Papers, Please

The Steam sale is something I always look forward to and the prices can be too good to pass up.  Sometimes I find myself buying things that I wouldn't normally buy.  A game where you play a border inspector whose job is to inspect documents?  It's only $2.99?  Sign me up!  That is how I acquired one of the strangest, but oddly entertaining games that I have ever played--Papers, Please.

In Papers, Please you play the role of a border guard in a pseudo-Soviet communist state known as Arstotzka.  You job is to decide who is allowed to enter this fictional country or who is turned away.  It's deceptively simple.  First, you must reference your handy rule book to see what restrictions are currently in place.  Characters seeking entry present you their documentation and you must inspect it for any false or expired information.  In the beginning the rules are fairly simple, make sure the info on one or two documents matches,  but it gets harder.  You are paid based on the number of people you correctly admit or turn away.  If you start making mistakes you can be fined and lose money.  Losing money is bad as at the end of the day you must support your family by making enough to pay your rent, heat your apartment and buy food.  You don't want your fake Arstotzkan family to starve.

As the game progresses the rules become more complex.  You are presented with 4-5 documents to inspect and must do it relatively quickly.  Sometimes people hop the fence and try to illegally enter and it's your job to stop them, either lethally or non-lethally.  There are also difficult moral decisions--a mother with an expired passport begs you to let her in so she can see a son she hasn't seen in years.  A secret organization offers you a lot of money to allow it's members to enter illegally.

This guy seems shady...

Papers, Please is a simple game that is very engaging.  It's well-worth the ultra-low sale price that you can find once in awhile.  Pick it up for some document inspecting fun.