Beat Cop

"Beat Cop"
Reviewed by: Carless Yen
Published By: 11 Bit Studios
Developer: Pixel Crow
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PS4

I was originally going to just let this game go unreviewed. Mainly because I saw so many reviewers just tearing it apart, and I really didn't want to add fuel to the fire. Then they messaged me asking if I was going to submit coverage for it, and I just felt I should least give my opinion on it honestly. I've seen it get some really low scores, and I've seen people tearing into it. I really could see why they did, and I really felt I wasted a large amount of time with this one as well.It isn't 100% terrible though. There are things in beat Cop i just loved. Like the look of it is just amazing. The pixel art is just awesome to look at, and the city streets just feel alive. I love the 80's vibe of the game, just the little 80's pop culture references hidden inside this beautiful city. Things like music posters, and even the General Lee car pops up. This to me was the brightest spot of the game. Even the developers put a statement up before you start saying how they drew inspiration from 80's cop shows they enjoyed when they were young. That is really seen by looking at it, but not really in the story. The main reason to me it just never really gets anywhere, and it's completely possible to even miss parts of the main story. This would be cool if it was a short game, you didn't mind playing over and over, but it can take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours.After you finish it just really doesn't call you back to it. If anything your relieved your done. I've heard a lot of people say this as well. I hate to bash anyone's art that is why i was just going to let this one go. I really feel they may be some people out there that love this title, and I hoped maybe few of them would shine over another negative review. 

I loved the sounds and music as well so like I said there are things I enjoyed but the negative just far outweighed those. One thing I really just didn't want to tackle was some of the racism and sexism in the game. I'm not very easy offended at all, but a lot of it just wasn't really needed. Some of the words used I won't repeat in my review never were in any cop dramas on television I watched. I kind of feel they used the time period to get away with some really tasteless jokes. Some things I can't believe were said in a game, let alone one that is released on the Switch. Some words I think better left forgotten instead of put into a game a lot of young people might play and pick up. Don't get me wrong Beat Cop has a lot of funny moments, and jokes in it's gameplay, but the bad taste in some of the dialogue just sticks with you and over shadows all the other great writing. 

So a little about the game you really just play as a cop on his first day trying to clear his name. You have so many days to do so, and you can finish the game without doing so, and it doesn't feel really different either way. When I saw this announced I remembered classics like Police Quest and got really excited. I thought I was going to get some real police work, and mystery. Instead I got 9 hours of writing tickets, and chasing bad guys with a cop who can't even sprint for 10 seconds without getting gassed. So you could see why I would be a little let down by this one. I would have loved this game, if the story just took me some where else. If maybe some pixel art crime scenes that really made me think, but instead I got a one mile stretch of road with parking violations and a lot of really offensive unforgettable dialogue that should be left in the 80's as much as I loved the time period.

Pros: Beautiful and fun pixel art
Cool 80's Vibe and references
Groovy Tunes

Cons: Weak and missable storytelling
Offensive,Sexist,Racist Dialogue
Never really takes you any where

Overall: 4.2 Beat Cop looks and feels great. It even sounds like a amazing idea, but the lack of storytelling, mystery, and offensive moments just leave you wishing you spent time playing something else.