Policenauts (PlayStation) review "It is basically an interactive anime buddy cop film with elements of hard science fiction."

Policenauts: A Game For Fans of Interactive Films, Buddy Cop Films, and Hard Science Fiction



Introduction:
I like scouring the web for relatively obscure games for 5th and 6th generation consoles. One game that came across my radar and was recommended on several websites was Hideo Kojima’s forgotten gem Policenauts, released first on the PC-9281 in Japan in 1994, then the 3DO in 1995, and later the Playstation, and Sega Saturn in 1996. This game is an adventure game with point and click elements but mostly an interactive anime film; it doesn’t quite have enough puzzle solving elements to be a ‘true’ point and click adventure game like the Monkey Island games. Although I really did enjoy this game, I found that a number of retro-reviewers gave this game a mediocre score. I did have some issues with this game, but I believe that many of the things that those reviewers didn’t like about the game is what appealed to me. So, although I recommend this game, I would recommend it mostly to a certain type of player.

This game was never officially localized in Europe, or America, and has never been released outside of Japan. The versions of the game for different systems all have various differences. The PlayStation and Saturn versions come with FMVs. For this review I played the PlayStation version which has thankfully been localized by a team of dedicated fans, and I must say that they did a fantastic job, with an attention to detail. There are patched versions of the game floating around online.

Plot:
The game is set (at the time of its release) in the near future where our protagonist Jonathan Ingram gets chosen to become a police officer in outer space, on a new space colony called the Beyond Coast. He is to be one of the elite Policenauts (a Portmanteau of Police and Astronauts). One day, while outside of the spaceship in a spacesuit, a terrible accident with his space suit occurs, and he is frozen cryogenically and does not age for 30 years until he is finally revived. He returns to Earth, which has changed quite a bit, and is now called Home. He lives in Los Angeles and works as a kind of P.I., catching kidnappers, etc.


Los Angeles in the future.

One day his former wife (who was half-Japanese) Lorraine Hojo (who unlike him has aged) contacts him and asks for help finding her missing husband, a Japanese man named Kenzo Hojo. The Hojos both lived in the newly expanded Beyond space colony and have a teenaged daughter. Her husband worked for a large industrial firm primarily known to produce pharmaceuticals, called the Tokugawa group. This powerful company is named after the man who established it, who was coincidentally one of the Policenauts like Jonathan. As Jonathan thinks about taking the case, his ex-wife is killed in front of his office with a bomb blast. Jonathan follows the suspect after a shootout and decides to take the case and go to the Beyond colony.


Lorraine Hojo asks for help.

He gets reunited with one of his old Policenaut friends, who is now the head detective on Beyond named Ed (who’s “getting too old for all of this”), and the two team up and start following the clues about Kenzo Hojo’s disappearance. It all eventually leads him to a plot of drug trafficking and organ smuggling, and large-scale corruption. There is quite a bit of drama, and psychological issues of living in deep space; deeper questions of what is right and wrong morally are explored. In terms of appearance Jonathan and Ed almost perfectly parallel the main characters from the buddy cop film Lethal Weapon (with Jonathan taking the role of the Mel Gibson character, and Ed taking the role of the Danny Glover character), and the similarity goes beyond just the superficial resemblance of the characters. Kojima was a huge fan of buddy cop films, and science fiction films like Blade Runner.


The main characters resemble those from Lethal Weapon.

Gameplay:

The majority of this game is through talking sequences where you can ask characters about various things or show them things. You can also interact with objects. As I mentioned some of the criticisms of this game was some of what I appreciated about it. Policenauts is heavy on the scientific terminology, and explaining how things work, or how fictional devices or medical procedures could plausibly work in that future world. I like science a lot and studied it in university so for me this wasn’t really a problem. I viewed it more as the characters trying to understand and appreciate the world around them through science, and that this added a dimension of realism, and depth to the game’s world, and was somewhat intellectually stimulating. I think however that most people probably wouldn’t be so inclined, especially if they aren’t particularly fond of science.

The other criticism I’ve heard about this game is the very long text sequences. I played this game slowly a little at a time, oftentimes relaxing (and sipping a beer). To me the dialogue added a certain depth to the characters, their thoughts, emotions and actions, and added a dimension of reality to the game. This wasn’t the type of game that I wanted to sit through and beat in a few hours. This was more like a visual novel, or interactive film that I wanted to immerse myself in to enjoy. I think this is how the game should be approached. Most of the game is just clicking through text sequences, but you often have to figure out what dialogues you have to play again to progress, which admittedly can get tedious at times.

Controls, and Hint:


A shooting sequence in the game.

The PS1 version supports controller, and the rare mouse as well, whereas the Saturn version supports a light gun which is ideally how the shooting sequences were supposed to be played out. It will be very difficult to do some of the shooting sequences with the controller if you try to use it in the same way as a light gun with aiming, and re-loading by shooting outside of the borders of the screen, you will probably die a lot. I only realized, a bit too late, that there is a reload button that greatly eases the shooting section, and auto-aim buttons as the L and R triggers that makes aiming with the controller much easier. I would definitely recommend using those.

More on Gameplay:

There are also a few puzzles in this game, one of which is actually a bomb defusing sequence, and will require very steady and precise controller input. However, if you fail enough your partner can do it for you, which prevents it from being too tedious. There is another part of the game that basically requires you to look in the manual to recognize the family crests to enter a computer, and you must use the manual or an internet guide as there is not enough information given in the game. So, player be forewarned you will probably need a guide if you emulate this game. Aside from a few things here and there, it is a straightforward game if you remember to talk about the same things over, and over again. Interspersed with the text are voiced dialogue parts [in Japanese] and every now and then there is animation to tell a part of the story. There are about 7 chapters of the game, but the first 2 are really the longest and where most of the investigating takes places. Most of the rest of the chapters are animated sequences, some dialogue, and arcade shooting sequences.

I took my time to read every single piece of dialogue, and think about the references, and practiced on the shooting range so this game probably took me about 17 hours, though if you skip all of the dialogue it will take a lot less than that. On average it would probably be about 10 hours.

Graphics, Music, and Tone:


Talking to Karen Hojo, at her home on Beyond space colony.

The graphics are very good if you like 90s style anime. The anime FMVs are also good but aren’t high resolution on the PlayStation. In many ways this game is geared towards a more mature audience. It is basically an interactive anime buddy cop film with elements of hard science fiction.

The long intricate dialogues which may be off-putting to some, can help to build the characters and help us empathize with them more. Kenzo Hojo’s daughter, Karen, for example, talks to us about her departed parents, she tells us some of the unique traits of her job as a reporter, and she confides in Jonathan that she is suffering from a disease for which she needs an organ transplant, or she will die. These kinds of personal backstories really help to give a realistic feel to the world and characters. Although I will admit that some of the dialogue may become tedious.

One of the best parts of this game is the music, which I believe was composed by the same people who did the soundtrack for Metal Gear Solid. It really sets the tone for whatever scene you are in. From the haunting main piece that makes you feel like you’re there on a mission, to the more sentimental parts of it when you are talking at the Hojo family home, a sadder but relaxing piece on the piano is played. Like the Lethal Weapon film, it also features nice saxophone jazz music.

Another aspect that I liked about this game is that it seemed to reference aspects of Japan bashing, which I think was more prominent in the 90s. Having a plethora of Japanese characters, it made many references to traditional Japanese culture. In casual conversation we learn what Tatami, and the Byobu are for instance.

I think that lovers of science fiction will come to appreciate the space setting and bringing up both the physical and psychological problems that this presents of humans living in space.
The plot is a lot more straightforward than some of the other Kojima games, which could be a good or bad thing depending on preferences.

Jonathan Ingram’s Lecherous Conduct:



Some reviewers complained about Jonathan being somewhat lecherous, always trying to hit on whoever he can find, and even grabbing women’s breasts throughout the game, which is complete with jiggle animation. Considering this is entertainment geared towards an older audience, and I was relaxing with a beer I didn’t really complain about that part. I didn’t find it to be particularly offensive though that perception will obviously vary. (He has been frozen for 30 years in space).

More on Social Issues Raised in this Game:



I think this game also makes a bigger statement about the pharmaceutical industry and the way it is medicalizing our lives for profits, and that we need to be aware of that. It also shows us the generally corrupt nature of man, but also man’s ability to do the right thing even in the most trying of circumstances with a certain degree of realism, which is something I really appreciated. I think there was a line in one of Jonathan Ingram’s speeches that really stuck with me. It was something like “Doing what we think is right is what life’s all about” which strongly resonated with me.

Bottom Line:

While I personally enjoyed this game, I realize that it does not necessarily have mass market appeal. It’s likely that its main audience would consist of people that like some combination of 90s anime, hard science fiction, buddy cop films à la Lethal Weapon, and point and click adventure games. If you satisfy that criterion, you should probably give this one a try, you’ll love it. For those that are curious they may want to see a bit of a playthrough of the game before actually setting it up for themselves [assuming they don’t understand Japanese and emulate it]. Hideo Kojima fans may also be curious about this game and want to give it a try. But this is no Metal Gear Solid, this is an interactive movie with some arcade shooting. Those that don’t enjoy reading long text sequences full of scientific references and want something with more action should probably pass on this one.

Policenauts has great animation, detailed scientific references, fun buddy cop aspect, nice music, and exploration of some deeper societal, and psychological issues, and in spite of being a niche game with a limited target audience it really is an experience worth trying out.

Overall: 8.5/10 Great

Honest Gamers Score: 4.5 stars (I round 8.5/10 to 9/10 which is 4.5/5)

Community review by Tailz (March 04, 2022) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.