Review: Papers, Please

Papers, Please is a 2013 game by indie developer Lucas Pope, released on PC, Mac and Linux and later ported to the Playstation Vita. Quite possibly the most unique and innovative premise yet simultaneously dull sounding game in existence - Papers, Please is a paperwork simulator in which you assume the role of a border control guard in the fictional country of Arstotzka - checking passports and accompanying paperwork of those trying to enter the country and detaining any potential terrorists, smugglers or wanted criminals.

A very simple premise also features very simple controls - controlled exclusively with the mouse (and with some optional keyboard functions acquired later that I personally didn't use) - you click and drag the passports and paperwork onto your desk and inspect them for inconsistencies, expiration dates and signs of potential counterfeit documents. 

At your disposal you have a rule book, map of the continent, information regarding each country, a height chart and weight scales, fingerprinting ink and a x-ray machine - all of which will allow you to make the final decision of a green stamp allowing entry or a red stamp denying entry. And naturally anybody who is found with knifes or bombs taped to their thighs or is carrying fraudulent paperwork will be dragged off to the detention cells by the armed guards.

The fictional world to me resembles Germany around the time of the Berlin Wall - with countries divided into “East Grestin” and “West Grestin,” and possibly references neighboring countries like Poland and the Soviet Union. Fears around entrants being vaccinated against tetanus and polio and fears of human trafficking and smuggling also seem to fit within this real-world time period.

Occasionally your humanity will be called into question when you could reunite a mother and son or allow a person to immigrate to live with their husband despite having an expired passport or missing paperwork - but you will personally suffer a citation, lose your wages and potentially end up losing your job. The job, by the way which you “won” in a labour lottery due to jobs being so sought after in the poverty-stricken country - you must maintain a steady wage in order to feed your own family and heat the house in which they live - or else they risk becoming sick or potentially dying.

With each passing the day the rules become more and more strict - demanding that those seeking entry bring more and more different documents, including ID cards, visas, work permits, immigration forms and proof of vaccinations. Rules then demand regular searching of anybody from certain countries, matching height and weight to what's written down to the exact decimal place and cross examining everything they say to ensure no piece of evidence goes unchecked.

The slightest difference such as being a kilo overweight or spelling their name differently will demand further searching - such as taking their fingerprints, checking their background and having them strip completely naked to prove they're not hiding anything else. 

To further complicate matters, often there will be an applicant with a confusing gender - who may look male facially but their passport stats they are female. They must be subjected to a humiliating strip search where you physically examine their genitalia to either prove or disprove what the document says. Which to me seems like a breach of human rights for transgender or intersex people - but then again the game is set in 1983 so at least it's historically accurate - if not politically correct.

I recommend Papers, Please to anybody who can look past superficial things like graphics and storyline and can view unique indie games objectively - you gamers will be the ones who discover real gems and sink hours of your life into an experience you'll never match with any other title. If you're the sort of person who can't function without shooting something for 30 seconds, I recommend you click off this video now and go and choke yourself on Mountain Dew and Hot Pockets.

Perhaps you may struggle if you suffer from any difficulty like dyslexia or dyspraxia that hinders your ability to read - but the game demands a mixture of accuracy and speed, ensuring you can complete your assigned target promptly but also correctly, so don't rush and get sloppy - take your time, learn the rules and detain that convicted murderer on the front page of The Truth of Arstotzka!