When first seeing The Precinct at the Future Games Show in 2023, I knew it would be something I would enjoy. An open world sandbox crime game from the side of the law. Responding to callouts to bring down the gangs of Averno City. Playing as Nick Cordell, son of the ex-Chief of ACPD, he’s here to hunt down his father’s killer. With no Switch version to be found, like there was for Fallen Tree Games’ previous game American Fugitive, it was onto the Xbox for me.
Cutscenes are told through voiced stills that show the characters involved, with the first being where Cordell gets introduced to the team and assigned his partner. The first section of the game runs through several in-game days in a linear fashion, introducing the various types of crime and callouts to be tackled. On-foot, vehicle, and helicopter patrols are the order of the day, with the first being to a bank robbery.
As shown with the trailers, despite being a top down viewpoint, there’s still full horizontal axis rotation. This makes driving a lot easier, for me at least, as the camera remains firmly behind the vehicle. Making chases easier to follow, too. That camera is controlled with the right stick, with a bit of vertical axis rotation to allow a bit more distance with the forward viewpoint. The only time the stick doesn’t control the camera is when aiming weapons.
Starting with a pistol, the combat feels as fluid as a top down game can be. When aiming, a cursor appears that is directed with the right stick. Hover it over an enemy and fire off some bullets. Moving and aiming feels easy enough, too. Meaning a full scale assault with a shotgun is so easy to pull off. Melee weapons, tackling criminals to the floor, and even grappling to restrain them are other methods to controlling a situation on foot. Though maybe don’t try that last one in a multi-person shootout.
Once the criminal has surrendered or is restrained, or even when just doing an inspection stop, the interaction menu holds everything related to arresting or fining them. Checking ID, searching, breathalysing, asking them to open their trunk if taken from a car. Then, a case can be made against them, applying crimes manually from the options available. Or getting the partner to do it automatically. Using a circular menu makes all of the options easy to navigate.
During callouts, there is also the option to call on support. Bringing other units onto the scene, or setting up spike traps and roadblocks. The latter of which won’t be unlocked to start with. Then again, experience earning isn’t a thing until the leader of the August Gang has been arrested as the last callout of the tutorial. Which also ends the linear portion of the game.
With the August Gang out of the picture, others are now rising up to claim the role of largest gang of Averno city. Now knowing everything about handling the various crimes, I can now choose where to patrol. I now earn experience from each crime solved. I can now upgrade to get perks such as extra health and commandeering non-police vehicles. Races and time trials are now available. And artifacts to find. Once that tutorial is done, The Precinct really opens up.
As for how the rest of the story plays out, the two other gangs of the city have people everywhere. Evidence claimed from solving crimes can relate to either of those gangs. Each piece of evidence that relates to a gang is one more step toward finding major members of their organisation. Once enough evidence has been gathered, a new gang callout will be available. Arrest all major members of both gangs, and the mystery of the ex-chief starts to unravel.
The world that Fallen Tree Games have crafted for The Precinct feels simple but effective for the type of game this is. Driving anywhere takes a matter of minutes, and even running around doesn’t take forever. There’s also a nice variety of places found within Averno city. Houses by water, a port, plazas, parks, and even several more run down parts. They all look great.
The Precinct has been everything I wanted it to be. A nice crime sandbox to play around in, getting stuck into the crimes running rampant around it. Everything feels great to control, with a few fun interactions to be found among the characters. As such, I feel The Precinct is an easy recommendation. It is a worthy follow up to American Fugitive, and does make me wonder what Fallen Tree Games will provide next.
Images Taken From:
The Precinct | Xbox Series S
