You can say many things about indie developers, but that they lack imagination and innovation is not one of them. Nowadays most indie developers have somehow made games of anything you can think of, some of them simpler than others. Papers, Please is a clear example of a different type of game that could never be developed by a AAA company.
Among many reasons, is the simplicity of the game, and how it works as a documentary -pun intended- a game about a fictitious country. But is imagination enough to make something anyone can enjoy? Let's talk a little about Papers, Please here.
Papers helps you focus on the task at hand with our full-screen Enhanced PDF reader. Highlight, underline, strike through, make inline notes, draw and add sticky notes. Switch between different documents with tabs, view supplemental files or jump to referenced articles - conveniently linked inline. See our enhanced reader in action. The gameplay consists of you checking papers of various immigrants, following the laws, and making tough choices. Engaging and thought-provoking. The premise of Papers, Please is quite simple: all you need to do is ensure that only people with their papers in order enter your country. You can run this game on your Windows or Mac PC.
About the game
We live in 1982, in the imaginary communist Republic of Arstotzka, but we won't be taking into exciting missions, nor are we soldiers going to war with the equally imaginary Kolechia. You won't be fighting to defend your country, nor saving the world from an alien invasion.
In Papers, Please we play as an employee in the Ministry of Immigration, and we are the ones in charge of deciding who gets in and who doesn't. Yes, we are a simple government agent, our job is to place a stamp on the documents of these people, allowing them to get in, or getting them out of our country.
Working 12 Hours a day, you'll have to ask some questions and verify that everything to judge who can get through and enter the country. Keep in mind that this will be getting tougher and tougher by the day and that you only get paid by the number of papers you stamp.
Your pay is minimal, so you'll have to be efficient in your job to guarantee an income for your household, but be careful of becoming corrupt, for there are serious consequences for thin behavior against the motherland.
A new precursor in gaming
This is, by all means, a game not just for fun. But it also serves as some sort of fake documentary about a communist country and their lifestyle. It's serious gaming in every sense. Don't worry, there are some events to lighten things up from time to time, but never fully relax and keep an eye out.
This game could very well be an inspiration for other indie developers such as Sukeban Games, developers of VA-11 HALL-A: A Cyberpunk Bartender Action. A game where your main job is to serve drinks and get to know your customers. This while making sure you're making enough money to pay for your expenses.
Review
Papers, Please is not a game for everybody, nor is it easy to recommend. But what it is is a very interesting experiment about the bureaucracy and corruption of these systems. And it places us in the place of the most normal of beings during a war, which is not something you see every day in gaming.
Graphics and Visuals: The artistic department of this game is excellent. With a design and colors that completely fit the thematic of the title, the graphics are simple yet efficient.
Gameplay: Interesting mechanics in an easy to control the game. Getting to know all your tools is key to spotting out smugglers and liars in your job
Sound: A Minimalist soundtrack that goes incredibly well with the dull, dark atmosphere of the game
An interesting and unique RPG adventure
Papers, Please is an engaging, unique, and fun game for Windows PCs. In this RPG simulation, you serve as an immigration inspector, checking everyone’s papers at the border. Your job is to stop criminals and smugglers from entering the country while following all kinds of immigration laws. In this process, you need to make tough choices, which could affect families, relationships, and lives.
A well-designed simulation game for Windows
Papers, Please is a popular role-playing game, which is set in a Soviet-style fictional country. As an immigration officer, you need to diligently check documents, interrogate visitors, consider deceitful applications, and choose to separate children from their families. In order to keep intruders from trespassing into the country, you need to make a lot of tough choices.
Papers For Mac
What’s the plot?
As mentioned earlier, the game is set in a Soviet-style country with multiple cities and towns, including Arstotzka, Kolechia, and Grestin. The main character doesn’t earn much and needs to pay penalties every now and then. With every level in the game, the paperwork process gets more complicated. While families try to illegally enter the country, smugglers attempt to sneak in drugs, weapons, and other objects.
Like Grand Theft Auto V and Warcraft III, this Windows game offers the perfect combination of efficiency, tough choices, curiosity, and decision-making. As an immigration inspector in 1982, you need to scrutinize hundreds of documents on a daily basis. Even some spies try to enter the country, and therefore, you need to keep a check on fake IDs, expired paperwork, lying trespassers, etc. The game also has fingerprint systems, which can be used to authenticate visitors.
The strategy game is based on the backdrop of the Cold War. Therefore, it becomes even more important for the immigration officer to keep a check on everything. But with various incentives for breaking the rules, you’re always tempted to take money from anti-social elements. However, if you’re caught, it can lead to heavy penalties and other dire consequences.
Is Papers, Please engaging?
The game gets more interesting with every visitor trying to test your compassion, empathy, and loyalty. While considering the well-being of your family and loved ones, you need to give others a chance for survival. Every day on the job ends with a specific score, which defines your earnings, penalties, expenses, bribes, and other parameters.
With your wife, you need to pay for food, medicine, tuition, rent, heat, and other essentials. Since you don’t earn a lot on the job, bribes take centerstage. The character can’t afford to pay for everything without taking bribes. Thus, in this RPG, you make discreet attempts to extract money from travelers, immigrants, and criminals.
What about the game modes?
While games like Fortnite Battle Royale depend on a multiplayer setting, Papers, Please takes a different route. There’s a Story mode, which focuses on paperwork. In this version of the game, you need to take moral decisions, while other offices keep a check on your habits and earnings. Throughout the game, you need to separate families, engage with criminals, deny entries to immigrants, etc.
On committing mistakes in the paperwork, you need to pay a heavy fine to the Ministry of Admission. Over time, this leaves you with less money for food, medicine, heat, etc. Simply put, this Window game requires you to make tough choices to keep your family safe.
Once you’re done with the Story mode, you should try the game’s Endless version. While this mode offers fewer surprises, it comes with various chapters, including Timed, Perfection, and Endurance. In this mode, you need to focus on a fixed storyline, making choices that take you from one level to another.
Our take
Whether you’re a fan of role-playing games or strategy games, Papers, Please will not disappoint. The well-designed adventure ride proves to be a lot of fun. Set in the Cold era, the game requires you to make moral choices, which affect your own livelihood and survival. In a simulation-style setting, Papers, Please has been winning the hearts of people around the world.
Should you download it?
Unlike other popular titles, Papers, Please doesn’t come with next-gen sounds or graphics. However, the storyline keeps you engaged with various game mechanics combined with interesting plots. Overall, the game is an excellent choice for Windows PCs.
Highs
- Gives a unique perspective on RPGs
- Offers challenging gameplay
- Comes with an engaging storyline
Papers, Pleasefor Windows
Mac Please Me
1.2.70