THIS IS THE PRESIDENT
Political satire arose, perhaps, simultaneously with the advent of this very policy – anecdotes, jokes and ridicule of the highest leaders of the state have always been popular among the general population. Once upon a time, for impartial, but funny statements in the direction of those in power, one could lose one’s freedom, or even life, but today this is easier, isn’t it?
Instead of jokes, there are now, for example, our favorite video games. This Is the President from Russian developers SuperPAC, published under the auspices of THQ Nordic, is an example of such a modern satire that ridicules not only the existing political reality of the United States, of which the player is the president, but also all world politics. The name is consonant with This Is the Police for a reason – we have a continuation of this strategic dilogy from Weappy Studio. However, since another studio worked on This Is the President (the only common publisher), the result is also completely different. Better or worse than its predecessors? Let’s figure it out.
Player cover
Who are you Mr. President?
The just-concluded 2020 US presidential election has given the American people a new leader. Meet a former businessman, smart and ambitious, not without dark deeds behind his back, but at the same time an excellent leader who knows how to manage people and solve the most difficult problems. Nobody, however, knows about the main one, for the sake of which our Mr. President got involved in the election race. The fact is that the notorious skeletons in the closet, of which the protagonist has enough, sooner or later will lead him to jail – even the highest post will not save him. But there is a way out – while in power, to push through the adoption of the 28th amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees the full judicial immunity of the retired leader of the country, even if there are proven violations of the law.
In the meantime, a successful coup took place in Russia.
The task is not an easy one – not only will all branches of government and the majority of the population of the country have to be convinced of the need for such global changes, but also old enemies are putting spokes into the wheels. And how many new enemies will be added – do not count. Do not forget about your direct responsibilities: a constantly changing political environment requires difficult decisions, and one wrong step threatens with impeachment or a violation of stability around the world.
servant of the people
In the case of This Is the President, it is difficult to single out a specific genre – we have a manager, a strategy, and even … a visual novel. Our hero’s presidential term is divided into four years, during each of which it is necessary to complete one global task – for example, the first will be the accumulation of a tidy sum to bribe a shadow lobbyist so that Amendment 28 has even the slightest prospect of being passed.
The gameplay, as you understand, is step-by-step – one turn per month. During this month, there are many events (some are available immediately after the start of the turn, and others are added in the process), both related to the global task, and side ones necessary to gain political rating or replenish your own bank account.
These are personal expenses and income of the president himself – without money he can do little, despite all the might of the country under his rule.
Ratings and money are the key resources needed to stay in power. The rating will fall – there is nothing to think about popular support, what kind of global changes in the constitution are there; if the money runs out, it means that there is nothing to pay your employees with, and you will have to forget about other related expenses, which now and then arise even for the president himself.
By the way, about subordinates: we have a whole team of dedicated associates, specialists of all trades – from hackers to hired killers. In most cases, it is through them that the president interacts with the outside world – in fact, the leader of the nation will not solve all problems on his own. Although it depends on the type of event – in especially important cases, you will have to get down to business yourself.
Choice between bad and very bad
Suppose you need to conduct a small investigation in the interests of a promising ally in the political arena. We choose one or several specialists most suitable for solving the problem: it is clear that sending a blockhead bandit to such a case would not be the best solution, but a hacker and a former cop with connections, on the contrary, will come in handy.
The event itself is designed as a text quest, where you can choose from several options for actions, depending on the skills and abilities of the subordinates sent to the task. It is worth noting that success does not depend only on a well-chosen performer – what exactly he will do is up to the player himself. Here you can inadvertently get burned if you inattentively read the description of the task – the authors sometimes offer rather absurd solutions to problems. However, there are also simpler tasks, where it is enough just to indicate the performer – then he will cope on his own (or not cope if the choice was not entirely correct).
