This Is the President

If you like the idea of political thrillers that can carry an intriguing storyline, then you might want to take a look at This Is the President. This title has gained some interesting responses since it was released in early December 2021, and it already looks quite a good little piece of interactive fiction. One thing to note about this particular title is that it has a good blend of strategy and story-telling, making it a useful choice for people looking for a way to simply enjoy a story they take part in.

Developed by SuperPAC and published by THQ Nordic, this is an interesting title with plenty to say for itself. Some people, though, might find some of the obvious real-world political allegories more than a little overdone.

Political fiction with a strategic edge

So, one thing to note about this game is that you will be taking on the role of President. Yet you come from a less than clean background, and the sole aim of this game is to create murk, hide your own dodgy past, and do everything you can to clean up your name – even if it means sending the country into absolute chaos.

This means that most of the decisions you make come from a very lawless perspective. Despite being the head of a government, you pull every trick you can to save your own skin even at the expense of others. You are expected to make tough decisions, cut corners, and essentially be a cheat. You might compare this to something like We Are The Police, so if you have played that you might find something similar here.

It has some interesting tactical elements you need to take into account, and each decision tends to have some form of consequence. However, the tactical styling of the game is easy to follow, though the skin-deep nature of the actual strategic gameplay means you can find that it becomes a touch repetitive with enough time spent playing.

A political thriller with a little too much cringe (7/10)

Anyone who has followed the political world in the last decade-plus knows all too well how much sleaze and corruption exists. This game, though, manages to build an entire narrative around this kind of attitude. Sometimes, it feels like a bit of a cringefest, trying to shoehorn in obvious references to a former US President that can become more than a touch tiresome. Some of the writing is fine, other parts feel like they were lifted from a political argument on Reddit.

The storyline can be a bit grating, cringing at times, and the general nature of the actual gameplay can become repetitive. There is, though, enough heart and soul here to keep you coming back for more until you finish at least one playthrough.

Pros

• Good enough gameplay loop to keep you playing for at least one playthrough
• Actions have consequences, which can lead to some interesting end results

Cons

• Basic strategy elements can feel really easy to game and to work around at times
• Political writing and storytelling can feel like it is a little bit too simplistic/one-sided