Eventually you'll be checking four documents for discrepancies and scanning individuals for contraband and this all takes time, which means less credits. However, as the days progress, in typical bureaucratic fashion, more and more rules emerge, and more and more documentation is thrust upon you to check for discrepancies. At the start it's simply identifying any discrepancies in the passports you receive. Papers, Please is a game about identifying discrepancies. "So what?" you might say, "just process more visas then and problem solved, right?" Besides Day 1 of Campaign mode, it's not that simple. If you don't receive enough credits, your family could start dying and pretty soon it's game over. At the end of the day, you use these credits to provide food, medicine and to pay utility bills. accept or reject), the more credits you earn for your family. Your job is to process as many visas as possible before the end of the day. The bulk of the game is spent in your immigration checkpoint. The story does develop further as the days pass and you'll be given opportunities to make life or death decisions – even decisions that affect the future of the entire nation! That's pretty impressive power in the hands of one immigration officer.
Sometimes you even feel guilty for your actions (especially if you're playing an incorruptible immigration officer). The occasional story-line NPCs either make provide some comic relief or have you pause as you listen to their please for leniency. There's not actually too much of an initial plot but Pope's done a really good job in making Arstotzka a believable Eastern bloc nation. You and your family are allocated a "Class-8 dwelling" and you eke out a meagre existence by approving and rejecting visas.Īnd that's about it. During the national labour lottery, your name is pulled to be the immigration officer for a new border checkpoint. Papers, Please has you playing as a citizen of the communist nation of Arstotzka during the 1980s. I waited for the game to go on sale and when the price went below $10, I thought it too good an offer to pass up. When I first saw the news of this game I was blown away by its premise a computer game where you play an immigration officer processing people's visas? How on Earth could that be any fun? The retro look to the game and the fact I was curious to know whether Lucas Pope could authentically capture how it feels to be an immigration officer (or any public servant for that matter) did have me intrigued though. Time to bring out the big red DENIED stamp!