BSO Reviews: The Precinct

For the past week or so, I have been playing The Precinct, the newest title from developer Fallen Tree Games and publisher Kwalee Games, which develops games for mobile, PC, and console. While I’ve never played any of their titles, they’re a large enough company to own about 3.6% of Devolver Digital, whose games I have both played and reviewed. I had seen trailers for this game when it came out around late 2023 to early 2024, and it really caught my eye. The game was delayed twice, but was finally released to consumers in spring of 2025. Having spent over 20 hours with this title in the run-up to release day, I can confidently say that I truly love this game, but Fallen Tree Games has a couple of things to fix for it to be a genuine one-of-a-kind experience.

My plan for this article is to tell you what the game is about, tell you what I think they need to fix, and then I want to wrap up with all the positives about this title. The reason I’m laying it out like this is that I do not want your last impression of this game to be my criticism. This game is good enough as is, but the fixes I’m suggesting are ways for them to take this game from great to amazing. I want your last impression to be about how great the game is and why I think you should buy it. So, let’s get right to it and talk about what The Precinct is, what is holding it back, and why I love the game so much.

In a nutshell, The Precinct follows the story of a rookie officer by the name of Nick Cordell Jr. That junior is important because his father was not only a well-respected police chief, but he was murdered on the job, and his murder remains unsolved. Set in the 1980s and using an isometric viewpoint similar to games like Hades, The Precinct is part police simulation and part narrative-driven story. It’s also 100% fun and unlike anything I’ve played. I should also mention that I’m usually not big on simulators. If you’re anything like me and don’t like simulators, this game might still be good enough to attract your attention. It did mine.

The Precinct: Official Gameplay Explainer – A Day in Averno City

I know some of you are thinking, “What about L.A. Noire?” While there are certainly similarities with L.A. Noire, in that you’re a cop and you’re doing police duties, this game actually relies more heavily on the procedural aspects of being an officer. Unlike L.A. Noire, this game has you run IDs, search people, issue breathalyzer tests, and fill out paperwork on the specific crimes you’re charging them with before finally booking them. It extends out to every facet of police work you can think of, including police chases, using a helicopter, calling for back-up, breaching doors to take down criminals when they have hostages, and even parking enforcement. Hell, you even file evidence!

While none of this may sound like fun on paper, the game simplifies the majority of it, and you can even delegate the paperwork to your partner if you hate that aspect of the game. The game also uses everyday police work as a means to forward the story. Every individual you arrest brings you one step closer to the next person on the criminal food chain. Once you’ve collected enough evidence, you’re given the option of taking down one of the bigger-name criminals to bring you closer to the crime bosses. It’s not too dissimilar from how the mob works with a don, underbosses, and then captains. That’s basically how the story is structured within The Precinct.

As for the things they could fix to make the product even better and less frustrating at times, the biggest one is the way your car controls vs. how the computer’s car controls. They can seemingly make last-minute decisions and juke you like a running back would a linebacker, but I have to fight tooth and nail just to make a tight turn using an e-brake, and their cars are almost always faster. Never mind the fact that most police cars are mini racecars themselves. You do unlock vehicles that control much better, but the driving can be frustrating and even discouraging at times. My advice on this is to learn to use the e-brake instead of the regular brakes, and memorize where the repair shops are. You’re going to need them often.

The next thing I found weird is how many of these criminals I catch have no previous record. In the 20 hours I played, only ONE person came back with priors. This was despite catching three people for cold-blooded mass murder and a bunch of drug dealers. It got to the point where I was mimicking the girl on the other end of the radio who was telling me they had no prior offenses. It seems weird that people driving around and randomly doing drive-by shootings have no prior offenses of any kind. Maybe they could tweak the system so the calls are more varied.

The final thing I had a major issue with was the shooting. It might be because I don’t often play many isometric games, but the mechanics weren’t tripping me up; it was the ability to move the cursor that was a pain. Before firing, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a way to tell where you’re firing unless you completely aim down sights, opening yourself up to fire. There really should be a way to peek or at least adjust a visible cursor while you’re still in cover. Every other game I’ve played that implemented a cover system had this option. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but it always took me two to three bad shots before I could actually line the cursor up on the enemy unless I wanted to stand there trying while they cut me down with bullets.

That’s really the extent of my complaints, and as you can see, nothing in there is something they can’t adjust with a patch and some player input. If that’s the worst problem a game has at launch in this era of gaming, I will absolutely take it. That’s even more the case when you account for the storytelling and extras within the game. You’re allowed to take missions where you go undercover, including one that sees you trying to join an underground street racing league. There are defensive driving courses that you can do around the map, which not only make you better at police chases, but they also help you improve your overall driving skills before joining the illegal street gang.

Each day, you’re allowed to select your beat. There are parking beats, foot patrol beats, cleanup beats, and regular patrol beats. While you’re on your beat, you’re responsible for stopping any crime or violations you see, but you’ll also get calls from dispatchers that you can accept or deny. At the end of your shift, everything you and your partner did gets tallied up, and any mistakes you’ve made are deducted. The final score helps your ranking, which gives the players points they can use on a skill tree to improve their character. This is also how you unlock different weapons and vehicles, in addition to health upgrades and slots for more gear.

The cut scenes are all done via voice acting and still drawings. There aren’t any animations I’ve come across. It’s usually a picture of the individual speaking along with anyone they’re speaking to or in a room with while speaking. The art style is tremendous and I rather enjoy the voice acting. Everyone has a personality and a way of speaking that lets you know it’s them. I have yet to come across a single character who didn’t nail their performance. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were watching an old police film set in New York. While it’s meant to be a stand-in for New York, the game uses the stand-in of Averno City.

I’ve never played anything like this. Most simulators shoot for uncanny levels of depth, down to the smallest details. They can get overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the genre and unsure of what to do. The Precinct walks a fine line between scratching the simulation itch, but maintaining enough simplicity and narrative to keep the average fan around and playing. It also doesn’t hurt that they took a page from the book of L.A. Noire and allow you to dump policework on your partner, making your life easier.

I’m still fairly early in the story, as I’m in no rush to complete it. I’ve been spending my time with Averno. There’s even a section of Averno called Bakersfield. I live in Bakersfield, California, so I like to put on Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens’ “Streets of Bakersfield” whilst I do a foot patrol or search for parking violations. I have no idea why the combination of Bakersfield and parking violations excites me, but it does, and I have a blast doing it. That’s not a sentence I thought I would ever write. In fact, I’m now listening to the song again while writing this out.

The story for The Precinct is both engaging and well-written. The game also complements the writing with a solid pacing, never moving you too far ahead or taking too long to develop. The game also finds great ways to incorporate the different aspects of policing while still allowing the player to retain control of their preferred playstyle. In other words, similar to Dave the Diver, you can move as fast or as slow as you’d like. If you want to spend hours doing everything and chasing down criminals, you can. If you’d prefer to power through the story and see the ending, you can.

Fallen Tree Games has something special here with The Precinct. I already assume there will be a day one patch, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that improves the game. There are also different bundles planned with similar games. As of the present, there are plans for bundles with Shadows of Doubt, Police Simulator, and Deliver at All Costs. I’ve seen many people suggest Shadows of Doubt if you liked The Precinct, so that may be the way to go if you’re looking for a twofer. Whether you buy it on its own or in a bundle, you cannot go wrong with The Precinct.

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