Papers, Please
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.
Verediktos
1 verediktowildflowerpeach
August 07, 2026
”Papers, Please” is the kind of game you'd never think would be so addicting and enjoyable, considering what you're actually doing in-game, yet somehow I got hooked almost immediately. I think it's safe to say most people wouldn't expect a border control job simulator to be this in-depth and to question your morality on so many levels, but somehow this game succeeds in everything it intended to do. You can be as much of a law-abiding worker or revolutionist as you'd like, even if it can result in a bad/non-ideal ending. I always appreciate freedom of choice in games and the writing in ”Papers, Please” makes it so every choice feels crucial to the plot and to the well-being of the protagonist and his family. The atmosphere in this game, despite it being about fictional countries, feels strangely accurate to what I imagine the Eastern European experience was for many people during the era of soviet influence. I didn't get to live during those times, but even nowadays I feel the echoes of such a somber and tragic past. It was genuinely surprising to see Romanian names from Republia, for instance, since I'm also from this underdeveloped country and I rarely see it represented in any game. The art style really helps sell this idea of unjust treatment of the common folk. There's a certain sadness in the „eyes” of every single person you meet, a kind of silent suffering that you can only find in the eyes of people who experienced this unfortunate period of time firsthand. My only gripe, albeit a small yet crucial issue, was the saving system. When playing on Android, the way the save files and paths are presented makes it really hard to navigate and it resulted in me accidentally deleting many hours of a playthrough, which almost made me give up on the game entirely. Thankfully I pushed through, but the saving system should have been more accessible and easier to understand, especially because I'm not the only person that reported having issues with their saves. All things considered, ”Papers, Please” is a must-play for everyone who likes to explore their own morality and how it can impact an incredible story. Aside from the saving issue, the Android port was great and I need to give extra praise for it being in portrait mode, making it a natural experience to play on your phone. I'd give this game a 9/10 and it will always hold a special place in my heart.