Papers, Please

Papers, Please
Developer(s)	Lucas Pope
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, OS X
Release date(s)	August 8, 2013
Genre(s)	Puzzle, simulation
Distribution	Download

Papers, Please is a puzzle video game developed by indie game developer Lucas Pope, focusing on the emotional toll of working as an immigration officer, deciding whom to let in and whom to exclude from entering the fictional communist country of Arstotzka.^[1] The game was released on August 8, 2013, for Microsoft Windows and OS X.^[2][3]

Gameplay

The gameplay of Papers, Please focuses on the work life of an immigration inspector at a border checkpoint for the fictitious country of Arstotzka. The player inspects arrivals' documents and uses an array of tools to determine whether the papers are in order, for the purpose of keeping unwanted individuals, such as terrorists, wanted criminals, or smugglers, out of the country. When discrepancies are discovered, the player may interrogate the applicant about the discrepancy, and possibly demand further information, such as fingerprints or a full body scan. There are opportunities for the player to have the applicant arrested and the applicant may, at times, attempt to bribe the inspector.

The player's immigration checkpoint workstation in Papers, Please show the current arrival (left center), the various paperwork the player is currently processing (bottom right), and the current state of the checkpoint (top half). In the current case, the player has discovered an illegal weapon on the applicant from a body scan.

At the end of each in-game day, the player earns money based on how many people have been processed ($5 for each individual, accepted into Arstotzka or turned away) and bribes collected, less any penalties for mistakes, and then must decide on a simple budget to spend that money on rent, food, heat, and other necessities in low-class housing for themselves and their family. As relations between Arstotzka and nearby countries deteriorate, sometimes due to terrorist attacks, new sets of rules are gradually added, based on the game's story, such as denying citizens of specific countries or demanding current documentation from citizens. The player may be challenged with moral dilemmas as the game progresses; such as allowing the supposed spouse of an immigrant through despite lacking complete papers, at the risk of accepting a terrorist into the country. The game uses a mix of randomly generated entrants and special encounters. Randomly generated entrants are created using templates.

A mysterious anti-government organization known as EZIC also appears, with several of its members appearing at the checkpoint, giving the inspector orders to help bring down the government and establish a new one; the player can choose whether to help this organization or not.

The game has a scripted story mode with twenty possible endings depending on the player's actions, as well as an unlockable, randomized endless-play mode.^[2][3]

Development

Papers, Please was being developed by Lucas Pope beginning in November 2012, using the Haxe programming language and the NME framework, both open-source.^[4] As an American living in Japan, Pope dealt with immigration in his international travels and thought the experience, which he describes as "tense", could be made into a fun game.^[1][3] Before release, Pope had set up a name submission form for the public, where people could submit their own names to be randomly assigned to scripted characters in the game. Papers, Please was submitted to Steam Greenlight on April 11, 2013, and was greenlit on May 1.^[4][5]

Reception

Papers, Please has been praised for the sense of immersion provided by the game mechanics, and the intense emotional reaction.^[14] CBC News' Jonathan Ore called Papers, Please a "nerve-racking sleuthing game with relentless pacing and dozens of compelling characters – all from a desk job".^[15] Simon Parkin writing for The New Yorker blog declared Papers, Please the top video game of 2013. He wrote: "Grim yet affecting, it’s a game that may change your attitude the next time you’re in line at the airport."^[16]

Some critics however reacted against the paperwork gameplay. Stephanie Bendixsen from the ABC's game review show Good Game found the game "tedious", commenting "while I found the issues that arose from the decisions you are forced to make quite interesting, I was just so bored that I just struggled to go from one day to the next. I was torn between wanting to find out more, and just wanting it all to stop."^[17]

Papers, Please was nominated in the categories of "Excellence in Narrative" and "Excellence in Design" and named as a finalist in both the Nuovo and Seumas McNally Grand Prize for the 2014 Independent Games Festival Awards.^[18]

References

External links

• Official website
• Developer's website