Papers, Please is a Dystopian Document Thriller With a Free Beta

[Steven Bogos]

Papers, Please is a Dystopian Document Thriller With a Free Beta

Ever wanted to be the overly strict immigration officer denying entry to a Dystopian police state? Papers, Please gives you that chance.

Papers, Please puts you in the shoes of an immigration officer deciding the fate of citizens trying to enter the communist state of Arstotzka from neighboring border city Grestin. It's a very thinly veiled nod to the iconic East/West Berlin situation following World War II, but twisting things up by letting you play as "the villain." If you've always wanted to control the flow of illegal immigrants, you can download a free beta [http://dukope.com/#ppl] from developer Lucas Pope, who promises a full release sometime this summer.

The game is presented like one of those 90's era 16-bit PC adventure games, with a very "Soviet" vibe. As immigration officer, you will have to carefully monitor every immigrant's documents and only allow those with valid papers through the border. If you spot a discrepancy, you can interrogate them and deny entry. If you mess up and and let too many illegals through the border, you'll get a penalty to your paycheck.

As you play the game, you'll learn that the player character isn't such a villain after all. He is only being so harsh and strict at the border so he doesn't suffer pay penalties, as he needs every bit of his pittance of a salary to feed and care for his extended family. It's a delicate balance of being thorough enough to not let any undesirables through, while still being quick enough to process enough immigrants (and therefore, get a bigger payout) by the end of the day.

Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists, which can really disrupt your work day.

It's a fun little simulator that is presented beautifully and works really well, and it should only get better as the game reaches its official release. A little game in of itself on the Papers, Please website [http://papersplea.se/] reveals that the game will cost $10 at launch.

Source: Papers, Please [http://papersplea.se/]

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[Jumwa]

Tried this out some time ago, and it's a wonderful game. Really accomplishes something cool, thought-provoking and yet fun despite its grim tone.

I didn't get far however, because I want to wait for the full release. The developers will have my $10, and my attention upon launch.

 

[flarty]

I found it really depressing when I tried it.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

I've tried it and I enjoyed it. It tests your eyes, speed, and memorization. I wouldn't even have heard about it, if it weren't for youtube.

They're pretty good at drawing the moral grey areas between you, the civilians, and the state.

For the full version, I'm debating whether or not to keep a notepad alongside me for ease. Would that be enforcing the immersion or breaking it?

 

[RA92]

Stressful. Depressing. Amazing.

I really like the difficulty curve of this game - how each new rule is slowly introduced, quietly ramping up the depth and complexity.

 

[Alfador_VII]

I've tried it and I enjoyed it. It tests your eyes, speed, and memorization. I wouldn't even have heard about it, if it weren't for youtube.

They're pretty good at drawing the moral grey areas between you, the civilians, and the state.

For the full version, I'm debating whether or not to keep a notepad alongside me for ease. Would that be enforcing the immersion or breaking it?

So long as you take the money out of your salary for the notepad and pencils, that would be ok

It is a really good game, played the beta a few times.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED

This is so damn fun.

 

[MisterColeman]

Sounds dull as bricks, but is in reality an amazing indie game. It might be one of the best ever, even in its current limited form.

It is heavily implied that the person you play as was 'chosen' for the position, and I don't mean he applied and was the best so they choose him.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Tried this out some time ago, and it's a wonderful game. Really accomplishes something cool, thought-provoking and yet fun despite its grim tone.

I didn't get far however, because I want to wait for the full release. The developers will have my $10, and my attention upon launch.

There really isn't getting far. The beta (unless it's been changed) is only 6 days.

Sounds dull as bricks, but is in reality an amazing indie game. It might be one of the best ever, even in its current limited form.

It is heavily implied that the person you play as was 'chosen' for the position, and I don't mean he applied and was the best so they choose him.

The game isn't really about "fun" (in the traditional sense), it's about sending a message.

 

[2fish]

Fun game I will look into buying it oncewe know what that means other than costs money now.

This'l sell big in Arizona

There is only one rule in Arizona Brown=denied. The lack of brown people in that game means so few people to deny.

 

[Genocidicles]

Sounds awesome, but I hate paperwork in real life so much it almost borders on a phobia.

I'll give it a go anyway, might end up liking it.

 

[windlenot]

It's gard to explain to others why this game is fun, why accepting or denying people is "fun," but I got this some time ago, and it's an incredible experience. I love it.

 

[weirdee]

I think you can stop the serial killer if you use the discrepancy detector to match his name to the one in the newspaper. This is also how you save that girl later on.