Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 64 | 17 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 52 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 82% | 76 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 79 | 19 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 83% | 77 | 15 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 42 reviews sampled · 38 total reviews in window · weighted 25.4 up / 5.3 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (72)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“There's still a lot to admire here, especially the attention to sound design, from the satisfying clink of the cuffs every time you apprehend an offender, the patter of rain on windows and the windows themselves being drawn, and the jazz offering that accompanies and soothes you as you try to put an end to gruesome happenings. Unfortunately, once those turn into background wallpaper, the omissions only hurt more.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“This Is The Police asks players to step into a career that's already on the rocks, in a city beyond saving, and then demands that you try and make things right regardless. It's a mature, compelling experience that combines elements of strategy, resource management and text adventure games, while telling a gripping story of corruption and withered hope - albeit with some muddled attempts to deal with real world issues. The meat of the game is solid, if extremely repetitious after some hours, so we can't help but feel if it was a shorter, more tightly focused game with a bit more variety, it would have felt more satisfying overall. As it stands there's hours of gameplay here for any budding cop, it just outstays its welcome a little.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“This is the Police is a good idea, but somewhat clumsily executed despite its potential to be much more. Overwhelming pressure forcing the player to play along a certain route and too many virtual days to survive hamper this game from being “FTL with cops”. There will be those players who will love the rigor of its challenge, but for now it might be best to wait for an inevitable balance patch.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“This is the Police is a living proof that a fairly simple concept of managing a police station can be presented in a very interesting manner, with a well written story and lots of difficult choices to make. Studio Weappy has created one of the most interesting indie games of the year. A game that surprises the player with constantly changing conditions.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“A dangerous topic, handled poorly and resulting in a truly awful game. The gameplay has nothing to do with the story, but worse the gameplay doesn’t care if you play it. Just wait out a timer.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“This Is the Police ends up being a pretty fascinating character study of a man with good intentions who’ll need to make a lot of bad decisions. You can try to maintain your integrity but the game seems to be written in the direction of not letting you do so for long, or at least not without paying such a steep price that you see the wisdom in picking and choosing when you’ll need to go dirty with good intentions… or at least you’ll tell yourself that. Games like these ask you to put yourself in a different position and then force you to play out events in a world where the deck is stacked against you and you don’t have the luxury of surviving without doing some unsavory things and pairing with terrible people. While it isn’t a perfect game in execution and it can be frustrating, often on purpose, it does make for a fascinating ride.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“This is the Police is basically a visual novel disguised as a strategy videogame. Apart from a lack of any depth in its mechanics, choices don't really matter, as almost everything happens no matter what you do. The story section is a lot better, and the audio-visuals even more so, but these won't be enough to satisfy strategy enthusiasts.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“An interesting genre mash-up that offers noir adventure and city management in bite-sized chunks. An expertly crafted atmosphere can't hide some rigid storytelling and shallow systems, but fans of cop movies and resource management should give this one a go.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“This Is The Police is a gritty, uncompromising narrative about the dark depths of obsession that drive a man and his demons. Fiercely addictive, the tale of one’s man final bid for redemption in a city spiraling out of control is this summer’s surprise indie breakout hit.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“This Is the Police is a pretty interesting management simulator with an engaging plot and tackles issues that feel all too relevant in today's society, despite it taking place thirty years ago. It gets kind of repetitive at times and the issues brought up don't go that deep, but I still found it to be a competent management simulator with a unique aesthetic and gripping plot.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you don't mind a drip feed of soul-crushing events, then This is the Police will work for you. The actual gameplay is littered with questionable content, but the core is engaging for both quick and marathon sessions. The story is what holds things together; the many twists are fascinating, and the presentation is charming due to its artistic simplicity. It may not be for everyone, but for those looking for something a little different, This is the Police is worth a shot.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“This Is the Police is an atypical management simulations, typify by a deep storytelling, about events that occurred to a tormented police chief. The emerging developer Weappy has embarked on a risky road and we want to reward it.”
read full review ↗
Gadgets 360
Nintendo Life
PLAY Zine
GRYOnline.pl
Kinglink Reviews
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
Worth Playing
Eurogamer…and 60 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Japanese localization has arrived! (日本語)Apr 4, 2017
- Sandbox is live!Apr 3, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.0.50Nov 7, 2016
- Patch 1.0.50Nov 7, 2016
- Chinese and Spanish + new exclusive contentNov 3, 2016
- Halloween comes to Freeburg! 34% off!Oct 28, 2016
- Portuguese-Brazil and French + new exclusive content, and much more to come!Oct 25, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Jackass Comics and Ultra-Wide (21:9) SupportSep 28, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Jackass Comics and Ultra-Wide (21:9) SupportSep 28, 2016
- Update v1.0.42Sep 2, 2016
- Update v1.0.42Sep 2, 2016
- Consulting DetectiveAug 25, 2016
- Consulting DetectiveAug 25, 2016
- Minor Fix v1.0.36Aug 12, 2016
- Minor Fix v1.0.36Aug 12, 2016
- Update v1.0.35Aug 11, 2016
- Update v1.0.35Aug 11, 2016
- Update v1.0.34Aug 10, 2016
- Update v1.0.34Aug 10, 2016
- Minor Fix v1.0.28Aug 6, 2016
- Minor Fix v1.0.28Aug 6, 2016
- Update v1.0.27Aug 5, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Update v1.0.27Aug 5, 2016
- Development RoadmapAug 5, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Update v1.0.26Aug 3, 2016
- Update v1.0.26Aug 3, 2016