Look no further than New York-based developer Mighty Morgan if you’re on a quest to unleash your inner lawman. Their new crowdfunded game places you front and center as two digitized cops looking to rid the land of scumbags and the like. Police Stories, a game in which you engage in law-enforcement shenanigans such as hostage-rescues and arrest-making, needs $25,000 over the course of the next three weeks to show up at your front doorstep with a badge and warrant.
This tactical top-down shooter boasts a variety of gameplay mechanics such as the “surrender” system – obviously impossible to omit in a cop game – in which you attempt to take down baddies without the use of bullets. You may choose to fire off warning shots, for example, or deal with thugs mano a mano. There will no doubt be a stealth element to the game, and it’ll be interesting to see this pan out while controlling two characters from a bird’s eye view. Well, technically, you won’t be controlling both characters at once, but you’ll be able to “issue commands to your fellow cop Rick Bronx,” who might just be the one to save your arse from time to time.
The surrender system is detailed in full on the Kickstarter page but I’ll touch upon it here: the three enemy “behaviour types,” triggered once you run into them, include “aggressive”, “uncertain” and “aware” states. “Aggressive” speaks for itself, “aware” means they know you’re around but not where you’re at, and “uncertain” means you have a window of opportunity to make them surrender.
I’m looking forward to seeing how different enemy types affect the urban warzone – Mighty Morgan has already promised to include criminals from all walks of life, including street soldiers, mobsters and rabid extremists. Maybe motorcycle gangs will have two stationed at the front and back doors at all times, while triads tend to situate themselves in clusters so you’ll have to split ’em up first? Just a thought. And we’ll definitely be facing off against varying weapons. Maybe shotguns for the enforcers and a .380 for the chef?
It’ll be interesting to see how the upgrade system plays out for each character, and what kind of perks will become available as you progress throughout the game. There’s also no doubt that the game’s success will be heavily reliant on the intricacy of the maps. I presume there won’t be a minimap, so it will be incredibly important for you to check your corners at all times and make sure you aren’t unpleasantly surprised by a bullet or two.
My only qualm with the campaign page so far involves the name of one of the cops – the text claims that your partner’s name is Rick Bronx while the headshot labels him as Rick Jones. I’ve got no problem with either, really, just figured someone should point out the mishap. After all, a man’s name is supposedly one of his most distinguishing features.
You can check out the Police Stories alpha and more details on its Kickstarter page.
