Highway Police Simulator Review

Highway Police Simulator, developed by Z-Software and published by Aerosoft, aspires to immerse players in the high-stakes world of highway patrol officers. Set in the fictional U.S. region of Caminora, the game offers an open-world experience filled with story-driven missions, high-speed pursuits, and crime-solving activities. However, despite its ambitious premise, the game falters in nearly every aspect, resulting in a profoundly disappointing experience.

Highway Police Simulator Visuals

From the outset, the game’s graphical presentation is underwhelming. Textures appear muddy and outdated, reminiscent of titles from a decade ago. Environments lack detail and vibrancy, leading to a lifeless and repetitive world. The depiction of highways and surrounding landscapes is monotonous, with noticeable pop-in of environmental elements like trees and buildings. Vehicle models are generic, and the damage system is poorly implemented, offering little visual feedback during collisions. Overall, the visuals fail to meet the standards expected of modern simulation games.

Performance Issues

Performance is a critical area where Highway Police Simulator disappoints. There are significant frame rate drops, with the game struggling to even maintain a stable 30 FPS. These performance issues are exacerbated during high-speed chases, where frame rate instability severely hampers gameplay. Additionally, the game is riddled with bugs and glitches, including vehicles clipping through terrain, erratic AI behavior, and frequent crashes. Such technical shortcomings render the game frustrating and, at times, unplayable.

Gameplay Mechanics

The core gameplay mechanics are equally problematic. Driving physics is poorly executed, with vehicles exhibiting either overly floaty or excessively rigid handling. High-speed pursuits, a central game feature, become frustrating due to unresponsive controls and unpredictable vehicle behavior. On-foot segments, such as crime scene investigations, are marred by clunky controls and repetitive tasks, offering little engagement or challenge. The game’s mission design lacks variety, leading to a monotonous gameplay loop that fails to sustain player interest.

Highway Police Simulator AI

The game’s AI is notably subpar. Civilian vehicles exhibit unpredictable behavior, often failing to respond appropriately to the player’s actions, such as ignoring sirens or abruptly stopping in traffic. Suspect vehicles during chases display inconsistent behavior, ranging from unrealistically aggressive driving to inexplicably passive responses. These AI deficiencies undermine the realism and immersion that the game strives to achieve, resulting in a disjointed and unsatisfying experience.

Narrative and Immersion

While the game attempts to deliver a compelling narrative through a morality system and story-driven missions, it falls short due to shallow character development and disjointed storytelling. The player’s choices have minimal impact on the narrative, and interactions with other characters lack depth and emotional resonance. The open-world environment, intended to provide a dynamic and immersive setting, instead feels barren and static, with limited opportunities for meaningful interaction or exploration.

Sound Design and Audio

Audio design is another area where the game fails to impress. Sound effects, such as sirens and engine noises, are generic and lack impact. The absence of ambient sounds contributes to the game’s lifeless atmosphere. Voice acting is wooden and unconvincing, further detracting from the narrative experience. The overall sound design does little to enhance immersion or convey the urgency and tension inherent in police work.

User Interface and Controls

The user interface is cluttered and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate menus and access essential information. Controls are poorly mapped, forcing players to adapt to an awkward and non-intuitive control scheme. This lack of user-friendly design extends to in-game interactions, where performing basic actions often requires navigating through cumbersome radial menus, disrupting the flow of gameplay.

Judging Highway Police Simulator

In its current state, Highway Police Simulator is a deeply flawed title that fails to deliver on its promising concept. The combination of outdated graphics, severe performance issues, substandard gameplay mechanics, and lackluster audio design results in an experience that is more frustrating than enjoyable. Even for enthusiasts of simulation games or law enforcement themes, this title is difficult to recommend. Significant updates and improvements would be necessary to address its myriad shortcomings and realize its potential.

The review code was provided by the publisher