Papers, Please review: yes, please!

When you were a kid, you always dreamed of becoming an immigration officer, right? Of course you did! Inevitably, one thing lead to another and now you're off doing this job or that job, constantly thinking about how much better your life would be if you followed your dreams. Well, thanks to Papers, Please, your dreams can become reality as Papers, Please gives you the power to approve or deny access to the communist state of Arstotzka for whatever reason you fancy!

I know everyone won't think a game where you take the role of an immigration officer will be fun, but, hear me out, because there is more to Papers, Please than just stamping a passport one of two different ways.

At first, Papers, Please is very straightforward--you only have a few rules and not an overwhelming number of documents to check--but that soon changes as the rules change, new rules are added and new abilities are added at a constant rate; the story mode is broken up into days and I don't believe any two days are exactly the same. This constant rate of change and adjustment keeps the game from becoming a chore, a job; though, there is a very job-like feel to Papers, Please that made me stop and think, "Wait, what just happened?" It is quite interesting .

When I first played Papers, Please, I didn't know what I was doing and had to check my in-game rule book all the time to see if the details of a person's documents were accurate or not, but, like with a job, as I played more, I started to remember which cities were the issuing cities for each country; the difference between a counterfeit seal and a real one; and didn't have to rely on my rule book every single time. I felt a sense of accomplishment--like that of a real job--and, when I realized how Papers, Please managed the mimic the feel of a real job, I tipped my hat, because not only did it Papers, Please trick me into playing a job-like game, but it made the job fun too.

Part of the fun is the ability to say yes or no to every person, regardless of whether their documents are valid; if they are a diplomat; or if some underground rebels tell you to let someone through (or not through); ultimately, every decision is yours and yours alone; though, some decisions will have not-so-desirable consequences--the game keeps saves for each day, so, if your story ends sooner than later, you don't have to start from the beginning to fix your mistake(s). The writing is also quite enjoyable--though sometimes repetitive--filling the game with funny, sad, crazy, and many other kinds of characters.

The biggest problem when talking about Papers, Please is the desire to leave out as much as possible to avoid spoiling what is a very personal experience. Yes, there is a beginning and an end--well, twenty different ends to Papers, Please--but each journey is its own unique story despite the linear core that everything stems from. There are moments that take me out of the game--like when a person gets their reason for traveling wrong (how could anyone confuse work and play) and, if they correct it, are good to go; or occasional height oddities and gender-neutral looking characters--but overall, Papers, Please is fantastic game that is meant to be experienced and not read about or watched from afar, so, as I purposefully leave out a lot in this review, I hope I've given you enough to make the plunge and dive headfirst into a pile or papers; don't make me say please.

*Papers, Please is available now through the Humble Store, Steam, or GOG for $9.99.

Papers, Please (Direct Purchase | Steam | GOG)