Papers, Please

Developer/publisher 3909 LLC Format iOS, PC, Vita Release 2013

Almost six years after its release, playing Lucas Pope’s Papers, Please is still a unique, at times even revolutionary experience. Sure, its influence can be felt in a handful of political titles such as PanicBarn’s dystopian Brexit bouncer simulation Not Tonight, but for the most part, it’s been left unemulated. It’s not hard to see why. It’s an uncomfortable and oppressive game, its genre-blend of work simulation and puzzle game exactly tailored to its biting political satire. It’s not the kind of game that lends itself to spawning its own sub-genre. In light of the last couple of years’ political events, however, its subject matter is as relevant today as it was at the time of its release.

, a self-titled “dystopian document thriller,” puts you in the shoes of a nameless, faceless immigration inspector in the fictional Eastern Bloc state of Arstotzka in the year 1982. It’s your job to inspect the papers of immigrants trying to cross