I forgot to actually write a review for this one, I'm not sure if reviews were a thing when this came out. May as well start now.

"Papers, Please" is a unique point of view of one person doing one simple job, yet ends up in such stange turns of events that make any other job seem mundane, from secret orders to defusing a bomb on the job.

"Papers, Please" is an interesting play on the conflict during the early 1960's to late 1980's, in which Berlin, Germany was split into East, which was occupied by the Soviet during WWII and the Cold War, and West.

You, the player, take on the role of the border inspect those wishing to cross the border in Arstotzka to do whatever they desire, from immigrating to transitioning. This task is deceivingly simple, as you will learn very quickly.

As said earlier, you inspect individuals wishing to cross the border to go elsewhere, mainly their passports and any other documentation they must bring. You have to inspect every little detail on these bits of paper in order to determine what's kosher. The rules change almost daily, and missing a small detail will earn you that terrifying sound of paper printing and a citation. This may mean nothing at first, but it builds up over time.

The gameplay is simple: Check documents, check for discrepancies, and approve or deny people access over the border. That said, the game becomes more and more of a one-man juggling act as you continue to have more rules thrown your way. Not only do you have to deal with increasing piles of documentation, but you'll have run ins with, what I like to call, "Event NPCs", which give you the option to do a certain action, usually at your detriment. These Event NPCs can be one-off's to re-occurring characters that you sorta find yourself attached to. A side-task that appears after everyday is the status of your family members. They basically live off of your paycheck, which you receive day to day. You can choose to give them food, pay for heat, and for medicine should sickness occur. You can also move up to better rooms, buy booth upgrades, and incur unique charges to alter the game's story some. Whether or not you do any of this is entirely up to you. What you have no choice in is the rent due, which goes up if you move into better apartments.

The border is a drab, very militarized, very unfriendly looking place, with guns at every corner and an unhappy border-crossing individual at every step. There is only one main song that plays (there are others but those require special steps). The rest of the game is extremely quiet. While that sounds bad, it actually helps you focus on a task that requires a lot of cross-examination and speed. It really sets the mood for the place you're stationed in. You're not going to enjoy yourself for long periods of time, but there will be those Event NPCs to shake things up a bit, maybe even make you smile.

It's a super simple game, not a lot of action, but at the same time, it's super complex. If you wanna pretend to be a border inspector and meet some really unique individuals that'll make being an inspector like some kind of comic book adventure, then go for it. It's cheap, its pretty dang long, and the game has enough interesting twists here and there to keep you thinking "I wonder what happens tomorrow".

I forgot to actually write a review for this one, I'm not sure if reviews were a thing when this came out. May as well start now. [h1]Abstract - [/h1]"Papers, Please" is a unique point of view of one person doing one simple job, yet ends up in such stange turns of events that make any other job seem mundane, from secret orders to defusing a bomb on the job. [h1]What it is - [/h1]"Papers, Please" is an interesting play on the conflict during the early 1960's to late 1980's, in which Berlin, Germany was split into East, which was occupied by the Soviet during WWII and the Cold War, and West. [h1]Who you are - [/h1]You, the player, take on the role of the border inspect those wishing to cross the border in Arstotzka to do whatever they desire, from immigrating to transitioning. This task is deceivingly simple, as you will learn very quickly. [h1]What you do in game - [/h1]As said earlier, you inspect individuals wishing to cross the border to go elsewhere, mainly their passports and any other documentation they must bring. You have to inspect every little detail on these bits of paper in order to determine what's kosher. The rules change almost daily, and missing a small detail will earn you that terrifying sound of paper printing and a citation. This may mean nothing at first, but it builds up over time. [h1]Gameplay - [/h1]The gameplay is simple: Check documents, check for discrepancies, and approve or deny people access over the border. That said, the game becomes more and more of a one-man juggling act as you continue to have more rules thrown your way. Not only do you have to deal with increasing piles of documentation, but you'll have run ins with, what I like to call, "Event NPCs", which give you the option to do a certain action, usually at your detriment. These Event NPCs can be one-off's to re-occurring characters that you sorta find yourself attached to. A side-task that appears after everyday is the status of your family members. They basically live off of your paycheck, which you receive day to day. You can choose to give them food, pay for heat, and for medicine should sickness occur. You can also move up to better rooms, buy booth upgrades, and incur unique charges to alter the game's story some. Whether or not you do any of this is entirely up to you. What you have no choice in is the rent due, which goes up if you move into better apartments. [h1]Envionment - [/h1]The border is a drab, very militarized, very unfriendly looking place, with guns at every corner and an unhappy border-crossing individual at every step. There is only one main song that plays (there are others but those require special steps). The rest of the game is extremely quiet. While that sounds bad, it actually helps you focus on a task that requires a lot of cross-examination and speed. It really sets the mood for the place you're stationed in. You're not going to enjoy yourself for long periods of time, but there will be those Event NPCs to shake things up a bit, maybe even make you smile. [h1]Conclusion - [/h1]It's a super simple game, not a lot of action, but at the same time, it's super complex. If you wanna pretend to be a border inspector and meet some really unique individuals that'll make being an inspector like some kind of comic book adventure, then go for it. It's cheap, its pretty dang long, and the game has enough interesting twists here and there to keep you thinking "I wonder what happens tomorrow".