Psycho Patrol R is the latest game from Consumer Softproducts, a one man team headed by Finnish artist and developer Ville Kallio. The game follows the story of the Psycho Patrol: a unit in the European Federal Police that is tasked with stopping psychological threats known as Psychohazards. To do this, the player must utilize a mix of detective work and combat. Whenever the player isn’t talking to NPCs to gather information or solve mysteries, they will be met with a blend of both first-person shooter and mecha gameplay, where they must either fight on foot or pilot large robots called V-stalkers.
As of March 24th, Psycho Patrol R has entered early access on the PC storefront Steam. This means the game is a work in progress, with many missions, weapons, and characters still to come. Releasing a game in early access is a very popular option for indie developers as they can further fund the development while also garner community feedback. When loading up the game, players are met with a message stating that the game is not yet complete, and that “Your favorite game mechanic is not in the game yet.” Kallio’s previous game, Cruelty Squad, was also released in early access, before fully coming out five months later. Since Psycho Patrol R is a significantly larger game, Kallio has estimated that an additional year will be needed to complete it.
Psycho Patrol R is an immersive simulator, a genre of game that emphasizes player choice through a series of different simulated systems. For example, players will have the option to either go into a situation guns blazing, or talk to NPCs to find the best course of action, favoring a slower pace. Furthermore, players will receive conflicting information, forcing them to make choices based on their best judgment. This, coupled with highly customizable loadouts and characters, offers players an immersive and unique experience that highlights their individual play style.
We asked Jack Botelho, a fan of tactical games as well as Cruelty Squad, what his thoughts on Psycho Patrol R were. He said, “Due to its departure from the typical tactical shooter setting of being in a modern military special forces unit, I think Psycho Patrol R is one of the best shooters to come out in a while. The unique setting lets the game be far more creative with the tools available to you, and allows for more variety in missions and objectives.”
While Kallio knows how to create engaging gameplay, he is also well-known for his dark humor and political commentary. Cruelty Squad heavily satirizes large corporations as well as the militarization of police in America, with the player taking on the role of a corporate hitman. This time around, Kallio shifts focus away from America and instead looks at fascism and authoritative governments in a European setting. While not a sequel to Cruelty Squad, Psycho Patrol R takes place in the same universe, with references and inside jokes sprinkled in throughout. That being said, Kallio has gone through a great deal to make sure he didn’t make the same game over again.
While some may consider Cruelty Squad to be an immersive simulator due to how many options players are given with weapons and equipment, the gameplay styles of the two games couldn’t be more dissimilar. Cruelty Squad is radically different, favoring fast movement, arcady shooting, and individual levels. Opposed to that, Psycho Patrol R has realistic shooting, slower movement, and a large open world to explore. Because there is such a drastic difference in direction, many Cruelty Squad fans were left disappointed with the new game, citing it as too slow and difficult.
Unlike Cruelty Squad, Psycho Patrol R offers a difficulty slider, allowing players who are struggling to play on an easy mode. That being said, most players who are finding the game overly difficult are most likely trying to play the game like Cruelty Squad; running into a fight without a plan instead of taking their time to figure out the best approach. Kallio went to Twitter to cheekily poke fun at these people saying, “I was looking forward to this Super Mario Bros game, but then a walking mushroom touched me and blasted me with one shot. This is some [bad] game design. I refuse to jump. I should be able to kick the mushroom guy.”
Botelho added to the situation stating, “In Cruelty Squad you can only really complete missions at high speed with no armor. On the contrary, Psycho Portal R has a slower style of gameplay. You’re required to load up on armor and solve the problem head on, while still having some moments where you can run around like a crazy person. This is quite a massive departure in gameplay from Cruelty Squad, and allows for far more diversity in playstyles. Psycho Patrol R is much more than just Cruelty Squad with mechs, and is already good enough to stand on its own.”
With the game still fresh in its early access phase, It’s truly mind-boggling on how much there is to explore and try out. While different from Kallio’s other work, Psycho Patrol R already has the makings to be more than a worthy successor of Cruelty Squad. Despite its difficulty and anti-commercial themes, Psycho Patrol R has landed in Steam’s Top Sellers Page, showing that games like this still have an audience out there. With more updates to come and a welcoming online community, there isn’t a better time to try out this new gem of a game and see for yourself if you have what it takes to be a Psycho Patrol officer.
