Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Metro-Police places you in the shoes of Officer Jeff Conrad as he navigates 26 missions set across a five-tiered underground New York. Each mission follows a predictable but satisfying loop: collect clues, interrogate witnesses by selecting relevant keywords, and follow the trail until you track down the suspect. The blend of investigation and action keeps you engaged, as every seemingly routine dialogue choice can alter the path to justice. You’ll need to think carefully about which lines of questioning to pursue and which leads to follow, making each interrogation feel purposeful.

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The open nature of each plain invites exploration and dynamic movement. After gathering enough intelligence at a crime scene, you’re free to walk or commandeer vehicles—cars, trains, even zeppelins—to the next location. This freedom of traversal adds a welcome layer of immersion. Rather than teleporting you from crime scene to crime scene, Metro-Police encourages you to treat the sprawling underground city as a living world, where traffic, random NPC events, and environmental hazards can interrupt or enhance your detective work.

Combat in Metro-Police offers a straightforward third-person shooter experience. Once the culprit is identified, Conrad can either knock them unconscious or engage in lethal force, depending on how you prefer to resolve confrontations. Weapons feel weighty and aim-down-sights mechanics are responsive, though gunplay can sometimes become repetitive across later missions. Nevertheless, the mixture of investigative detective work and occasional shootouts strikes a compelling balance, ensuring you never feel like you’re only doing one or the other.

Graphics

The visual design of Metro-Police’s underground New York is its standout feature. Each of the five plains has its own distinct atmosphere, from dimly lit industrial tunnels to neon-splashed transit hubs and grand zeppelin ports. Lighting effects are handled deftly, with spotlights, flickering signs, and device interfaces bathing environments in contrasting hues that heighten the sense of depth and scale. Even in the game’s lower tiers, the grime and grit of the tunnels are captured convincingly.

Character models and NPCs show their age, with occasional clipping or stiff animations, but they generally hold up in the heat of an undercover interview or a heated chase. Jeff Conrad himself is well-detailed, sporting a futuristic but worn police uniform that hints at the city’s decay. Enemies and suspects are distinct enough to recognize at a glance, making it easier to follow chases or target combatants during firefights.

Vehicle interiors and exteriors are well-realized, lending authenticity to Metro-Police’s varied means of transport. Jumping into a patrol car, hopping onto a speeding train, or taking to the skies in a zeppelin all feel unique and properly scaled. The frame rate remains stable even during high-speed pursuits, ensuring that your investigation never slows down due to technical hiccups. Occasional texture popping can occur in the distance, but it rarely detracts from the overall immersion.

Story

Set in a reimagined 2048 New York, Metro-Police weaves a narrative of law, order, and moral complexity beneath the city’s surface. Jeff Conrad is introduced as the stalwart yet haunted cop, driven by a personal loss that simmers beneath every interrogation. As you ascend from the bleak lower tunnels to the glimmering upper plains, the story unfolds in layers, gradually revealing the shadowy syndicates and political machinations at work.

While the main plot follows a familiar “good cop hunts bad guy” formula, environmental storytelling and side conversations enrich the narrative tapestry. Witnesses often share snippets about corruption in the force or rumors of corporate experiments gone awry, creating a sense of a living, breathing world. These moments of world-building shine brightest when you take detours from the main investigation to eavesdrop on NPCs or explore hidden alcoves.

The pacing of the story is steady, with each plain offering new characters, challenges, and twists. You’ll find that mission outcomes can slightly alter subsequent events, giving you a modest degree of agency in shaping Jeff’s journey. Though the overarching narrative can feel linear at times, Metro-Police compensates with strong voice acting and occasional moral choices that underscore the fragile boundary between justice and vengeance.

Overall Experience

Metro-Police delivers a thoughtfully crafted blend of detective work and action in a unique underground vision of New York City. Its core gameplay loop—investigate, interrogate, pursue—remains engaging throughout all 26 missions, offering just enough variation to keep you invested. The freedom to traverse each plain in multiple ways enhances replayability, as does the occasional branching dialogue that can change minor outcomes.

Graphically, the game shines in its atmospheric design, with well-lit environments and robust vehicle sequences that rarely falter. Character animations and textures occasionally show their age, but these minor blemishes don’t overshadow the overall polish. Story-wise, Metro-Police tells a solid tale of corruption and redemption, anchored by Jeff Conrad’s personal stakes and the subterranean society he polices.

For players who enjoy methodical detective gameplay with peppered-in shootouts, Metro-Police offers a compelling package. The futuristic yet gritty setting sets it apart from standard city cops-and-robbers stories, and the sense of progression as you climb each tier of the underground city is genuinely rewarding. Whether you’re a fan of narrative-driven shooters or ambitious world-building, Metro-Police is worth your time—and your detective instincts.

Retro Replay Score

5.3/10