author: Michael Pajda
Papers, Please. 15 games for 5-minute sessions
Table of Contents
WHAT EXACTLY WILL YOU DO HERE IN 5 MINUTES?
The first days on the job at the border crossing to Arstotzca are surely easy and you will certainly be able to complete each faster than in five minutes. Over time, however, you'll need to pay attention to more details during document verification – there will be more gameplay features appearing too. At that moment in the game, five minute sessions may not be enough to complete a stage.
Recently, we've seen the release of Contraband Police, a border guard simulator released by Polish PlayWay. Papers, Please was the spiritual progenitor of this production, released in 2013. In Papers Please, our job is to do checks on the border, deciding which applicants should be let into Aristotzka, and who pose a risk and shouldn't be allowed.
The title is also an unique satire on the operation of communist countries and focuses on the devilishly meticulous examination of citizens who want to cross the border. And all this was to ensure peace in the country and keep spies, terrorists and, perhaps worst of all, lousy smugglers out. Interestingly, the game has as many as 20 different endings, and the border control is only one of the gameplay elements – after all, apart from the work in the booth, we also have to take care of catering to our family, who lives in poor conditions in nearby social housing.
