It’s the 1980’s and aside from the innocent civilians who are just trying to make a living, the streets of New York are also riddled with crime, prostitute, gangs, and drugs. Your job? To uncover who framed you, patrol the streets, and satisfying your unrelenting hunger for justice or your unquenchable desire for revenge! Developed by Pixel Crow and published by 11 bit studios, Beat Cop is a retro-styled game that can be found in the play store for Android and iOS. With multiple endings and different outcomes for the scenarios you land yourself in, your fate is yours to shape.
The gameplay starts off on an unsavory disposition as your character, Jack Kelly, has been framed and cast down from his title of detective to beat cop. His daily task is to give out tickets to cars parked illegally, with broken lights, or if they have rundown tires. The occasional petty thief, rowdy graffiti taggers, or dead bodies, occupy the day’s duties. Not to mention the interesting characters on your beat, all with their own agendas and problems, your job is never quite done.
By becoming an officer, you’ve essentially taken an oath to follow the law and to enforce others to abide by it as well, but what happens if that’s just too vanilla for you? With the chief of police, your fellow police officers, and your ex-wife all constantly harping on you for one thing or another, it can be difficult to not give in to the dark side. Aside from your normal responsibilities, you can also accept bribes, take on jobs for either the mafia or the crew, spend money on the pleasures of the flesh or the high from the latest street drugs.
Although, this game is very interesting and it’s easy to play for hours, what makes it not as enjoyable is the constant reminder of how past eras were also a time where racist slurs were commonly used in speech. Before the game begins, there is a disclaimer of how the games usage of slurs and its opinions towards certain stereotypes does not reflect the developers’ own ideals. However, after playing for several hours, it’s definitely not an exciting experience to see a text bubble comes up with another slur.
This game is an acquired taste for those who enjoy this type of story, as Beat Cop does capture the rough and rugged life of how movies portrayed 1980’s men of the law. Accepting bribes and helping out nefarious characters is relatively easy. Becoming the righteous cop that civilians can depend on is a bit harder, but doable. However, trying to juggle a fine line of helping the community while also trying to not get on anyone’s bad side? Almost impossible! What story will you choose, and can you truly navigate through the streets of New York alive?
PROS: Everyday has its own unique challenges, fun style
CONS: Difficult to appease every character’s desire, you have to chose which side to take, the time-period racism and sexism can make playing the game uncomfortable.
Check Out the Beat Cop Trailer:
Beat Cop is available for iOS and Android devices. The game is also available for PC, Mac (via Steam), Xbox One, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch (March 5th).
Video games have always been a huge influence in my life and have definitely shaped me to who I am today . Some of my best memories growing up were the many adventures and stories I was able to experience and become immersed in. If my hands aren't either covered in clay, typing, editing, creating, or helping shoving food in my mouth, they would either be gripped to a controller, tapping away at the screen of my phone, or clicking away on my PC. I am always up for trying something new because why live just one life when you can live many.
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