Beat Cop to hit the streets late this year

Written by Jack Allin — July 16, 2016 at 13:19

Ahhh, 1980s cop drama: Think Dirty Harry, Sonny Bonds, and even Sonny Crockett. Those days may seem long gone, but they're about to make a triumphant return in 11 bit studios' upcoming adventure-sim Beat Cop.

As Jack Kelly, players control the titular beat cop, once a detective but now dropped down to lowly patrol duty in Brooklyn. Things are looking bleak for you, as "your new boss treats you like dirt, your wife is a money-sucking spawn from hell, and the local mafia wants your head on a plate." But that's not the bad part. The worse news is that someone has framed you for murder, and you're the only one who cares. It's up to you to explore the darkest corners of a place that's "more like a beast than a city", all the while attending to your job of maintaining order on the streets.

Sharing more than a few similarities with the beloved Police Quest series, Beat Cop looks to be as much a police procedural as it is a story-driven mystery. In between seeking out clues to the crime you didn't commit, players will need to busy themselves "issuing tickets, towing cars, or arresting shoplifters", as well as reprimanding pedestrians. The '80s influence is evident in every aspect of the game, from the retro pixel art graphics to the chance to play Kelly the way you see fit. You can choose to "be sarcastic. Be gloom. Be whatever you want. There are thousands of things in this world you can laugh at, and even more you shouldn’t, but who cares. It’s jungle out there baby, and sometimes you just need something to release the stress." How you play this non-linear game will impact which of the multiple endings you'll get.

There is no firm release date for Beat Cop just yet, but it should hit the proverbial streets for PC sometime before the end of the year. While you wait, you can learn more about the game through its official website. Just don't break any laws while you're at it.