XBOX REVIEW | The Precinct

The Precinct drops you into the neon-drenched streets of 1983 Averno City, where justice hits the pavement and style comes with a reflective glare. You play as rookie cop Nick Cordell Jr., hitting the beat to clean up the chaos and uncover the mystery behind his father’s shady death. Whether you’re writing tickets, chasing down armed robbers, or calling in air support for a suspect on the run, every shift promises unpredictable action. The city pulses with procedural crimes, dynamic weather, and a day/night cycle that keeps things fresh. From foot patrols to high-speed pursuits with full squad support, The Precinct aims to turn every cop cliché into chaotic, neon-soaked fun.

So, with a badge on my chest and squad car ready to roll, I hit the streets to see if The Precinct delivers on its promise of stylish chaos, or if it’s just flashing lights with little bite.

Things I liked!

• Visuals | The visuals in The Precinct are very impressive, featuring an isometric viewpoint throughout gameplay, whether you’re on foot or in a vehicle. The city is named Averno City. While it might look a little gritty at times, it’s always brimming with life and activity. The amount of detail is quite something. Set in the 1980s, it’s easy to see how it draws inspiration from classic cop movies and TV shows. Averno City is a living, breathing open world filled with dynamic events, pedestrians, traffic, and criminal activity. I really liked the day/night cycle and the changing weather. You could start your shift in glorious sunshine and end in pouring rain. When it rained, the streets glistened, reflections shimmered in puddles, sirens glowed; it all added to the immersion of a moody, atmospheric cityscape.

• Gameplay | As you begin playing, you’re immediately thrown into the action before things slow down a little to teach you the basic gameplay mechanics as a rookie cop, but it all starts to feel very comfortable, very quickly. Driving is responsive and tight, which is perfect for cruising around looking for crimes and parking violations. When you spot a crime, pressing the RB button lets the control centre know you’re on it. Sometimes, if a crime occurs away from your location, you’re prompted to take action; again, you can use the RB button to accept the call or decline it. At the beginning of each shift, you attend a roll call where you can choose your shift type for the day from a selection available, such as parking violations, drug and gang activity, foot patrol, and many more. Here, you’ll also see objectives to work toward in different parts of the city. As you progress later in the game, you can select custom patrols with even more options. This is handy if you’re focused on completing an objective in a specific area. The main aim of The Precinct is to head out on patrol, stop criminals, and issue fines. While doing so, you’ll earn XP, and at the end of each shift, your total XP increases your police rank. As you level up, you can unlock upgrades on a skill tree. You can initially only carry one weapon, but as you play and earn upgrades, you can carry more. Switching weapons using the D-pad is easy, and I enjoyed gun battles with gangs and criminals. While the aiming mechanic is simple, with duck-and-cover movement, it’s very effective.
  
  
• Sound | The sound is definitely a highlight for me. Firstly, the sound effects: the city of Averno is never quiet, from the squeals of tyres to the chatter of pedestrians, sirens wailing, and the sound of gunshots in the distance. Averno City is alive, and you can hear it clearly. The radio chatter while you’re out on patrol and the dialogue between you and your partner are both impressive. I’ve watched lots of cop shows on TV, and the developers have nailed the accents and quirky tones of each character. While some lines are often repeated, they never really became too annoying. The music and soundtrack are equally impressive; the score blends analogue synths, haunting guitar, saxophone, and tight, subtle drum loops. It shifts automatically during tense high-speed chases and while patrolling the streets, perfectly matching the tone.
  
  
• Car Pursuits | Car pursuits in The Precinct can happen at any time. Often, right in front of you, someone will carjack a vehicle, and the chase is on. Turn on your siren to warn other cars of your presence and hunt down the criminal. The thing I most enjoy about car chases is how unpredictable they are. Pursuits can last a few minutes or much, much longer. I really felt like I was chasing myself playing GTA. As a cop, you can call in support such as roadblocks, spike strips, more patrol cars, or even a riot van. As you chase down the criminal, you can see how much damage their car has taken and how much petrol they have left. If they’re hostile, you can also fire your gun at their car, a simple press of the A button when lined up. If you miss and kill a pedestrian, then the pursuit is over. It’s fairly difficult, if not impossible, to kill a pedestrian by hitting them with your car, as they always jump out of the way.

Mixed & disliked!

• Story | Overall, I was fairly disappointed with the story in The Precinct. While it seems very interesting at first, you’re investigating your late father’s unsolved murder case, nothing much is mentioned about it until the very end. That part is enjoyable, but I would have liked much more of this throughout the game, perhaps to help mix up gameplay mechanics, which can become repetitive quickly. There are some other cases that give you a break from your normal daily patrols, which I did like too, such as helping a detective track down a serial killer. I would have liked many more of these kinds of cases in The Precinct. They instantly reminded me of what I love about the Grand Theft Auto games, but here, you only get a small handful throughout the story.
  

• Repetitiveness | After a while, I did find that some of the aspects of patrolling became quite repetitive. For example, whenever you question a suspect, you always have to check their ID, which takes a few seconds as you call it in. Then you have to search the suspect, and on some occasions, perform a breathalyser test. While each encounter can vary slightly, like the suspect being wanted for a previous crime or carrying a weapon or narcotics, all of which need to be added to their charges, after doing this quite a few times, it becomes annoying, and maybe certain parts could have been skipped. There are some more high-profile cases where charges are automatically applied to the warrant, which helps skip this repetitive process.
  
  
• Camera | Every time I entered a vehicle, the camera always seemed to pan too high above me, meaning I had to adjust it with the left stick. While this is only a minor annoyance, I would have liked more camera options, such as a lock at my preferred angle.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 16 Hours
How long to beat the story? 13 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 34/39 OR 765/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 20 Hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | American Fugitive and L.A Noire

CONCLUSION

Score: 80/100

Overall, I’ve mostly enjoyed my time playing The Precinct. The visuals and audio are impressive throughout. Some of the more repetitive aspects I won’t miss, but I think if you play just a few hours a week, it might not feel quite as bad in that regard. After completing the story, you can continue with daily patrols if you still need to earn XP to unlock all the upgrades. The Precinct offers plenty of action, from gunfights to car chases, and you can even fly a helicopter! There are also collectables to discover, such as hidden artefacts and plaques on buildings, along with races and jumps to find and complete. It feels pretty cool playing as a cop chasing down criminals for a change, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Fallen Tree Games does next.