1/7

Papers, Please is a paid RPG game like no other. You work as an immigration inspector in an imaginary Soviet-style country. The gameplay is that you check the documents of various immigrants, obey the laws and make difficult choices.

Captivating and thought provoking

The premise of Papers, Please is pretty simple: all you need to do is make sure that only people with their papers in order enter your country. You can run this game on Windows PC or Mac. There is also a version for iOS.

The country of this simulation resembles the Soviet Union during the Cold War, with city names such as Grestin, Arstotzka, and Kolechia. As a character, you don’t earn much, and you need to do your job properly in order to not get even less pay.

As an officer, it is your job to check people’s documents, consider potential problems, and interrogate people you encounter. Your main goal is to find inconsistencies, from fake documentation to expired forms.

As the game progresses, the process becomes more difficult. Sometimes people will be smuggling and sometimes you will have to deal with families. All sorts of mature themes spice up an otherwise simple routine.

You may receive a bribe or other incentives. Either way, you will have to make an ethical choice: do what is right or not.

There are two game modes. In Story Mode, you do paperwork and make moral decisions, balancing the needs of your family with the legitimacy of your job.

Once you complete the story mode, you will enter the endless mode with the Timed, Perfection, and Endurance versions. This is where you run into time constraints and a lot of problems.

The themes explored and the uniqueness of this game is unparalleled. You can find similar experiences in publications such as Limbs, Westport Independent and Republic Times.

Unique experience

While the graphics, music, and effects are a bit dated, the gameplay of Papers, Please makes it one of the most unique and addictive games out there. The storytelling aspect ensures that each player will have a customized, personalized experience in the game world.