This Is the President (PC) Review

It's hard to realise just by watching at a trailer that this isn't really a strategy. It has the player control a couple of resources, and make important decisions, but it frequently plays like those create-your-own-adventure games. More like a visual novel than something that requires a tactical mindset, especially in the first two hours or so. The real unfortunate thing is that it doesn't commit to either side, ruining an otherwise neat concept, which is the fact that you are basically the newly elected President of the USA.

The whole thing mostly revolves around dialogue sequences, like a press conference, a meeting with the previous POTUS (how many Trump satires can this world handle?), and so on and forth, with the choices that one makes affecting the public opinion towards the President. Aside from those sections, he has to assign his crewmembers to all sorts of tasks, with their success rate being depended on who you send to do what. In other words, when you need someone with knowledge of technology you use the hacker, and when you need some muscle you use… well, your muscle.

Simple stuff, that don't require much thinking really, not to mention that some spots are all about luck. Trial and error rather than thinking your options, which is the first problem with This Is the President: it won't satisfy those who want a good strategy game. In fact, those of you who read this now can safely stop doing so, and just go play Tropico or Frostpunk. You are welcome. To those who are here for the narrative aspect, the story, political satire, and so on… better lower your expectations, because this is mediocre at best.

Comedy, and especially satire, is not as easy as many people think it is. Great satire is subtle, says something but means something else, points at the problem in a smart way that makes people think, and it frequently offends the people it targets, because… well, it speaks the truth. Lacklustre satire just shows what it has to show, and then elbow-pokes, and wink-winks. It's too obvious, and doesn't really manage to say anything other than "Polititians are corrupt!" Really?! No one has ever thought of that!

So, you, the President are in the oval office, not to help the people, or "fight the system," but to pass an Amendment that will provide immunity for past crimes; your right-hand guy is all about the good life; the first lady is a cold machine that only thinks in ratings; the one handling your image has a very "the ends justify the means" worldview, and so on and forth. All these provide some low-key humour that gets tiring too soon, the characters are simplistic, one-note personalities and are completely forgettable, and finally the various jabs at the political system of USA are toothless at best.

It should also be noted that a lot in here are somewhat predetermined, leaving the player little room to role-play even a bit. Ok, so they don't let you be a good person. You are supposed to be a corrupt bastard, so play along. Can you act like [insert THAT president] or like [insert the OTHER president]? Not really. You are forced into a specific path, with the options in front of you simply affecting your chances at success or not, and nothing more than that.