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This Is the Police similar games & best alternatives

This Is the Police

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2016

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Quick resume

This Is the Police is a strategy/adventure game set in a city spiraling the drain. Taking the role of gritty Police Chief Jack Boyd, you'll dive into a deep story of crime and intrigue. Will Jack reach his retirement with a nice stack of bills, or will he end up broken ... or worse?

Global score

82/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Strategy

Similar games

    Pros

    • Engaging noir story and characters
    • Unique art style and excellent voice acting
    • Deep moral and strategic decision making
    • Immersive jazz soundtrack
    • Challenging management gameplay

    Cons

    • Repetitive and slow mid-to-late gameplay
    • Limited replayability due to scripted events
    • Only two similar endings regardless of choices
    • Some randomness can frustrate players
    • Lack of detailed individual officer personality

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Leadership, Survival, Violence, Strategy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Exploration, Relaxation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players make many decisions managing police staff, choosing how to respond to calls, and balancing political and criminal pressures, showing high player control."

    • Competence
      3

      "Game involves strategic management and problem solving with skill progression of officers, though some randomness affects outcomes."

    • Competition
      -4

      "Focus is on personal management and story progression without direct player-vs-player competition or leaderboards."

    • Continuation
      2

      "Players often engage for long sessions to complete the 180-day story, though some find mid-to-late game repetitive and disengaging."

    • Cooperation
      -3

      "Gameplay centers on individual management of police force; limited multiplayer or team-based cooperation."

    • Creativity
      2

      "Players can choose how to manage staff and make moral decisions, but gameplay follows structured scenarios with limited creative building."

    • Domination
      -4

      "Interactions with factions are balanced and political; no evidence of exerting superiority or dominance over other players."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Strong narrative and atmospheric immersion provide escape from real life into a noir crime story."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by interest in story and management, not external obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      2

      "Players try different strategies and moral choices, but core gameplay loop is repetitive with limited novelty exploration."

    • Exploration
      -3

      "Gameplay occurs in a fixed city map with scripted events; limited discovery or open-world exploration."

    • Expression
      1

      "Some customization of music and minor choices allow self-expression, but visual customization is minimal."

    • Fantasy
      -4

      "Game grounded in realistic police procedural and political corruption themes; no fantasy or improbable fiction."

    • Fellowship
      -3

      "Primarily single-player experience with limited social or community features."

    • Growth
      3

      "Players develop officers' skills and progress through story, learning management and investigative strategies."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires constant attention to manage calls and staff; not designed for casual or background play."

    • Intimacy
      -4

      "Limited social interaction; focus is on individual management and narrative rather than forming close relationships."

    • Leadership
      4

      "Player leads police department, manages staff, and makes authoritative decisions affecting outcomes."

    • Progression
      3

      "Players accumulate money, improve officers, and unlock story events, showing clear progression."

    • Relaxation
      -2

      "Game involves tension and stress from managing crises and political pressures, though music and style provide some flow."

    • Sensation
      2

      "Atmospheric music and voice acting provide emotional stimulation, though visual style is minimalist."

    • Status
      -4

      "No social status or recognition systems; achievements exist but no multiplayer visibility."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative focus with deep character development and immersive storytelling."

    • Strategy
      4

      "Requires planning, resource allocation, and problem solving to manage police force and political factions."

    • Thrill
      3

      "Tense situations and risk of officer deaths create suspense and emotional engagement."

    • Value
      4

      "Players report good value for price with many hours of gameplay and rich story content."

    • Violence
      3

      "Game involves police combat and crime scenes, with officer casualties and criminal confrontations."

    • Survival
      3

      "Players must manage limited resources and avoid failure to keep police force operational."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026