The best ending is when you have to flee for your life and all you have is a bunch of counterfeit passports, but the inspector let's you through anyway It hit me so hard being the one on the other side of that booth
You realise that Obristan security inspector does not have any governmental pressure on him and therefore let them pass without further inspection. Otherwise maybe the Counterfeits were well made.
Reasons I love Jorji is simple really, he keeps coming back, I see people who are practically nameless to me on this job and yet he keeps coming back. He doesn't get mad or sad when I detain or deny him, he just says he understands and accepts it and yet going from a nameless man without a passport to somebody who gives you an escape. Little potato man, may you get only the best spuds from the pile
Cobrastan, Grand Country, Man Above ALLLLLL! Glory be, greatest he, Spudman Rules ALLLLLLL! In the name, the border stand, GLOOOOORY TOOOOOO, ARTSTOTZZZZZKAAAAAAAAA!
I know that Sergiu and Elisa are just a small number of pixels, but every single time I go to re-play this game I'll ALWAYS make sure that they get together because of just how adorable the little animation of them running towards eachother for a hug is-- it's just an insanely wholesome refresher in such a otherwise bleak game, and sometimes I just need that after playing for a while
Top 3 my favorite characters of this game: 1. Jorji with his antique behaviours and even compliment us for doing a good job. 2. Sergiu with his honesty and also I let Elisa to go pass and if he dies, I have to replay again. 3. The officer who shared half of his profit to us if we detained a lot of people and also act like a true Chad when the bomb is in our office and called it Child's play.
i always called him chenki as a nickname because i always forgot his name. thats for no.3 btw and normal i laugh when i miss a detain opportunity bc i thought he would be like: bro wtf, im gonna starve today. I have broken humor
@@brian93724 for real i belive that for any experianced soldier i think it would be easy as stopping the alarm clock in the morning since the design PROVES to be ameteur made as you can see the device is jankly put toghether and quite asymmetrical and dirty and also they putted the damn numbers in the COVER so in short the bomb WAS jankly made by ameteurs altough it REALY did pack a punch it was at the end jankly made by ameteurs (probily junior tech students at a random highschool or a very old group of activists) the bomb at the end is just WAAYYY too simple to be effective enough.
Hmm what's this medicine do.... *Tries it* wait...this doesn't taste as bad like what medicine we have what's this warning say...side effects? Something something yeah cobrastan is just a state
optimal pathing in my mind, protect Sergiu, help Sergiu reunite with his love, don't detain Jorji, accept the help from Jorji to flee the nation, don't help EZIC. my reasoning for this is, Sergiu gets to be with Elisa, you get to escape, EZIC cant be trusted to not become a new oppressive government and if you help them that likely means death for Sergiu
"EZIC cant be trusted to not become a new oppressive government"This is true but u've gotta take ur chances since the current government is ALREADY corrupt to the bone lol. Although if u kill the guy in red u lose(EZIC tells u to kill him),whereas if u don't u keep going so:Maybe they were trying to screw u over all along lol?
On the subject of the Soviet Union, I think the game more likely takes place or at least takes influence from the fall of yugoslavia. This could explain the neighboring country being pretty agressive towards each other.
I disagree. The Yugoslav civil war and its fallout was very ethnically charged while the conflict here seems to be nationalistic; with everyone saying glory to Aristotska. I think it is more like the Soviet Union because it is clearly a country that is rotting away from the inside and everything is bleak and uniform. Where conformity is the one thing that matters.
The game takes place in the balkans,as the United Federation as Yugoslavia and Obristan as the Soviet puppet states and Arstoska as the Ukrainian SSR. My opinion No hates pls
14:15, Actually, you are confiscating his passport legally - If you look carefully through each of Jorge's passport, his birth date changes to the current ingame-date, implying he is using a forged passport. :>
Jorji does show the forger flier, which implies he did forge the Obristan passport. He even said that it wasn’t easy or cheap when he brought in all his papers on day 11, which further suspects he did something strange to get his papers.
I only let Elisa in because you get 100 credits for the next day if you keep Sergiu alive. Compare to other bribe people or EZIC mission (they give you 10 or 20 credits), letting Elisa in gives you a huge 100 credits.
When I was in middle school I heard about this game when it was in development and I was able to get my hands on a free version before it was released on steam iirc. I managed to convince my teacher that it was an educational game that helped with pattern recognition and I was able to play it in computer class.
@@sadfaceemojioxlong8593 nah, it doesn't mean that the dude's helpless with pattern recognition, it could help improve. just cuz u've learned it already doesn't mean you can't improve
@@oldestdreamja It's weird how people treat mental skills as a binary of either exists or doesn't lol. Just sounds like they've never used one themselves when they say silly things like that
@@crazydragy4233 critical thinking being a skill that not many possess, I had to take a critical thinking course in college and out of the 28 students only myself and one other really paid attention in class, let alone were prepared for it. (If anyone cares, as unlikely as it may be, I passed with a 98/100 in the class
One of my favourite denial responses is simply 'Die'. They don't beg like the others, attempt to bribe you, or otherwise appeal to you; usually because they already did before even handing over their passport. That simple curse is all they bother to say for you already made your choice.
My favourite ending is escaping to Orbistan after doing all the Ezic tasks and making the Ezic revolution possible, just moments before the shit hits the fan. For me it creates an interesting backdrop; Running away moments from a historic moment of political upheaval. Of course I leave with the whole extended family who is not sick and with some money I saved.
I feel like that ending is the most fitting. The inspector doesn’t care about the revolution, he doesn’t care about pure loyalty to his country. He only cares about his family’s safety. He got away from all of it.
I love Jorji despite always denying him because he keeps coming back. My favorite thing about him is that he eventually creates a perfect fake passport so then I can let him through with no issues.
I genuinely couldn't finish papers please when I first got it. Not because it was too difficult, but because the stress it was able to construct was so tremendous that it I had to stop playing.
Me too, I had a similar job at the time (I wasn't in immigration but I did checked multiple legal documents, looking for any missing info) so, I never finished the game. Even now, I still can't play it because I remember how stressful it gets
I've been interested in the game for quite some time, but I've never played. When I see end game gameplay, I'm not sure I could do it right. I don't have any problem at looking closely to documents to see if they are valid, but the pressure of having to do it as fast as possible to get enough pay to support your family seem to be problematic. I don't think I could do it fast enough.
honestly, i think the main reason why i love this game is the realistic yet pixel art-style, it fits the game perfectly, and makes it a good game for other developers who want use the same art-style in their game, its also the grey and depressing feel that gives the game its spark, well, not in a real sense but still a good game and a must have, still good in 2022 or in just the 21st century, i recommend the game. PS, Shout out to Jorji.
This game is one of those games that is overlooked, but has a very impactful story that can change people’s perspectives and lives. I’m so glad you did a video on this one, as it really doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves.
I mean for what it is as far as budget, indie dev, graphics, simple and mundane gameplay, and a very advanced form of simon says with moral dilemmas mixed in selling half a million copies is equivalent to super viral imo. To those of us lucky enough to never experienced this level of bureaucratic tyranny it’s a pleasant reminder of what could have been but luckily isn’t. To those that lived it, it’s a harmless reminder of the conditions they either escaped from or lived through. And it does this in such a beautiful mix of it’s telling a story through the gameplay. Maybe it’s not selling millions of copies, but for those of us like yourself and I it will always hold a special place with us. It’s art, a dystopian portal into the mindset of a cog serving it’s oppressive regime.
I mean, it caterd to a specific audience, and it was incredibly well recived. It couldnt become something like say cod but for a game of its thoe, it was incredibly popular
This game was not overlooked at all when it first came out. A tonne of TH-camrs played through it and gave it recognition. It's up there with 5 Nights at Freddy's, Undertale, etc for games that lived because of content creators exposing it to the masses. I would say this game deserves the exposure and it an absolute gem of a indie game. It sets the bar for passive storytelling and impactful minor descions behind the scenes that effect outcomes/endings. All games, let alone indie games, can take notes from Papers, Please.
13:17 You also get a huge 100 credits if you keep Sergiu alive on that day for the next day. From a gameplay perspective, 100 credits is a huge boon, so I always let Elisa in since 100 credits let me pay off citations.
This is such an underrated channel, loved this video. Papers Please is a perfect example of how the mechanics of a game alone can be a great story telling tool.
Absolutely one of my favorite indie games of all time. So many little character moments just hidden inbetween the day to day grind, and you did a great job tackling it!
The ending where you flee to Obristan is such a contrast. You've had to inspect passports, vaccine certificates, work passes, etc and see if there's any discrepancy between ALL of them, quickly enough, or your family will be cold and starving. Then, what do you hear from the Obristan inspector? "I do not care why you come here."
Something that I noticed near the end of the game (Which may be me overlooking at gameplay for story) is how as the game goes on, there is more and more fake passports. I think it's ment to represent how people are getting more and more desperate to get into the country. Which made me ponder, "How bad is the rest of the world they want to live here?"
I remember watching TH-camrs play papers please. I didn’t have money, and honestly too young to play this game. Every time there was a terrorist attack, it was horrifying to me. I would notice before the youtuber did, as someone runs by, and wonder what is happening. Then the TH-camr would notice, and then the attack would happen. It terrified me.
I think the fear is also further stretched out when you have to continue the next day. when I played as a first timer, I literally was on edge wondering if there would be a back-to-back attack
One of my favourite indie games of all time! If you're a fan of Papers, Please I'd recommend sussing out Death and Taxes it's got a similar vibe. Amazing work as always mate
I might be right and I could be wrong however, I’m pretty sure the only image that we get of somebody smiling in the game is one Sergio gives you the heart shaped locket that eliza gave him
Papers, Please is one of my favourite games. There's something so relaxing about that tedious paper work. In real life being on the receiving end of bureaucracy is infuriating, but as an inspector it's fun
Quick tip for anyone: You don't need to clear discrepancies. If you find one, you can just deny the entrant without working to clear it up. Once the reason for denial stamp is added, you just need to call them out, but can still deny with the reason.
actually getting a citasion from taking Georges passport isnt the only time your forced to get a citation, i forgot the name of the person but your boss or whatever wants you to let in a female friend of his who has a diplomatic document that dosnt allow entrance to aristoska and if you detain her you get arrested
@@waffler-yz3gw if dimitri gets mad at you for not having exactly the plaque on the wall, he will get you arrested. If you follow his orders you can get away with denying
Dispite the setting of just being a boarder inspector with a repetitive rarely changing game. I’ve always saw it as interesting to see others play and seeing what games are becoming popular, seeing it as one gateway to games like it. Some people just want a fun experience like this, not everyone wants a fast pace game or horror game. It’s a fun game many love and I too love it, it’s lovely ❤
you can actually deny most faulty passports without interrogation (before the reason stamp comes out) without getting a citation, like the different names example ? just deny , you get no citation and it makes things easier
My favorite game of all time. There's just something about it, I can't say why, but it made an impact on me. I loved the moral choices, how nothing is ever clear-cut, black-and-white good or bad narratives, all sides can be seen as morally gray (though I prefer to side with Arstotzka).
I’ve always wished I couldve been a fly on the wall in Soviet Russia. Same with vici France, Berlin in 1939, Italy 1939 ect…Must have been fascinating. If I could pick one era to go back in time to it’d def be the Middle Ages. Go hangout in some brothel drinking mead, live as a lord or a simple peasant, basically kingdom come deliverance but real. Sry for the rant my brain drifted off
Nothing to do with the video itself but the stock footage used in the first part. What a badass scar that person has. I assume thats the same person we see in HBO's chernobyl. He's like a real life anime character.
That's not a scar. That's Gorbachev's natural birthmark. But he's still pretty badass nonetheless. Opening up the former Soviet Union to the West, allowing its citizens to be free for the first time in decades - he's a pretty neat guy.
10:05 The medical patient, Jorji, The Antegrian Whistleblower, Sergiu... most agree that Arstotzka is much better. I like the characters a lot 13:02 Nirsk is one of my usernames. I love this game
I remember interview with the creator, where he said that the inspiration was having to deal with Japanese immigration. So, even though, the setting of the game is retro-soviet, the actual source of inspiration is Japan.
I believe the game was more based off of east germany then the USSR. the border wall halfway through a city? the whole secret police thing in general? the unfriendly bordering nations? all seems a lot more like east germany then the USSR. Edit: it also contains elements from post-soviet russia. Incase it isn't obvious, despite the end of the cold war, things got a lot worse after the collapse of the U.S.S.R.. the government became even more corrupt, poverty became widespread, and nationalism became much worse.
@@NerdyCatCoffeeee no literally when the sound came out and I saw pink. I felt the type of rage that you would feel when you shouldn't be mad but you are anyways
A single person has the power to decide if you become a permanent resident in the U.S., as well as a citizen. I experience this first hand. It's terrible.
This is easily one of the best games of all time for an indie game it's pretty challenging but can be very fun depending on where you're at I love the story The Characters and the story it's a dark game don't get it wrong but I feel like it has a lot of comedic elements to it especially with its characters Like Jorji!
While the game itself had a huge impact, I think the 2018 short film of the same name as the game it’s representing should also get a mention since imho it represents what it’s like for the inspector extremely well
I love this game so much. Its such a skill to get into a good flow state. Pro tip: It might not be as fun but if you notice a discrepancy you dont have to question the person you can just reject them and move on. Great for making money and getting through more people. However detaining is fun so ill do that once in a bit. But yea. You can reject no quesitons asked if you notice something off
@@halicusnguyen8864 there are multiple ending you know? You have to manage suspicion. If frank is getting heat for writing controversial stuff give some to the other conservative guy who i think was named bob. No one likes bob, he can take the heat
Papers, Please really reminded me in 2013 that like any other artform, games do not need to be 'fun.' The best games can be downright miserable experiences, and as long as they were doing that on purpose to get their point across, a miserable game can be an amazing one.
"Arstotzka is not above turning immigrants away because of a spat with their country's leader". Wow, that's terrible, a modern western country would never do such a thing!
Papers please has always intrigued me, I've always been attracted to this type of games with a gloomy style and a gloomy and cryptic atmosphere in a situation of intolerance and general devastating upheavals. Although the gameplay doesn't drive me too crazy, however due to certain aspects including its setting and music but also the meaning and reflections it makes you think, I find it an excellent game. Nice video nonetheless.
All I got from this is that the player character in republia times can theoretically meet with the player character in papers please as they are in the same universe demonstrated by the inclusion if republia ss a country in papers please. I need crossover NOW
Really loving this game and still play it semi regularly, but personally over the years the games ludonarrative dissonance really been grinding my gears: The game imo really falls flat with how it tries to explore totalitarianism, which it does in story, but not through gameplay. You are being told that you are propping up an oppressive regime, which makes its inhabitants miserable and exploits them, but until the very endgame where you are tasked to confiscate everyone's passports, you are performing entirely reasonable tasks in your job. Requiring proper id, not carrying illegal contraband, requiring vaccination against a disease which is wrecking surrounding countries, is entirely reasonable and bog standard for every border checkpoint on the planet. The increasingly more harsh measures are really the checkpoint approaching irl measures rather than some oppressive 1984 style system (which the creator of the game said inspired the game). Worse yet these measures are prompted by events that would lead to tightened security in every country on earth: actual tangentible acts of terrorism, throughout the game, you are even attacked yourself by terorrists multiple times. Yet the game somehow seems to think and tells you that these are unreasonable measures, when really in gameplay thats not presented at all. Which in fact would be rather easy with some graphic changes: have the player arrest people for carrying the illegal contraband of foreign luxury goods, have a list of political dissidents in a newspaper analogue you need to arrest etc.. Stuff that hammers home how you are propping up an oppressive regime, yet the game only adds that variable at the very end with you confiscating the passports. So yea, found myself more and more disengaged with the story that is really about two different things. In fact you could easily turn papers please into some border patrol propaganda game by just swapping out the graphics for bright and sunny aesthetics, whilst leaving the base gameplay and story progression intact.
As a professional archivist and researcher, I never felt like the basics of the gameplay were an obstacle. But that’s probably cause dealing with this kind of paperwork comes natural to me
Isnt the Ezic ending a little depressing? Sure you helped The Order at the ending you are out of a job you dont become an agent. The ending basically said we dont need inspectors we need agents which could mean that the inspector is of no use to the Ezic order. Furthermore, if you take into account all actions of Ezic they have no interest of keeping the border open and are hostile to Kolechia. So not only are you out of a job, a war is impending once more. Arstotzka may be corrupt and repressive but Ezic is no better and may even drive Arstotzka further down in conflict. The best ending for the inspector really is to flee with the family. Obristan above all.
The best ending is when you have to flee for your life and all you have is a bunch of counterfeit passports, but the inspector let's you through anyway
It hit me so hard being the one on the other side of that booth
You realise that Obristan security inspector does not have any governmental pressure on him and therefore let them pass without further inspection. Otherwise maybe the Counterfeits were well made.
Sometimes the mirror is upside down
Since Jorgi knows of a forger... We may never know if his Obristan passport is a legit...
@@Iris-riv his passport birthday date always changes to the current date he is meeting you
ayo wait what
Reasons I love Jorji is simple really, he keeps coming back, I see people who are practically nameless to me on this job and yet he keeps coming back. He doesn't get mad or sad when I detain or deny him, he just says he understands and accepts it and yet going from a nameless man without a passport to somebody who gives you an escape. Little potato man, may you get only the best spuds from the pile
Cobrastan, Grand Country, Man Above ALLLLLL! Glory be, greatest he, Spudman Rules ALLLLLLL! In the name, the border stand, GLOOOOORY TOOOOOO, ARTSTOTZZZZZKAAAAAAAAA!
jacksepticeye refence?
@@spencergacker9553 GREATEST COUNTRY MOTHER PROUD
I salute to you Jorji!
arstoska so good country, no need passport!
I know that Sergiu and Elisa are just a small number of pixels, but every single time I go to re-play this game I'll ALWAYS make sure that they get together because of just how adorable the little animation of them running towards eachother for a hug is-- it's just an insanely wholesome refresher in such a otherwise bleak game, and sometimes I just need that after playing for a while
Didnt really like it as I despise relationships
@@crylune no life 🗿
@@crylune L
@@ItHamBoi Ratio'd
@@reynanlamsen2007 alr let's see if you ratio me, you got 1 week
Top 3 my favorite characters of this game:
1. Jorji with his antique behaviours and even compliment us for doing a good job.
2. Sergiu with his honesty and also I let Elisa to go pass and if he dies, I have to replay again.
3. The officer who shared half of his profit to us if we detained a lot of people and also act like a true Chad when the bomb is in our office and called it Child's play.
i mean
it is
what kind of terrorist would make the bomb easier to defuse than solving a 2 by 2 rubix cube
i always called him chenki as a nickname because i always forgot his name. thats for no.3 btw
and normal i laugh when i miss a detain opportunity bc i thought he would be like:
bro wtf, im gonna starve today. I have broken humor
@@brian93724 for real i belive that for any experianced soldier i think it would be easy as stopping the alarm clock in the morning since the design PROVES to be ameteur made as you can see the device is jankly put toghether and quite asymmetrical and dirty and also they putted the damn numbers in the COVER so in short the bomb WAS jankly made by ameteurs altough it REALY did pack a punch it was at the end jankly made by ameteurs (probily junior tech students at a random highschool or a very old group of activists) the bomb at the end is just WAAYYY too simple to be effective enough.
Following in Mr. McFumbles' steps, I call the guard Strong Terry
"Stupid fucking terrorist"
Made me die because i was too busy laughing to disarm the bomb
Jorji is a gigachad, you can't change my mind.
Glory to Cobrastan!
“You are under arrest for being a fan of a drug dealer and a non-existent country. The safety of your family is unknown. Glory to Arstotzka!”
@@epicman5356 he's not a drug dealer, he just sells medicine with fun side effects
Hmm what's this medicine do.... *Tries it* wait...this doesn't taste as bad like what medicine we have what's this warning say...side effects? Something something yeah cobrastan is just a state
Not buff enough lol
Detained.
Arstotzka so great, passport not required. Right?
I hope you are well with your business endeavours, Jorji ^^
Exactly, Jorji. Glory to Arstotzka!
P.S. I was the inspector who let you in the first time.
He's the gigachad of the Papers, please universe.
@@theholypeanut8193 Exactly. Glory to Cobrastan.
A+ on effort
optimal pathing in my mind, protect Sergiu, help Sergiu reunite with his love, don't detain Jorji, accept the help from Jorji to flee the nation, don't help EZIC. my reasoning for this is, Sergiu gets to be with Elisa, you get to escape, EZIC cant be trusted to not become a new oppressive government and if you help them that likely means death for Sergiu
My man got his priorities right
Sergiu ftw
true man ezic isn't necessarily good for trying to topple a corrupt government what if they become one themselves
hey
Calensk rn: 👁 👄 👁
"EZIC cant be trusted to not become a new oppressive government"This is true but u've gotta take ur chances since the current government is ALREADY corrupt to the bone lol.
Although if u kill the guy in red u lose(EZIC tells u to kill him),whereas if u don't u keep going so:Maybe they were trying to screw u over all along lol?
On the subject of the Soviet Union, I think the game more likely takes place or at least takes influence from the fall of yugoslavia. This could explain the neighboring country being pretty agressive towards each other.
I disagree. The Yugoslav civil war and its fallout was very ethnically charged while the conflict here seems to be nationalistic; with everyone saying glory to Aristotska. I think it is more like the Soviet Union because it is clearly a country that is rotting away from the inside and everything is bleak and uniform. Where conformity is the one thing that matters.
But there's also an obvious Berlin Wall allegory, so yeah, it's a bit of everything.
The game takes place in the balkans,as the United Federation as Yugoslavia and Obristan as the Soviet puppet states and Arstoska as the Ukrainian SSR.
My opinion
No hates pls
@@BYDADVERTISINGDEPARTMENT Thats the main theory and the surrounding geography seems to be similar to that of the black sea
The idea of a east west split city makes me believe it is baed on east Germany or hungary
14:15, Actually, you are confiscating his passport legally - If you look carefully through each of Jorge's passport, his birth date changes to the current ingame-date, implying he is using a forged passport. :>
Can you point that discrepancy in-game?
Thing is, you can only confiscate Arstotzan passports, so, still illegal.
you still arent supposed to TAKE his passport tho
@@phoenixlmao Nice mc pfp :)
Jorji does show the forger flier, which implies he did forge the Obristan passport. He even said that it wasn’t easy or cheap when he brought in all his papers on day 11, which further suspects he did something strange to get his papers.
Only a heartless person could not let in Elisa.
Screw that stupid ticket and rip it to shreds.
I only let Elisa in because you get 100 credits for the next day if you keep Sergiu alive. Compare to other bribe people or EZIC mission (they give you 10 or 20 credits), letting Elisa in gives you a huge 100 credits.
@@magnusvonbraun9870 also jorji gives 40 as a gift
@@urbainleverrier1 Niece also brings in 100 (although there is 40 for taking her in)
Not letting her in cuz I'm not interested in some random love bit
@@crylune no empathy moment
When I was in middle school I heard about this game when it was in development and I was able to get my hands on a free version before it was released on steam iirc. I managed to convince my teacher that it was an educational game that helped with pattern recognition and I was able to play it in computer class.
your teacher believing you need help with pattern recognition isn't a good thing...
@@sadfaceemojioxlong8593 nah, it doesn't mean that the dude's helpless with pattern recognition, it could help improve. just cuz u've learned it already doesn't mean you can't improve
@@oldestdreamja It's weird how people treat mental skills as a binary of either exists or doesn't lol. Just sounds like they've never used one themselves when they say silly things like that
@@crazydragy4233 critical thinking being a skill that not many possess, I had to take a critical thinking course in college and out of the 28 students only myself and one other really paid attention in class, let alone were prepared for it. (If anyone cares, as unlikely as it may be, I passed with a 98/100 in the class
The game helps me focus lol
One of my favourite denial responses is simply 'Die'. They don't beg like the others, attempt to bribe you, or otherwise appeal to you; usually because they already did before even handing over their passport. That simple curse is all they bother to say for you already made your choice.
My favourite ending is escaping to Orbistan after doing all the Ezic tasks and making the Ezic revolution possible, just moments before the shit hits the fan. For me it creates an interesting backdrop; Running away moments from a historic moment of political upheaval. Of course I leave with the whole extended family who is not sick and with some money I saved.
@D As you said it's only a game :D
I feel like that ending is the most fitting. The inspector doesn’t care about the revolution, he doesn’t care about pure loyalty to his country. He only cares about his family’s safety. He got away from all of it.
i always just leave with the wife and son. the rest are adults and can take care of themselves
@@imdvaThe fucking grandma bro and your wife is an adult too.
6:53
The moment when he denied Jorji made me cry
I love Jorji despite always denying him because he keeps coming back. My favorite thing about him is that he eventually creates a perfect fake passport so then I can let him through with no issues.
Him and the guy trying to smuggle medicine are the only two people with contraband that I let in. Jorji is wholesome as fuck.
I cried too, but out of frustration 😭 he's still getting a citation cause he didn't stamp it with a reason for denial so jorji got denied for nothing
cool pfp
I genuinely couldn't finish papers please when I first got it. Not because it was too difficult, but because the stress it was able to construct was so tremendous that it I had to stop playing.
Me too, I had a similar job at the time (I wasn't in immigration but I did checked multiple legal documents, looking for any missing info) so, I never finished the game. Even now, I still can't play it because I remember how stressful it gets
How could you have a job if you find a video game that stressful.
@@LegalizeTheNuclearBomb : |
@@LegalizeTheNuclearBomb how are you technically a intelligent life form when you can spout such nonsense as that
I've been interested in the game for quite some time, but I've never played. When I see end game gameplay, I'm not sure I could do it right. I don't have any problem at looking closely to documents to see if they are valid, but the pressure of having to do it as fast as possible to get enough pay to support your family seem to be problematic. I don't think I could do it fast enough.
honestly, i think the main reason why i love this game is the realistic yet pixel art-style, it fits the game perfectly, and makes it a good game for other developers who want use the same art-style in their game, its also the grey and depressing feel that gives the game its spark, well, not in a real sense but still a good game and a must have, still good in 2022 or in just the 21st century, i recommend the game. PS, Shout out to Jorji.
This game is one of those games that is overlooked, but has a very impactful story that can change people’s perspectives and lives. I’m so glad you did a video on this one, as it really doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves.
I mean for what it is as far as budget, indie dev, graphics, simple and mundane gameplay, and a very advanced form of simon says with moral dilemmas mixed in selling half a million copies is equivalent to super viral imo.
To those of us lucky enough to never experienced this level of bureaucratic tyranny it’s a pleasant reminder of what could have been but luckily isn’t. To those that lived it, it’s a harmless reminder of the conditions they either escaped from or lived through. And it does this in such a beautiful mix of it’s telling a story through the gameplay.
Maybe it’s not selling millions of copies, but for those of us like yourself and I it will always hold a special place with us. It’s art, a dystopian portal into the mindset of a cog serving it’s oppressive regime.
I mean, it caterd to a specific audience, and it was incredibly well recived. It couldnt become something like say cod but for a game of its thoe, it was incredibly popular
This game was not overlooked at all when it first came out. A tonne of TH-camrs played through it and gave it recognition.
It's up there with 5 Nights at Freddy's, Undertale, etc for games that lived because of content creators exposing it to the masses.
I would say this game deserves the exposure and it an absolute gem of a indie game. It sets the bar for passive storytelling and impactful minor descions behind the scenes that effect outcomes/endings. All games, let alone indie games, can take notes from Papers, Please.
13:17
You also get a huge 100 credits if you keep Sergiu alive on that day for the next day. From a gameplay perspective, 100 credits is a huge boon, so I always let Elisa in since 100 credits let me pay off citations.
This is such an underrated channel, loved this video. Papers Please is a perfect example of how the mechanics of a game alone can be a great story telling tool.
Absolutely one of my favorite indie games of all time. So many little character moments just hidden inbetween the day to day grind, and you did a great job tackling it!
The ending where you flee to Obristan is such a contrast. You've had to inspect passports, vaccine certificates, work passes, etc and see if there's any discrepancy between ALL of them, quickly enough, or your family will be cold and starving. Then, what do you hear from the Obristan inspector?
"I do not care why you come here."
amd he knows ur passports are fake amd grants u mercy, like u have or haveny to others
One thing we can all agree on is GLORY TO ARSTOSTKA
Only Kolechia
Glory to Skoatia!
@@auahahahahhaa3150 Skoatia is not real country
*DENIED*
Glory to the *New* Arstotzka!
Obristan above all!
Something that I noticed near the end of the game (Which may be me overlooking at gameplay for story) is how as the game goes on, there is more and more fake passports.
I think it's ment to represent how people are getting more and more desperate to get into the country.
Which made me ponder, "How bad is the rest of the world they want to live here?"
This game makes me cry uncontrollably everything I play it. It's so powerful and deep. I tell everyone I meet about this absolute masterpiece.
I cry every time I have to pull out the dragunov... :(
I always felt that papers please was more inspired by the fracturing of Yugoslavia than any other historical event.
I remember watching TH-camrs play papers please. I didn’t have money, and honestly too young to play this game.
Every time there was a terrorist attack, it was horrifying to me. I would notice before the youtuber did, as someone runs by, and wonder what is happening. Then the TH-camr would notice, and then the attack would happen. It terrified me.
I think the fear is also further stretched out when you have to continue the next day. when I played as a first timer, I literally was on edge wondering if there would be a back-to-back attack
One of my favourite indie games of all time! If you're a fan of Papers, Please I'd recommend sussing out Death and Taxes it's got a similar vibe. Amazing work as always mate
First game I ever played on steam. Great memories, especially playing it in 8th grade science class with my friends (2016). Highly recommend.
I might be right and I could be wrong however, I’m pretty sure the only image that we get of somebody smiling in the game is one Sergio gives you the heart shaped locket that eliza gave him
Jorji is one of the greatest characters in video game history
Papers, Please is one of my favourite games. There's something so relaxing about that tedious paper work. In real life being on the receiving end of bureaucracy is infuriating, but as an inspector it's fun
Quick tip for anyone: You don't need to clear discrepancies. If you find one, you can just deny the entrant without working to clear it up. Once the reason for denial stamp is added, you just need to call them out, but can still deny with the reason.
actually getting a citasion from taking Georges passport isnt the only time your forced to get a citation, i forgot the name of the person but your boss or whatever wants you to let in a female friend of his who has a diplomatic document that dosnt allow entrance to aristoska and if you detain her you get arrested
@Imperalist incorrect, i denied her and got a game over
@@waffler-yz3gw if dimitri gets mad at you for not having exactly the plaque on the wall, he will get you arrested. If you follow his orders you can get away with denying
@@waffler-yz3gw Yeah you probably got slapped by the wall hangings
It's really weird because every time I let her in, I always got citation even though she's the Boss' friend and the Boss demand us to let her through
@@waffler-yz3gwthats from the wall hanging he literally said not to put anything but plaques.
Dispite the setting of just being a boarder inspector with a repetitive rarely changing game.
I’ve always saw it as interesting to see others play and seeing what games are becoming popular, seeing it as one gateway to games like it.
Some people just want a fun experience like this, not everyone wants a fast pace game or horror game.
It’s a fun game many love and I too love it, it’s lovely ❤
The printing sound effect gives me PTSD from when I fuck up badly in this game.
Cobastran is not a real country
The definition of "video games as an art form"
this game never really struck me as western europe soviet bloc, more balkan state, yugoslavia post or on the brink of breakup
you can actually deny most faulty passports without interrogation (before the reason stamp comes out) without getting a citation, like the different names example ? just deny , you get no citation and it makes things easier
Absolutely brilliant game for how it can portray complex politics and tell an incredibly nuanced story through pure gameplay mechanics alone.
A really good analysis with a nice format. Crisp visual and audios, great work!
You forgot to mention that your decisions of letting people in also show up in the newspaper.
I legit come back to this game from time to time JUST for Jorji.
The game the developer began before papers please was actually realized under the name „the Westport independent“ in a similar playing style
When citation pops up
"Ah, FUCK! NOT AGAIN!"
For a dark and gloomy game, jorji is a man with a lot of character
My favorite game of all time. There's just something about it, I can't say why, but it made an impact on me. I loved the moral choices, how nothing is ever clear-cut, black-and-white good or bad narratives, all sides can be seen as morally gray (though I prefer to side with Arstotzka).
I love how this game has such a great and complex story and tells it in such a simple way but makes it hit so hard
I’ve always wished I couldve been a fly on the wall in Soviet Russia. Same with vici France, Berlin in 1939, Italy 1939 ect…Must have been fascinating. If I could pick one era to go back in time to it’d def be the Middle Ages. Go hangout in some brothel drinking mead, live as a lord or a simple peasant, basically kingdom come deliverance but real. Sry for the rant my brain drifted off
I'd love to know if any passport officer has ever clocked Lucas Pope crossing their station and told him to "cause no trouble"
Nothing to do with the video itself but the stock footage used in the first part. What a badass scar that person has. I assume thats the same person we see in HBO's chernobyl. He's like a real life anime character.
“Gorbachev”
That's not a scar. That's Gorbachev's natural birthmark.
But he's still pretty badass nonetheless. Opening up the former Soviet Union to the West, allowing its citizens to be free for the first time in decades - he's a pretty neat guy.
Brilliant video and great insight into a game I've personally never played
_Glory to Arstotzka._
10:05 The medical patient, Jorji, The Antegrian Whistleblower, Sergiu... most agree that Arstotzka is much better. I like the characters a lot
13:02 Nirsk is one of my usernames. I love this game
I remember interview with the creator, where he said that the inspiration was having to deal with Japanese immigration. So, even though, the setting of the game is retro-soviet, the actual source of inspiration is Japan.
Hilarious that the dev for this game was inspired to make it by the TSA
Yep. A useless organization that has hardly stopped any terrorist activity, just like Astortka
It raises lots of questions depending on the player's life experiences
*I s d r u g s!*
-Jorji
I believe the game was more based off of east germany then the USSR. the border wall halfway through a city? the whole secret police thing in general? the unfriendly bordering nations? all seems a lot more like east germany then the USSR.
Edit: it also contains elements from post-soviet russia. Incase it isn't obvious, despite the end of the cold war, things got a lot worse after the collapse of the U.S.S.R.. the government became even more corrupt, poverty became widespread, and nationalism became much worse.
I don't think it had any one influence.
Because 15 million deaths wasn't enough
4:38 I wouldn’t exactly call it “infamous”. It also prints out a fingerprint card.
If you play Papers, Please long enough, you'll have PTSD for whenever that thing prints something out.
@@NerdyCatCoffeeee no literally when the sound came out and I saw pink. I felt the type of rage that you would feel when you shouldn't be mad but you are anyways
@@cinnaminna1797dont embarrass me.
A single person has the power to decide if you become a permanent resident in the U.S., as well as a citizen. I experience this first hand. It's terrible.
Lovely and warm review I enjoyed this.
I love jorji, respect jorji.
Just saying, artztotska is based on eastern germany or yugoslavia. Not the USSR itself
0 dislikes, that's some achievement 👌🏻
Well...
(Also: it now has 8)
@@amadeosendiulo2137 lol
Even though most of my family aren’t gamers, they all love this game for some reason
This is easily one of the best games of all time for an indie game it's pretty challenging but can be very fun depending on where you're at I love the story The Characters and the story it's a dark game don't get it wrong but I feel like it has a lot of comedic elements to it especially with its characters Like Jorji!
You run strict border here
While the game itself had a huge impact, I think the 2018 short film of the same name as the game it’s representing should also get a mention since imho it represents what it’s like for the inspector extremely well
I love this game so much. Its such a skill to get into a good flow state. Pro tip: It might not be as fun but if you notice a discrepancy you dont have to question the person you can just reject them and move on. Great for making money and getting through more people. However detaining is fun so ill do that once in a bit. But yea. You can reject no quesitons asked if you notice something off
Dude i love this guy. He also made a game called westport independent. Really good mobile game for its time
Playing it right now. Thank you so much for the recommendation!!
@@halicusnguyen8864 frank was my g in that game
@@alpha_9997 just finished it! Man I wished Frank wasn't detained, he definitely had one of the most interesting bits of dialogue
@@halicusnguyen8864 there are multiple ending you know? You have to manage suspicion. If frank is getting heat for writing controversial stuff give some to the other conservative guy who i think was named bob. No one likes bob, he can take the heat
@@alpha_9997 fascinating! I'll try for the other endings then :)
Thanks for watching, everyone! What do you think of Papers, Please, and how did you respond to its characters and storylines?
This Will be a good video
I really respect this game and I tried it, but it isn't for me. I like my games as escapism and fantasy but this game is too real for me.
Papers, Please really reminded me in 2013 that like any other artform, games do not need to be 'fun.' The best games can be downright miserable experiences, and as long as they were doing that on purpose to get their point across, a miserable game can be an amazing one.
I didn’t know the pope himself made video games. IS THIS WHAT HES BEEN DOING INSTEAD OF CALLING CRUSADES?
Thanks for reminding me of this game. Gonna play it again once I get off work
You should’ve touched on how the music brings a brilliant sense of dread but also has shreds of optimism
that one soccer player who gives you a banner is my favorite guy
“from 2013”
…no way it was that long ago i’m screaming
Arstotzka so great, passport not required.
Glory to Arstotzka!
*GLORY TO ARSTOTZKA*
My brain is wired towards gray as it is, I don't need more of it.
17:38 I remember throwing this on to a passport and accidentally revealing the text Ezic
"Arstotzka is not above turning immigrants away because of a spat with their country's leader". Wow, that's terrible, a modern western country would never do such a thing!
Yea thats crazy, who would possibly do that????
Is this sarcasm?
I thought this was always about East-/West-Germany, not UdSSR?
East Germany was under control of the USSR. You are correct, but so is the video.
Thanks for the videos, I like them very much.
Kinda disappointed I can't stamp the MOI badge denied.
09:46 You can also that this is a reflection of post 9/11 world too.
The fact that Sergiu died in ur playthrough
Have no idea how your channel doesnt have 500000+ subs. Wtg youtube.
love this game
was hard getting the second award for excellence
I would love to play this game. unfortunately as someone with dyslexia it is unplayable but I suppose lets plays have sufficed
Papers please has always intrigued me, I've always been attracted to this type of games with a gloomy style and a gloomy and cryptic atmosphere in a situation of intolerance and general devastating upheavals. Although the gameplay doesn't drive me too crazy, however due to certain aspects including its setting and music but also the meaning and reflections it makes you think, I find it an excellent game. Nice video nonetheless.
Great video keep up the good work
8:06 wrong Jorji is always happy
I don't think the government in Papers Please is communist.
People are trying to get INTO the country and there's jobs and food there.
I mean communism has jobs even though a job for one person is done by 5 people but still counts
@@adosmon6177 true
dude
people went into the soviet union a ton
are you stupid?
there were also jobs and food there
The music really hits different now
All I got from this is that the player character in republia times can theoretically meet with the player character in papers please as they are in the same universe demonstrated by the inclusion if republia ss a country in papers please. I need crossover NOW
Really loving this game and still play it semi regularly, but personally over the years the games ludonarrative dissonance really been grinding my gears:
The game imo really falls flat with how it tries to explore totalitarianism, which it does in story, but not through gameplay. You are being told that you are propping up an oppressive regime, which makes its inhabitants miserable and exploits them, but until the very endgame where you are tasked to confiscate everyone's passports, you are performing entirely reasonable tasks in your job.
Requiring proper id, not carrying illegal contraband, requiring vaccination against a disease which is wrecking surrounding countries, is entirely reasonable and bog standard for every border checkpoint on the planet.
The increasingly more harsh measures are really the checkpoint approaching irl measures rather than some oppressive 1984 style system (which the creator of the game said inspired the game). Worse yet these measures are prompted by events that would lead to tightened security in every country on earth: actual tangentible acts of terrorism, throughout the game, you are even attacked yourself by terorrists multiple times.
Yet the game somehow seems to think and tells you that these are unreasonable measures, when really in gameplay thats not presented at all. Which in fact would be rather easy with some graphic changes: have the player arrest people for carrying the illegal contraband of foreign luxury goods, have a list of political dissidents in a newspaper analogue you need to arrest etc.. Stuff that hammers home how you are propping up an oppressive regime, yet the game only adds that variable at the very end with you confiscating the passports.
So yea, found myself more and more disengaged with the story that is really about two different things. In fact you could easily turn papers please into some border patrol propaganda game by just swapping out the graphics for bright and sunny aesthetics, whilst leaving the base gameplay and story progression intact.
@@KopperNeoman Out of the loop there, what happened?
As a professional archivist and researcher, I never felt like the basics of the gameplay were an obstacle. But that’s probably cause dealing with this kind of paperwork comes natural to me
Isnt the Ezic ending a little depressing? Sure you helped The Order at the ending you are out of a job you dont become an agent. The ending basically said we dont need inspectors we need agents which could mean that the inspector is of no use to the Ezic order. Furthermore, if you take into account all actions of Ezic they have no interest of keeping the border open and are hostile to Kolechia. So not only are you out of a job, a war is impending once more. Arstotzka may be corrupt and repressive but Ezic is no better and may even drive Arstotzka further down in conflict.
The best ending for the inspector really is to flee with the family. Obristan above all.
The thumbnail is just beautiful🤩