Papers, Please

it good

If 1984 were a video game, it would be 'Papers, Please'. 'Papers, Please' Is a thoughtful exploration and interactive challenge that pits your desire to succeed against your morality. The art style of this game perfectly captures the bleak and politically challenged setting of Arstotzka. I don't think this game would be as good if it were hyper realistic and I believe a lot of it's success is due to it's simple yet provocative choice in art. As far as gameplay is concerned, this game is niche but extremely enjoyable if you like high pressure detail oriented challenges. I personally like this gameplay a lot, but its not one that I can broadly recommend because some people say it is very much like 'quality assurance' work IRL and I can't help but agree. Originally I did not like how some of the discrepancies you come across (wrong gender, Good/bad eye sight) had no objective way to check for them. That was until I thought on it and realized. It's supposed to make you profile these people. That's the whole point. While it is the whole point, that doesn't make it less frustrating when you are docked points for not assuming a discrepancy in gender or physical appearance. The narrative is extremely good with multiple endings and branching paths. You may assist your government or resist your government with many different outcomes based on your choices and there are many dilemmas that you are placed in that will pull at your heart strings. If I'm really nitpicking, I believe they could have done a bit more than simply give you coins and cash for the side quests, yet the fact that a game that takes place in a toll both has side quests is a good testament in itself. For Achievement hunters, this game is a must and a definite pallet cleanser after a more difficult trophy grind. I've done pretty much all there is to do in this game at about 12 hours and for $10 (often on sale for $5) you really can't get that value for money in most places. Still, I would have loved an achievement or two for the endless mode. As is, I have no real reason to play it and the main reason I kept coming back to this game was the story and the achievements. The gameplay is addictive but not addictive enough for me to want to play it on an endless mode without incentive. Art: 5/5 Gameplay: 8/10 (Subjective) Story: 9.5/10 Achievements: 4/5 Overall: 8.8/10