The Precinct

This has the most skippable mobile game ass dialogue out of any game I've ever played in my entire life. That said, the gameplay loop is genuinely fire. Recommend getting it on sale.

I really wanted to love this game because the concept is exactly what I've wanted for years: a police sandbox inspired by classic cop movies where you patrol, respond to crimes, pull over suspicious drivers, chase suspects, write tickets, make arrests, and slowly clean up the city. The frustrating part is... I actually do love playing it. The shift system is fantastic. Starting your day, getting assigned a patrol, responding to random calls, checking IDs, searching suspects, writing citations, deciding which charges apply, calling for backup, and slowly unlocking new districts is incredibly satisfying. This is exactly the kind of gameplay I've been waiting for. Unfortunately, after spending many shifts in Averno City, the honeymoon phase started to wear off, and the cracks became impossible to ignore. The AI is probably the biggest offender. Your partner and backup officers are often more of a liability than an asset. They block your path, ram your vehicle, fail to help during pursuits, and generally behave in ways that make no sense. Criminal AI is equally inconsistent. Suspects randomly surrender or suddenly become suicidal, traffic behaves strangely, vehicles get stuck during chases, civilians barely react to crimes happening around them, and the city rarely feels like a living place. The police work itself also lacks depth. At first it's exciting to search suspects, verify IDs, check permits, issue citations, and make proper arrests. But after several hours, you realize you've already seen most of what the game has to offer. There are only a handful of ID photos constantly being recycled, making it painfully obvious you're interacting with the same templates over and over again. That kind of shortcut completely breaks immersion. The same crimes repeat constantly, the same scenarios play out, and patrols begin feeling almost identical. Instead of feeling like an unpredictable day on duty, it becomes: Patrol. Traffic stop. Search suspect. Check ID. Issue tickets. Make arrest. Repeat. Repetition itself isn't the problem. Police work is repetitive by nature. The problem is the lack of variety within that repetition. There aren't enough unique incidents, enough suspect behaviors, enough identities, enough random events, enough investigation mechanics, or enough meaningful surprises to keep every shift feeling fresh. The game advertises itself as a sandbox, but it rarely feels like one. You're far more restricted than expected. Most situations have only one correct solution, your actions have very little long-term impact, gangs don't evolve, crime doesn't noticeably react to your successes, and once areas are cleaned up, the world doesn't really change. It feels static instead of dynamic. The investigation mechanics are probably the biggest missed opportunity. I expected actual detective work: collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, following leads, solving cases, connecting crimes together, maybe even revisiting cold cases. Instead, investigations are extremely basic and mostly exist as simple objectives before returning to routine patrol. Combat is another weak point. Gunplay lacks impact, aiming never feels particularly satisfying, suspects can instantly escalate from cooperating to opening fire, and some animations and ragdoll physics completely break immersion. Serious encounters often become unintentionally funny. Progression also feels shallow. Unlocks rarely change how you approach the game, upgrades don't significantly affect gameplay, and there isn't much incentive to continue besides unlocking the next district. I'm also not judging the story because I haven't finished it yet. My criticism is almost entirely about the sandbox systems that make up most of the experience. Then there are the technical issues. NPCs get stuck, pathfinding breaks, physics behave strangely, suspects clip into objects, AI occasionally stops functioning properly, and there are enough bugs to constantly remind you that the game needed more polish. The game also doesn't explain some mechanics very well. Sometimes it's unclear why a charge succeeds or fails, why an arrest is considered incorrect, or why you're penalized for certain decisions. Instead of teaching proper police procedure, the game occasionally leaves you guessing. What disappoints me most is how much potential is left untapped. Every mechanic sounds fantastic on paper, but almost every one stops at the surface level. The city isn't reactive enough. The AI isn't smart enough. The investigations aren't deep enough. The progression isn't rewarding enough. The sandbox simply isn't dynamic enough. One feature I kept wishing for the entire time was a dedicated replay mode. Imagine a roguelike-style career similar to Hitman: Freelancer or The Last of Us Part II: No Return. You create a rookie officer and every shift matters. On higher difficulties, repeated misconduct, excessive complaints, failed arrests, unnecessary use of force, civilian deaths, or dying in the line of duty could permanently end your career. Lose your badge, start over as a new recruit, and build your reputation again. That alone would massively increase replayability and make every single decision during a shift meaningful. The atmosphere, soundtrack, visuals, and overall presentation are genuinely excellent. That's exactly why this review is so disappointing to write. Underneath all that style is a game that constantly makes me think, "Imagine how incredible this could become." Honestly, if someone told me this was an Early Access title, I'd probably recommend it without hesitation because the foundation is excellent. As a full release, though, it feels unfinished. It needs smarter AI, more incident variety, deeper investigations, more meaningful progression, a world that actually reacts to your actions, more unique assets instead of obvious recycling, stronger sandbox systems, and a lot more polish. I genuinely hope the developers keep supporting it because there is an amazing police game hiding underneath everything that's already here. I want to come back in a year, see major updates, and happily change this review. Right now, though, it feels like a fantastic concept that reached the finish line before it reached its full potential.