Papers, Please Review

A mind-blowing puzzle simulation game was created by a solo indie developer, Lucas Pope. It is incredible how people can think of a game like this, where you simply play as an immigration officer and that's it. The game is out 7 years ago and I still have a good time playing it.

The game takes place where you work as an Inspector that holds the border of a country called Arstotzka, a fictional German like country in the 80s. You work and maintain the survival of your family where you need to rent an apartment and such. As the story progress, you will be offered some dirty jobs like an illegal immigrant, terrorism, and such. All your choice will affect 1 out of 20 endings, so make sure you be a good inspector.

When you work as an immigration inspector, you make sure every data the immigrant has is correct, viable, and current. When the passport is expired, you got to deny it, even when they beg for you. Each time you play it, the level will evolve and a new mechanic is introduced like an X-ray, entry permit, wanted criminal, etc. It is an interesting gameplay experience when you just chill and check, but you have to focus to verify the immigrant's passport.

You can tell by the graphics itself that the time takes place in the 80s era where the color is grey and shady which still a great color pallet. I like the pixel artstyle and the fact that he implemented it in all game art. The music is heavy and dark, and it brings Arstotzka vibe in it on how hard time the world has become. The heavy sound also makes you a scary figure to the immigrant and it fused inside of you.

Basically, this is the game that everyone should play where they have a concentration problem. I find this game very useful where I need to order a flight ticket for my family & friends and need to verify every single piece of data on the passport. I like how the game feels that it is a fantastic job to be an immigrant inspector. The downside, I'm just sad that there're no sequel or gameplay update what so ever.