Released back in 2013 on PC gaming platform, Steam, ‘Papers, Please‘ put players in the shoes of an immigration inspector working the border between two fictitious hostile nations. The game received mass critical acclaim from publishers and gamers alike, scoring an overwhelmingly positive community review on Steam.
Set in the country of Arstotzka, you’re tasked with vetting visitors based on their papers and particular orders from the state. While you’re mostly judging the person based on objective facts in front of you, the subject will often tell you emotional stories or convincing pleas to explain discrepancies in their paperwork. It’s up to you to decide whether to be harsh in order to protect the border, or lenient and face the possible consequences.
If you haven’t played the game, you can get a taste of its grim setting in the short film adaptation of the same name. Like its predecessor, the film shows the harsh circumstances that were probably not dissimilar to a real-life Berlin from 1945 to 1990.
Released today, the 10-minute Russian-language film has subtitles for 22 languages and is available to watch for free in 4K on either YouTube or Steam. You can check it out below, which you absolutely should.
The adaptation was written by Nikita Ordynskiy, Liliya Tkach and the game’s creator, Lucas Pope. Tkach produced the piece and Ordynskiy directed it. It’s a fantastic take on the title that captures the same cold nihilism and humanity on a different medium.
