Papers, Please - A Dystopian Document Thriller

[TronPaul]

Dev site (with download)


The game's style is superb. The music, art and feel fit so well. I am loving this.
GLORY TO ARSTOTZKA

[reignofevil]

Just chiming in to say that checking and verifying paperwork has never been as engaging as this little download right here. To anyone who has left this link slide by without a try, it is a very short demo that does a particularly good job at commenting on border crossing in general and also hints at a level of depth in the game proper where you are forced to either make moral decisions to accept bribes or no in order to keep your family fed.

Really the only actual criticism of the setup I have seen bandied around is that in this hypothetical soviet block country, you are forced to pay for your own food, housing, heat, and medicine.

[Tolya]

It's also very playable. It is funny how much gameplay you can squeeze out of the old "compare two pictures and find 10 differences" concept. This game is a breeze of genius.

Check out other games by that guy. Especially Republia Times, which is a very simple game about running a newspaper in a totalitariantate. I urge you to play through the entire 10 days, even though it stops being a challenge very fast, the story twist made me fall out of chair laughing.

Also, why would someone believe that in a soviet block country food, housing, heat and medicine are free? This opinion looks like it came from a redneck bottle shooting contest.

[Simon_Jester]

The beta is good. Sometimes I wished for interactive dialog, just so I could say things like "comrade, this passport appears to have been forged. By a left-handed toddler. In crayon. Also, there is no such country as "Cobrastan."

I actually found the game EASIER as I went along. On the first few days I have trouble getting more than 7-8 people processed before the clock runs out, because it runs at an accelerated rate. As you have more complicated rules to follow (i.e. cross-checking multiple documents) the clock slows down, and somehow I was able to get 10-13 people done in that time.

Since it takes 10 or 11 people processed to keep the heating on overnight, this made the game less stressful.

[Jub]

How do you process people without papers? The game doesn't make that one overly clear.

[Simon_Jester]

Use the "note discrepancy" tool. Point one end of the 'discrepancy' to the empty counter where they didn't put down their papers, and the other end to the entry in the rule book where it says they have to have the appropriate papers.

[Jub]

That makes sense, I was stuck on that for a bit clicking on random stuff.

[PeZook]

That bit is unnecessarily onerous, though. The other areas of the game try to reward you for memorizing regulations, so it really shouldn't be that involving to simply point out "Where are your documents?"

[Covenant]

It takes forever to highlight it too. It is a real pain. I think the lack of documentation should be covered by an automatic interrogation.

[Simon_Jester]

Do you get punished for failing to detain people with forged passports on the eighth day? That's when they start looking for fake seals on documentation.

[Ford Prefect]

Do you get punished for failing to detain people with forged passports on the eighth day? That's when they start looking for fake seals on documentation.

Yeah, you'll get penalised if the seal is wrong.

[Simon_Jester]

But do you get punished if you say "rejected" without interrogating them?

[DarkArk]

No, so far as I can tell. Makes the game somewhat broken, but I discovered that's the best way to deal with people having the wrong stuff. Maybe it will mean more when you have the full game, so you can help people out?

Enjoying it overall, curious what the full game will look like.

[Simon_Jester]

The way I figure it, if you catch people using forged seals or smuggling contraband, sure, throw them to the guards. If the passport seems valid and there's just something fucked up, though, send 'em back.