Many remember Grand Theft Auto’s inaugural 1997 outing as a top-down affair, one whereby players’ command an anonymous anarchist rising through the criminal underbelly of a semi-fictional United States. What few will know is GTA’s original envision was as a cops and robbers experience titled Race n’ Chase, with players instead controlling a police officer tasked with cleaning the streets of seasoned criminals. However, this idea proved dull and was scrapped during development. Now, some twenty-six years later, UK-based studio Fallen Tree Games are preparing to flip-reverse GTA’s lawlessness on its head, instead re-treading its original failed concept to tell a story through the eyes of a cop fresh on the beat, one hungry to round up a corrupt city’s most wanted.
Instead of becoming criminal kingpin in a reimagined US, players will rise through the ranks of fictional Averno City’s police force. Assuming command of rookie officer Nick Cordell Jr. players will tackle the frontline to protect Averno’s few good citizens, with a lightly sprinkled narrative centring on Nick’s father’s murder in the line of duty thrown in for good measure.
This action sandbox features procedurally generated crimes, from petty misdemeanours like parking infractions and littering to halting illegal street races, undertaking exhilarating car chases through twisted streets and alleyways on the hunt for powerful enemies and responding to bank heists alongside Averno’s finest, with player choice on how to complete each mission front and centre. Choosing the appropriate tactic plays a big part in The Precinct’s gameplay; for instance, players may opt to gung-ho solo, but this wouldn’t be playing to the strengths of the force, who at the player’s command will provide squad car backup, set up vehicle immobilising spikes strips and roadblocks, or even provide aerial helicopter support (which, by the way, can be flown by the player). In order to call in the support of the powerful Averno City police force, players must undertake good police work to earn support tokens.
Fallen Tree Games themselves describe The Precinct as “a love letter to classic cop movies”, and with the game set in a neon noir vision of 1980’s America it seems to replicate the style, feel, and tone of movies such as underappreciated Arnold Schwarzenegger matinees Red Heat and Raw Deal, Sylvester Stallone outings Nighthawks and Cobra, and maybe even RoboCop is acting as primary influence on The Precinct’s gritty drama. If you’ve seen those movies, you’ll know to expect thrilling car chases and epic shootouts. The slimy urbanism and vaguely isometric top-down perspective also calls to mind recent detective slow-burner Disco Elysium, but whereas that game presented opportunity to blur the lines of morality The Precinct encourages players to undertake their duties as straight as an arrow. As stated in Fallen Tree Games’ FAQ, there’s no room for brutality in Nick Cordell Jr’s. remit, with excessive force being met with disciplinary action. Instead, players are tasked with using their wits to operate within established legal parameters when investigating crimes and apprehending criminals. In breaking the law himself Nick Cordell Jr. would draw the ire of his station sergeant and likely lose the camaraderie of his fellow officers.
Like Disco Elysium though, players will forge through The Precinct’s missions with a partner in tow. It’s unclear at this stage how vital it will be for Nick Cordell Jr. to protect his partner, although it certainly seems based on video snippets shared on Fallen Tree Games’ social media accounts that players will face imminent and unexpected dangers to both their own and the life of their partner, with seemingly innocuous events like routine traffic violations turning deadly in an instant. The choice to go to heroic lengths to protect the life of their partner is something players will routinely face on the rough streets of Averno City.
And in visiting Averno City’s police headquarters is where the game’s intricate details shine: the bustle of office busybodies, admins chattering and phones ringing, tapping computer keyboards, water coolers and evidence boards, Fallen Tree Games are going to great lengths to craft a vibrant, living experience. Out on the streets citizens go about their daily routines, commuters go to work, children go to school, all under the cloud of the ruling criminal gangs who operate under the influence of a dark conspiracy. The ever-shifting underbelly of these gritty city streets is stuffed with, street vendors, and furious taxi drivers, whether in the underprivileged projects and slums or the glitzy, neon-lit financial districts. With decrepit parklands and a subterranean subway network too, there’ll be plenty of distinct environments to explore. Averno City’s realism is further underpinned by fully destructible buildings, dynamic weather conditions, and a full day and night cycle.
Now, to be clear, Fallen Tree Games aren’t hellbent on delivering a true to life replication of police work although they have consulted with a veteran NYPD officer who served their city during the 1980s to enhance the game’s believability as much as possible. Nevertheless, Fallen Tree Games say, role-players will enjoy the open world exploration promised by Averno City, including the low intensity task such as issuing parking tickets. This city never sleeps, and neither does our rookie cop – there is always something interesting to discover whether patrolling on foot, in a squad car, or flying helicopters overhead.
Closer to the OG GTA aesthetic perhaps is Fallen Tree Games’ prior game American Fugitive, a prison break caper whereby players bust out of jail on the hunt for the real culprit to their father’s grisly murder. On the way, players will infiltrate a dangerous criminal underworld under the guise of a regular citizen in a vibrant rediscovery of Grand Theft Auto’s top-down carnage. Whilst The Precinct isn’t a direct sequel to American Fugitive both games share the same connective tissue; they’re set in the same universe with Easter eggs dotted throughout The Precinct. American Fugitive requires players fulfil the life of a hardened criminal, robbing stores, looting houses, and arming themselves with enough firepower to take down a small base. The Precinct, if you like, is American Fugitive’s mirror image, borrowing from the elements which made its predecessor so successful whilst crafting something fresh albeit with the same top-down, OG GTA aesthetic.
Together with publisher Kwalee, Fallen Tree Games are targeting a 2024 release window for The Precinct, with PC the only officially announced platform thus far although next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are obvious shoe-ins. The game will be single player only for now, with no concrete plans for an online or co-operative element to gameplay, although there’s definitely ample scope for multiplayer owing to Nick Cordell Jr. patrolling the streets with a partner. One thing’s for sure, Rockstar’s rampant success with Grand Theft Auto has spawned many a copycat – some of which of supreme quality such as Sleeping Dogs – but you’d be hard pressed to find a GTA style game in a similar guise played through the lens of law enforcement.
Here’s hoping the game is met with success, as Fallen Tree Games have hinted they may be looking to add more features after launch.
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