{
  "id": 13502964,
  "title": "Strange Scaffold announces Gods With Badges, a tactics game where you decide when to switch off your bodycam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/strange-scaffold-announces-gods-with-badges-a-tactics-game-where-you",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T19:09:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Eurogamer",
    "slug": "eurogamer",
    "url": "https://www.eurogamer.net/gods-with-badges-strange-scaffold-narrative-tactics-police-game"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Strange Scaffold, the studio known for titles such as I Am Your Beast and El Paso, Elsewhere, has unveiled Gods With Badges, a narrative tactics game set in the future. The game was showcased at the Triple-I Initiative on October 8th and is scheduled to release on Steam for PC in 2027. Players assume the role of Harrow McClellan, a disgraced police officer who returns to her original post after a previous scandal became a legend in law enforcement.\n\nThroughout the game, every decision players make is influenced by their desire to play into Harrow's established reputation or attempt to rise above it. Patrols in the dystopian city of Scarhelm involve searching for evidence, seizing contraband, and investigating complaints. Dialogue choices, arrests, and the use of force all shape Harrow's relationships with fellow officers, the public, and the institutions around her. When situations escalate, the game transitions to isometric turn-based combat, where players can take cover, rescue hostages, and decide the level of force used. Additionally, players have the option to disable Harrow's body camera, granting new tactical and dialogue options but eliminating any public record of the events that transpire.\n\nOriginally conceived as Hard Justice, an unrealized project by strategy studio Artificer, Strange Scaffold has built upon its foundations and developed the game in their unique style. This is also part of Project Share, an initiative initiated by Strange Scaffold last year that aims to encourage developers to exchange technology and explore sustainable methods of game creation. The first collaboration under this initiative resulted in Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1: Re-Raptored.\n\nThe ambitious nature of Gods With Badges, driven by its production circumstances and desire for cultural impact, marks one of the most significant projects Strange Scaffold has undertaken so far. Studio head Xalavier Nelson Jr. expressed gratitude to the original developers at Artificer for entrusting them with the project and expressed anticipation for the public's response. The game's soundtrack is created by composer Kris Kirk, who also worked on Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator. Despite previous experiences with Strange Scaffold, such as their offering I Am Your Beast, Nelson Jr. praised the game for its powerful soundtrack, tight gameplay, and thought-provoking premise.",
  "summary": "Strange Scaffold, the studio behind I Am Your Beast and El Paso, Elsewhere, has announced Gods With Badges, a narrative tactics game about the power police hold over life and death. Read more",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}