Created By Lee
 | THIS WEEK ON MALEVOLENT QUALITY CONTROL: |
As children we have all dreamt of becoming cowboys, doctors, and astronauts. One thing that no child has ever picked as their dream job though is a paper pushing government bureaucrat. So you'd think a game based on checking over documents and proof reading information would be a massive failure. Turns out it's oddly incredibly entertaining and rewarding. Let me introduce you to "Papers, Please" where you play the role of an immigration inspector at the newly opened border of Arstotzka, a fictitious dystopian Soviet Union-like communist state at the end of a 6 year war with their neighbor/rival Kolechia.
Also it's pretty apparent that you'll be shot as a traitor if you smile in this country.
Also it's pretty apparent that you'll be shot as a traitor if you smile in this country.
The basic gameplay mechanics are as simple as they sound, checking paperwork for errors. I know it sounds boring, but stay with me. It starts you out checking expiration dates, then slowly adding more and more little bit of information that need looked over. Examples include making sure all the required documents are accounted for, spotting counterfeit seals, performing strip searches to find drugs/weapons, detaining suspicious persons, and following protocols during terrorist attacks.
You have to pay close attention though because round to round (or 'days' as the game calls them) everything can change. Someone that was denied entry into the country one day could be allowed in the next. Or vice versa. Or shot on sight. It's like a communist version of the old handheld Simon game, checking/filing/stamping in an escalating rhythm trying not to miss a beat.
Oddly it soon it becomes second nature checking all the details. Something that gives you such a sense of accomplishment when you ferret out violations so you can give the big fat red stamp of doom/call the guards over to detain them.
Oddly it soon it becomes second nature checking all the details. Something that gives you such a sense of accomplishment when you ferret out violations so you can give the big fat red stamp of doom/call the guards over to detain them.
| If you do make mistakes though, whether by letting through someone ya shouldn't have or denying someone ya should have, your pay starts to get docked after the the first two errors of the day (you only just not get paid for them). It adds a sense of stress to checking every number and letter of the documents. But it's a good kind of stress, the motivating kind. |  |
What also adds to the pressure is that the pay you are receiving is not just some score. It's what you use to keep your virtual family alive, healthy, and warm. If your performance takes a hit, it's your family that suffers.
That being said though, where the game really comes alive is with the stories that play out in your tiny border box. The wife with out of date paperwork pleading with you to let her through. The guards asking you for favors. Lost lovers finding each other. Officials offering bribes for you to look the other way. Terrorists/freedom fighters looking to you to aid their cause. And how it all builds around these simple game mechanics.
| Do you play things completely by the book, heartlessly denying any lost soul that begs you for help? Or do you use your place of power to under mind the oppressive government that gave it to you in the first place? Or somewhere grey in between? There are 20 different endings to the game based off of the choices you make through the levels. |  |
The game is dripping in charm and gets it's hooks into quickly, so I fully endorse getting it. You will not be disappointed at all. Even more so since it's only $9.99, available on Steam or the official Papers Please website.
 | Remember to stretch out before a day of stamping, hate for you to cramp up and let a known war criminal into the country. Cheers folks and we'll see ya next time on the MQC! |
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