Legendary indie darling Papers, Please is, at long last, releasing onto iOS and Android following an iPad exclusive release way back in 2014. Developed by Lucas Pope – whose pedigree includes this title along with the equally legendary Return of The Obra Dinn – Papers, Please became a permanent stay within video game history upon releasing back then, and has remained a monument to the indie boom of the 2010s.
Up there with the likes of Fez or the more recent Hollow Knight, Papers, Please sees you take up the role of a border checkpoint employee for a nation caught in political turmoil as you struggle to both appeal to your leaders as well as take care of your family, all while sacrificing empathy towards the people you come into contact with to do your job well. It’s quite an emotional trip, and has a lot of commentary that is still relevant to our world even today. Now, for those of you who might have missed it upon release and just never got around to it, you’ll be able to access it right from your pocket for the first time.
Gameplay-wise, Papers, Please is a quasi-management type game in which you’ll navigate documents and identification papers for discrepancies and deny or allow entry to the citizens who are attempting to get into the nation you work for, Arstotzka. While it does remain mostly simple, it becomes somewhat of a puzzle game as well once you start having to flip between handbooks, IDs, documentation pieces, and even scanning the faces of the people you encounter as well as checking their entire bodies for contraband. Altogether it ties into a very engaging political thriller, and forces you to make some very tough decisions.
Basically, if you haven’t played this massive hit, you’re doing yourself a disservice, and with it coming to both iOS and Android now, there’s simply no reason not to give it a go. If you’d like to do so, you can check out either of the links below to purchase it for only $4.99!
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Papers, Please
Looking to test your wits with more problem-solving? Check out our Top 25 best puzzle games for iOS!