Reviewed on: PC
The 80s were one of those things the world will never forget. The political convolution of the time created such an absurdly magical effect that, as far as my eyes can see, we will never have anything like it again. Everything was very blatant, free ─ open and permissive, many times ─, an era that, if asked to define it in a single word, I would say “raw”. Or perhaps “visceral”.
I didn’t live it myself: I caught the tail end of it, up to the first half of the 90s. But I watched the great classics of actors like Charles Bronson and Steven Seagal, which is where Beat Cop draws its inspiration with the force of a thousand burning suns (no exaggeration).
You are put in the shoes of Jack Kelly, formerly a detective investigating a very special case, who falls into a trap and finds himself demoted to a patrol cop (beat cop). That is where things get interesting.
The narrative of Beat Cop is non-linear and can leave a certain confusion in the air, because at first it is really hard to follow the small nuances and patches stitched into the main story: your relationship with the Italian mafia and with the local gang are just one example. The “main” story of Beat Cop is brilliant, although its execution has some little problems, but it is in the small storylines that the game truly stands out, making you feel present and alive within the ecosystem of your beat. Will you help the mafia or the local gang? Will you take the bribe or ticket the guy with the broken headlight? And this is only heightened by the lines of dialogue, funny, colloquial, dirty and very good; and by the characters, each extremely stereotyped according to nationality, but playing fundamental roles for the macro and micro narrative of Beat Cop.
The visual and audio aspect of Beat Cop is a deliberate trip back in time. The minimalist pixelated graphics give an Atari on steroids, feel, because although they have a minimalist aesthetic, they are paradoxically well crafted and don’t get in the way of players recognizing anything. The soundtrack recalls 80s cop movies and, if you lived through that era, your nostalgia will scream loud in your ear.
As for the gameplay of Beat Cop, I can say with confidence that it is one of the coolest things I’ve played, with notes of a game like Papers, Please. Besides developing Jack Kelly’s story, you ARE a patrol cop and, as such, must do your job satisfactorily, obeying the daily missions given to you by your boss (usually a number x of tickets). Without that you don’t get your full salary and you compromise ALL of your life in the game.
We’re talking about a meticulous and intricate management game of several different aspects. As a patrol cop you must issue tickets, call tow trucks, stop crimes, eat, carry out missions and tasks, help passersby and also unravel the mysteries of the setup that was made for you… all of this from 8 in the morning until 5:30 pm! At certain moments you find yourself in a frenzy of doing five or six missions at once while worrying whether the money will be enough to pay your ex’s alimony. Unfortunately, at times the days go by and you find yourself really tired of the repetition and of slightly annoying problems, such as the fact that you can’t control the character with the keyboard (only the mouse) and that this control scheme is quite tedious; or the fact that we can’t skip dialogue other than by “clicking” the mouse ─ but overall, the experience is quite satisfying.
Whether or not you lived through the 80s, Beat Cop is an experience recommended for those who like little linearity and a dense, rich story, more hardcore management elements with tight deadlines, and a lot of inspiration from cop movies.
Narrative – 8.5
Mechanics – 9
Audiovisual – 8
TOTAL: 8.5
This review was done with the code kindly provided by Pixel Crow. Thank you!
PC version
Max Xavier
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