Stop crime from the shadows in this stealth game

Rebel Cops is a turn-based action-strategy stealth video game wherein you fight to take down a crime boss. Offered by HandyGames for mobile and originally developed by Weappy Studio, Rebel Cops is a spin-off of This Is the Police and exclusively focuses more on the series’ turned-based tactical operations. The story follows the struggles of a group of vigilante cops who’ve decided to save their poor town from the machinations of a corrupt businessman.

Your code of honor

In Rebel Cops, you have to covertly fight off crime boss Viktor Zuev’s influence in the town of Ripton. Everyone has bowed down to his rule—even your fellow police officers—and you can’t exactly go in all guns a-blazing to defeat him. There are no health bars in this game so one hit is all it takes to bring a teammate down. You need to consider your options when moving about the map.

This game features an isometric view of the expansive map. You’re offered a grid-like view of how far your chosen characters can move and exploring will yield important loot that you’re badly in need of. The guerilla cops each have special tactical perks that unlock as you upgrade them. It’s recommended to approach an enemy quietly and take them down to prevent raising an alarm. You can conceal yourself using the environment to do so.

However, while the cops still have their gun, the interactions they can execute are still mostly of the non-lethal kind—using weapons to knock out or just arrest goons. Taking a life can negatively impact your reputation or Street Cred, which will change the town’s view of you. Merchants might not want to sell their goods and a teammate may even backstab you. Helping out the townsfolk through missions is another strategy to overcome. 

Can be difficult

Overall, Rebel Cops is a nice spin-off to a beloved strategy game. However, its challenging gameplay has downsides that can be frustrating. For one, the maps are huge but your team’s movement space is so small. Items can’t be repaired. You can’t even loot dead or apprehended enemies. Fortunately, you can play without ads and the game supports over 11 languages. This is still a title worth checking out.