Quick Review: Papers, Please

....Glory to Arstotzka?

The first person - welcome back to Arstotzka!

Developed by Lucas Pope, published by 6900 and released on August 8th, 2013, Papers, Please begins in late November 1982, in the totalitarian peaceful country of Atstotzka. You are selected by the lottery to serve as border patrol, with your family moved to a new apartment closer to your new workplace. Your job? Inspect the documents of all who wish to enter the country. Approve those whose papers are all in order, and deny entry to those whose documents show issues. Interrogate in the case of discrepancies if those can be cleared up, and deal with the criminals.

For, you see, Arstotzka is constantly under attack. No later than Day 2 are you reminded of that, when your shift is cut short by a running bomber. Yikes. You are the best line of defense! Make your country proud! (And if your family could not die from cold, hunger or sickness, that’d be nice too.)

....well fuck. Looks like we need to worry about the
top half of the screen too...

I mean, if you get tricked by this blatantly crayoned-in
passport, that's on you.

That means dealing with the fickle requests that come from the government, with your job changing constantly. Your first day is straightforward; only Arstotzkans. Then, you can let foreigners in. Requests get increasingly complex, with more documents being asked from people. But you have to do your job fast, as your pay depends on the number of people you screen – no matter whether you let them in or not. But you still must do your job right; you’re only allowed two mistakes a day, after which the government will issue a monetary penalty for each next violation. (Y’know, if whoever sends me these violations can do so mere seconds after I’ve made a mistake, then why am I doing this job when, clearly that person could be doing it way fucking better than me??) That’s before you get home and choose how to spend that money: Heating? Food? Medicine? Sometimes you can only pick one. Nothing but heartbreaking choices to make.

Sorry sir, you can't come into the country with this thing
taped to your leg.

Then, between the unlucky ones and the lowly crooks, there’s actual terrorists trying to pass through.  Keep doing your job as well as possible. Most entrants are randomized, but some are scripted; those tend to happen similarly across playthroughs but may change depending on your choices. You can even end up embroiled into a spy story! This tale can go one of many different ways based on your performance and decisions; there are 20 endings to look for. Yes, you’ve read that right. Good luck. (Oh, and by beating the game once, you unlock an Endless Mode.)

Sorry ma'am, your permit was good until yesterday. (It says
28th, date at the bottom left says 29). Better luck next time
immigrating. Or maybe you can find a better place to live,
'cause from all I've seen, Arstotzka freaking sucks.

The game has many ways of tricking you. Be on your guard.
I noticed the statement discrepancy... and overlooked the
non-matching passport photo. Whoooops.

Papers, Please may not become a game you’ll love, but it’s one you’ll respect. Its concept is unique (how many games are about bureaucracy of all things?), and its setup presents challenges hardly seen elsewhere. It’s stressful due to the demanded speed of action and risk of penalties, and it’s very easy to get tripped up by things you didn't see coming. Difficulty increases gradually, with new rules to follow and papers to request from each person. As you approach the end, you have several papers to look over, increasing the odds of a screw-up.

...Yeah, it becomes a lot.

And that’s before you factor in the many plot threads that come up through scripted encounters. As an example, someone warning you about a criminal waiting in line... And that’s before you also consider your family’s needs. It’s not a game I would call fun; rough and taxing, maybe. And yet, that’s all by design, it's all part of the unique experience. It’s an intriguing concept that tells a fascinating story with many outcomes, and through skill and nerve, you choose how it goes. Yeah, I can’t say I love it, I like it just fine, but I respect what it does, because it does it so well.

Papers, Please is available on Steam for 9.99$ USD.