Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Papers, Please Review

This game encapsulates the drudge and monotony of working in a clerical job a little too well at times but it does also add a lot of twists and turns to bring in some excitement. The constant pressure to do a good job and make enough money to support your family, is enough to turn anyone to a little corruption...


It's amazing how much the game can convey with such a simple art style, in fact it only adds to the gameplay rather than detracts. Part of the reason simple art looks so good in this, is because it's set in a fictitious Soviet block country, during the 1980's. An art style like this really makes the little things stand out, for example, guards are normally blue in colour but your friend the guard, he is in green. The simplicity of the art style really conveys the depressing nature of the job but little things, like knowing your friend the green guard wants to speak to you, gives you hope.


The gameplay is a strange mix of absolute boredom, as you process yet another application, to the exhilarating adrenaline rush, of shooting your first terrorist. It's sort of more social experiment than game at times and it makes me feel sorry for all the lowly people getting their work done in a government position (well at least until I remember they get each and every public holiday off). I want to come back and find all the different endings to this game, yet at the same time I can't play very many game days, without wanting to stop. Like you're proverbial average job, it's tedious, frustrating and can't be done well as you tire


It's a great game, it's a terrible game, if the premise interests you at all, I would say it is well worth the mere $10USD admission price, even if you are just curious. It's never going to be for everyone but then that is the beauty of indie games 7.8/10.

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