This Is the Police 2 asks players to run a police station. That sounds simple. It is not. The game hands you a precinct, a budget, and a growing pile of cases, then watches while you make every decision wrong. It is a management simulator wrapped in a crime thriller, and it mostly succeeds at being frustrating.
Trailer, via THQ Nordic.
Running the Precinct
The core loop is familiar to anyone who has played a city-builder. You hire officers, assign them to desks, and watch the phone ring. But the stakes are higher. Officers can get killed, quit, or fall off the moral track. One mistake can collapse your entire department.
The interface is clean. A dashboard shows pending cases, officer status, and budget warnings. A map lets you move officers around the city. A report system tracks who is where and what they are doing. It is a pleasure to look at, even when the numbers are bad.
Case Management
Each case is a small puzzle. You receive a call, send officers to investigate, and piece together evidence. The game rewards patience. Rushing a case often fails it. Waiting for the right witness to appear pays off.
The writing is sharp. Dialogue is clipped and tense. Officers talk in short bursts, and the game rarely wastes a line. It feels like a TV procedural, except the camera never cuts away from the desk.
Balancing Duty and Loyalty
This Is the Police 2 forces you to balance duty and loyalty. You can protect a corrupt officer or fire one. You can raise wages or cut them. Each choice ripples through the station. Officers leave when they feel mistreated. They stay when they feel valued.
The game does not punish you immediately. It waits. A poor decision today might not show up until a case goes wrong weeks later. That delay is the point. The game wants you to think about consequences, not just outcomes.
The Dark Tone
The game is dark. Officers die. Money runs out. The city is full of crime, and you are expected to stop it with limited resources. It is not a happy experience, but it is a compelling one.
The tone shifts between grim and absurd. One moment you are planning a raid, the next you are ordering lunch. The contrast keeps the game from collapsing into despair. It is a strange balance, and it works.
Platforms and Technical Details
This Is the Police 2 runs on PS4, Linux, Android, and PC. Performance is solid across platforms. There are no major bugs, though some players report minor crashes on mobile. The game is built for short sessions, which suits its handheld ports well.
The soundtrack is minimal but effective. It hums in the background, adding tension without overpowering the action. Sound design is sparse, which fits the game’s quiet, bureaucratic setting.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The game’s strengths are easy to identify. Here is a ranking of what stands out most:
- Case puzzles — the writing is sharp, and each case feels like a small story.
- Officer management — the dashboard is clean, and moving officers around the city is satisfying.
- Consequences — the game waits before punishing you, making decisions feel weighty.
- Tone — the contrast between grim and absurd keeps the game from feeling oppressive.
- Variety — the mix of duties and challenges keeps play sessions interesting.
The game is not perfect. Some cases feel repetitive. The early hours drag as you learn the systems. The difficulty spikes suddenly, which can frustrate new players.
The lack of variety in officer types limits replay value. Once you know the rules, there is little reason to start over. The game is best played once, then set aside.
Final Word
This Is the Police 2 is a solid, if flawed, entry in the management genre. It offers a tense, rewarding loop that few games manage to pull off. The writing is sharp, the pacing is steady, and the consequences are real.
It is not a masterpiece, but it is a strong effort. The game earns its reputation as a demanding, rewarding experience.
The game’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses. The case puzzles are clever, the management systems are deep, and the tone is consistently engaging. It is a game that respects its player’s time, even when it demands a lot of it.
If you enjoy thinking through problems, This Is the Police 2 is worth your attention. If you want quick entertainment, it may not be the right fit.
This Is the Police 2 scores 6.3 of 10.
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