Indie developers with low budgets, small teams and limited resources are increasingly showing us that you don’t need millions of dollars to make a game with a distinct visual style, innovative game mechanics and an engrossing story. With the increasing popularity of online distribution and services like Steam Greenlight, the costs of distribution have been minimized significantly allowing independent developers to flourish.
One title that truly stands out for me is the “dystopian document thriller” Papers, Please. The game’s basic premise is simple: you’re an immigration inspector on the Grestin Border checkpoint of the fictional communist country of Arstotska, checking the papers of immigrants. If you fail to garner enough money each day, your family will die. What makes this game so captivating is the temptation of corruption. Will you take a little something from a wife with a fake passport who is split from her spouse who is just across the border? The game is perfectly playable if you wish to abstain from corruption and shows you how people with the best intentions can slowly lose their way in a bureaucratic and incredibly corrupt police state.
The game is in 8 bits which may be a turn off for some, yet arguably makes the game more engrossing. The strong primary colours of your booth juxtaposed against the blends of blacks and grays outside constantly reminds you that you owe your existence to the government, and failing to pay your rent or defying orders will mean your certain replacement. The 8-bit style combined with the thumping soundtrack cleverly conveys the backwardness of Eastern Europe during the Cold War. The immigrants are portrayed as ugly 2D sprites giving the player the impression that these are real people, imperfect and sometimes repulsive, none untouched by the corruption and malfeasance of the state.
Papers, Please is more than just an example of how through the use of an compelling game mechanics, indie games can stand tall next to triple A releases. Papers, Please is an experience that might teach you things you didn’t know you were capable of and, if nothing else, will make you more understanding next time you’re standing in line, waiting to have your papers checked.