Papers, Please

Very good. Cheeki Breeki

There aren't many indy games deemed must play, and Papers, Please seems to have reached that level. Sadly, I'm the obligatory naysayer - the one who doesn't get it. Not to say the game is bad - it has a decent enough base to expand upon, but as it is now, there's very little incentive to keep on playing. Playing as a border crossing officer, it's your job to decide who can pass and who can't. And living under an oppressive regime, you'll encounter countless people looking to cross simply to look for a better life elsewhere. Sadly, you're one of those oppressed people, and if you'll lose your job due to letting the wrong people through, you won't be able to support your family. It's an interesting mechanic, but the game is taken to too much of an extreme. So playing it, I had a hard time relating. It seems like no matter what you do, your family will start getting sick, inflating your bills. Don't pay your bills, and you'll be thrown to jail. It's just simply a cartoon version of an oppressive regime, rather than the real deal. The simple graphics don't help, either. Deciding on who to let through, you need to check their details very carefully. Sometimes the only problem with a person's papers are that their listed gender is the wrong one. Looking at them, you wouldn't really know. It makes Papers, Please into a game where you'll lose countless times. It's impossible getting past the first few stages of the game without failing over and over again. I don't mind learning from my mistakes and starting over, but sadly, starting over you'll encounter the same people and the same problems, making the game more a game of memorization. At least in the first few stages. Had there been some randomization, I think this game would have worked out much better. As is, I find it hard to play the same sections for the umpteenth time, just to get to a part I didn't get to see yet.

Amazing game. I have been looking forward to it since I played the demo. The universe Dukope has created is one that can span more games than just "The Republica Times" and "Papers, Please." Look forward to more great titles in this series.

In very simple appearance, complex game mechanics appear gradually. We quickly learn to identify some of the pitfalls but also we stay unaware of the danger in the most simple errors (eg wrong date) while we look for a more devious error. The game is very successful at this stage of development and it's hard to stop.

Lucas Pope has made a game that turns one of the most boring jobs imaginable and turns it into the most addictive game I've played this year. It's so good it gives FTL a run for it's money. And it will only cost 9.99 and 20 MB. EA take notes!