Mind Scanners

Papers Please set in a cyberpunk setting

You are a high-tech psychiatrists can miraculously cure any mental ailment, but you also live in a dystopian society on the edge of rebellion. Treatment involve purchasing various medical devices and apply your devices in various sequences. Each device is a simple minigame and I found them satisfying to use. The game is not text-heavy, but it is text-focused, a love of reading is needed to appreciate this game. In addition to being treated to a text-based decision tree during struggle between the Structure and the Moonrise (ie, government vs rebellion), you also need to navigate dialog with your patients (from the introduction to the correct interpretation of their mental state based on their description of what they see when subjected to a high tech Rorschach test). Beyond your decisions with the rebellion, the overall quality of the care you provide to your patient also influences the storyline. You have to pay for your upkeep (or it is game over) and you are always at most 2-3 always from running out of money (at least at normal difficulty) so there is always a tension between treating your patients well vs treating them fast. Assuming you deem them insane (a call you make), you need to cure their ailment while keeping their stress low to get paid. That's the minimum apparent quality of care that you must provide. However, you can also chose whether you want to preserve their personality or not. Preserving their mind takes extra time or money (both on short supply) so there is always that tension between doing your job well or expediently (it makes a difference for the ending and you might guess). There seems to be 9 endings for the game (from my single gameplay session, I experienced 2). You cannot branch your saves in the game, though you can rewind (irreversibly) at an arbitrary day in the past and recover from a disastrous game day(s) so being 'good' is harder, but not as hard as it may seem. Overall, it is a decent game that I enjoyed playing.

Not a bad management sim overall. Interesting and original premise, but does become a little repetitive once you have the mechanics down. The story in this one is pretty cool, trying to save your daughter by taking a job as a mind scanner. And that job consists of diagnosing people and determining if they are sane or not. If insane, then treatment is administered and that's where the game-play really begins. Treatment comes in the form of different mini games while trying to juggle time and the patients well being. This all culminates in multiple ending depending on how you play and choices you make, lending a little replay value. The visuals and sound might be a little bland, even for some cool images. But at least the game-play is fresh enough for one run through. Not bad for an indie title, however, once I got the hang of all the mechanics, things ran dry. Still, it's a good price for what it is and worth playing if you like management sims.

Papers Please but worse art and more dystopian. I'm sure some art students will enjoy it and it will 'speak to them.'