Rank and Play ID: RNP-IGDB-2935

Papers, Please

Rank and Play

No ratings

Critic rating

82.4 / 100

5 votes

Release

Aug 8, 2013

Genres

Point-and-click, Puzzle

Overview

The communist state of Arstotzka has just ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin. Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested.

Storyline

The gameplay of Papers, Please focuses on the work life of an immigration inspector at a border checkpoint for the fictitious Eastern Bloc country of Arstotzka. The player inspects would-be immigrants' documents and uses a sparse array of tools to determine whether the papers are in order for the purpose of keeping spies, smugglers and other unwanted individuals out of the country. At the end of each in-game day, the player earns money based on how many immigrants they processed less any penalties for mistakes, and then must decide on a simple budget to spend that money on rent, food, heat, and other necessities in low-class housing for thems…