Police Stories: The Academy

Police Stories: The Academy is a free tactical top down shooter that puts me in the role of a police trainee rather than just throwing me into another run and gun game. I play through a small story involving Rick and John while dealing with criminals, hostages, evidence and other situations around the police academy. The basic idea is simple, but I like that the game expects me to think before shooting. I have to clear rooms, check corners and decide how I want to deal with people instead of treating every enemy as something that needs to be killed immediately. The surrender system is probably my favourite part. I can make suspects give up without simply shooting them, including using warning shots or getting close enough to use melee attacks. That makes the missions feel more like actual police situations because I have to think about how I approach each room. There is also equipment such as cameras that let me check underneath doors and charges for forcing doors open. I like having these tools because they give me reasons to slow down and prepare before entering a dangerous area. The missions also have some nice variety. There are three main missions and a police academy training area, with objectives involving things like rescuing hostages, finding evidence and dealing with bombs. Enemy, hostage and evidence positions can also change when I restart a level, which means I cannot simply memorise every room and follow the exact same routine every time. The scoring system is another good touch because playing aggressively can hurt my result, so I have an actual reason to try using the more controlled approach the game encourages. The biggest problem for me is the limited amount of content. This is a free version of Police Stories with its own story and missions, so I understand why it is smaller than a full game, but I still finish it wanting more. Once I have learned the main systems, there are not enough missions to really push those mechanics as far as I would like. The randomised placements help with replaying the same areas, but they cannot completely replace having more locations and situations to work through. I also find the difficulty can be quite unforgiving. The whole point is to make quick tactical decisions, but sometimes I can make one small mistake and suddenly lose control of a situation. That is not necessarily unfair because the game is clearly designed around careful movement and preparation, but it does mean I have to stay focused. The pixel art presentation works well for the top down view and makes it easy to understand what is happening, although I think the visuals are more functional than memorable. The co op option is a nice extra because I can work through the missions with another person, while the single player mode lets me command Rick and make use of his abilities. I like that the game does not completely abandon the tactical side when played alone. It gives me enough tools to approach situations carefully, and the scoring system makes me want to replay missions and improve how I handled them. For a free game, I think the developers have done a good job giving the small campaign some replay value instead of making it feel like a simple demonstration. Overall, Police Stories: The Academy is a solid free tactical shooter that gives me a good taste of what the series is about. I really like the surrender system, police equipment, randomised situations and emphasis on thinking before shooting. The biggest issue is simply that there is not enough content, and the difficulty can make some situations frustrating when I make a small mistake. Still, the core gameplay is enjoyable and there is enough depth in the police mechanics to make the short campaign worthwhile. I would have liked a longer story, but as a free experience I think it is a surprisingly good little tactical game. Rating: 7.4/10