks the game, as it just makes it feel a bit…incomplete. Honestly, this game really does have the ability to be an absolute keeper, as the infrastructure is there, it just needs a few more months in the oven at Aesir Interactive.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers is easily the best in the genre that I’ve played, and the core concept and design are sound, I predict that a few months down the line this will be an Ice Cool-rated game, it’s just not quite there yet.

Right, I’m off to catch some litterbugs, Officer Britt OUT