In the world of mobile gaming, it’s getting increasingly hard to find decent content in an ocean of user-created slop and profit-driven monopolies. This one continues to be one of the best experiences on any platform, and will keep you entertained for hours. Papers, Please is very reminiscent of chess, it’s easy to pick up and very hard to master. You’ll find the initial processing of applicants a fair challenge and enjoyable, and will quickly master noticing minute discrepancies in traveler data. As a border enforcement agent, those discrepancies will get you fired if you miss them. The game evolves, though, and the amount of documentation you’ll need to check grows significantly. You’ll evolve with the game, and you’ll note that it’s a satisfying challenge to continue to improve yourself as you navigate it. A satisfying story mode is accompanied by assorted endless challenges once you’ve beaten the game, making sure you still have plenty to entertain you once you’ve passed the main portion. Pick this one up, give it a try, and take notice after you’ve started playing that an hour’s passed and you didn’t even know it.
Sorry, don’t know how to edit previous review - only issue I have with this game (minor issue) is the bit where player has to determine whether the applicant’s sex is matching the passport. Often difficult to tell based on portrait! So I have got many citations for this. I am doing my best to catch up, but it seems arbitrary if some portraits aren’t easily distinguished between male or female. I would not want developer to make hyper-feminine or hyper-masculine portraits to correct this, or to remove this feature completely, but maybe some small details that better indicates applicant sex? Or, if not possible, remove feature entirely. Because plenty of people don’t fit typical ‘sexual dimorphism’
Needs an update for landscape mode, at the bare minimum. Portrait mode on an iPad is doable, but not very comfortable for long sessions, especially with a keyboard case and Apple Pencil holder. It also repositions things so it’s completely different from the PC version, making it jarring to switch between the two. Also, like others, I feel it won’t be supported on newer versions of iOS soon or possibly on newer, bigger, higher resolution iPads, as has happened to other games I’ve purchased in the past - needs a compatibility update! An iPhone version would totally complete the package as well, but I can see how that would be difficult on such a small screen. But as for the game itself, super fun, and SUPER ADDICTIVE! Saw Pewdiepie and Jacksepticeye revisit this game, never heard of it, almost blew it off due to old graphics, but MAN what a fun game once you get into it. Love it, just needs proper modern iOS/iDevice support!
I remember playing this in middle-school on PC when it first came out and later once they ported it to iPad. This (along with FTL) we’re two of the best indie games of that era to get ported to iPad, but neither had iPhone versions… until now!! I thought it was a bug when I was browsing through the App Store and saw a cloud download button next to… Papers, Please. So, I clicked on it, and much to my surprise, after *all* these years, Lucas Pope went out of his way to redesign the gameplay to fit on these tall phone screens we have now, much like he did for multitouch on the iPad years ago. Thank you!! Not only that, but at least in my experience, this redesign has made the game much easier by virtue of greater efficiency in accepting and returning documents, making it easier to earn money and progress. I’ve gotten further in the story I’m the past couple days than I ever did all the other times I played it. If you haven’t taken a look at this modern indie classic, give a spin and enjoy doing your part for your country! Glory to Arstotska!!
One of the most important games ever, now on mobile
What can I say about this that hasn’t already been said? It’s a game that takes full advantage of its interactive medium to deliver a cohesive narrative and gameplay package unlike anything else. It’s rich in themes of 80’s era late-stage communism, corruption and the roles people play to survive in nightmarish conditions. It’s truly special, and feels like it’s true art from the heart. AAA studios spend millions trying to replicate a fraction of the feeling that this 5-dollar indie game does effortlessly. No amount of “cinematic” gameplay, lore-dumping, cutscenes or gimmicky mechanics ever come close to creating a comparable experience as this.
The game itself is pretty darn good not gonna lie. The creators did a really good job, creating it and putting some time into it, the only thing that I would ask to update in it is to make it so that the text and the wording in there is a lot more clear to see and that the height difference and stuff like that is more eligible so we can actually see it, and I have to guess it because sometimes it makes it very blurry to see the lines and the height and the weight. Also add some more decor for like the stamps and the desk for people to use.
It feels very real, and immersive. If you are considering buying it instead of the PC, or Mac version because of the layout difference, it’s actually hardly different and doesn’t affect gameplay all that much. I also saw another comment saying they didn’t have volume or sound even after uninstalling. The same thing happened to me, and I just quit and restarted the app, and it worked just as it should. So all in all, I think this game is a work of art, and the music is very pog. 10/10 would recommend it.
By Far one of the best mobile games on the App Store
this game is overall amazing First time I downloaded this game I was hooked for 5 hrs straight this game has a lot of fun mechanics to it and really catches that theme of border crossing roleplay the fact that there are 20 endings really shows how much attention and detail really went into this game idk how pc gameplay is but mobile is pretty straightforward and controls are easy to get used to if anyone ever needs time to kill on your phone 10/10 would recommend
My first review and this one is worth it! I’m very skeptical of mobile games and this is a charm. You really grow with the game and feel like you’re progressing with your checkpoint each day. 20 different endings and an endless mode. This game makes you think, few compassion and rebelliousness all in the same breath. Story mode is great and I’m working on my 6th ending now! Highly recommend for anyone willing to get lost for hours into something so simplistic, yet elegant. 10/10. Good job with this one!!
On the most shallow level, it is a fairly repetitive attention-to-detail game, so if that’s not your cup of tea then you’ll find it boring. But it is so much more than that. And BOY was it MY cup of tea! It scratches a similar itch for me that Ace Attorney does: chasing after “gotcha” moments while enjoying a narrative full of intrigue, mild despair, and moments of humor or levity. I definitely entered a flow state while playing, a sort of addictive satisfaction I haven’t enjoyed in a while. It plays great on mobile. Well worth it!
Having a great time playing this game. The story is fantastic, the branching story paths are interesting, and the ambiance nails it. This game is well worth the purchase. For people on the fence, I encourage you to give it a shot. however, I would recommend this game on at least an iPad, as it would be too small on an iPhone with the amount of different items you need to read to keep your homeland safe. This game uses pattern recognition and problem solving, not action.
Amazing Mobile Port, adapted to fit your small screens.
This port of the original Papers, Please is a neatly constructed and well-made adaptation to mobile phones. The person, or people, behind this have made many design choices to fit it in a traditional portrait orientation rather than landscape. It’s a nice way to get gamers to check for discrepancies and play an indie classic while in a relaxing car drive, or funnily enough, trip to another country. Glory to Arstotzka.
This game is extremely well made. From the pixel graphics, to the overall gameplay, this game is amazing. I highly recommend you play this. Even if you’re not into inspecting, or Sherlock type of games, you should really look into this. With over 20+ endings, and amazing characters, this game could possibly change your view on society, and how you should either choose empathy, or money (credits). Great game! 10/10!
I love Papers Please, and I loved this game since the PC and playing it on the iPad is alright and good fun. You still get the same story and the same characters. The interface is alright, but it just makes me wish this was in landscape like the original game. The portrait mode feels forced and I think they’d have more usage of screen real estate by giving a landscape option. Overall though, this is a fantastic must have for the iPad.
Papers please is one of the best Mobile games i have ever played. and some people say its too expensive, yes it can be expensive but save up your money and you will not be disappointed whatsoever. this game is an improvement in gaming history and should be remembered, it has gotten me through some tough times and i will never forget all the hard work put into this game. Thank you
This game was never designed with mobile in mind, the controls are very wonky which makes for poor gameplay when you are timed and have to juggle a hundred different pieces of information. I understand the latter bits are the point of the game which makes it great on PC but on mobile the mobile layout actively fights against you and makes it worse. Increased time per level to make up for the awkward control scheme should have been your first thought.
They did a good job of porting the game from desktop to mobile but there’s one issue. When playing the game on mobile you can’t click on the desk so if an npc were to walk up to you without a passport (it’s a feature in the game) so you’d have to restart. This means you couldn’t get past day 3 or endless mode. I’d love to see an update on this feature. Everything else is great in the game.
Your don’t really see too many good mobile games out there, but this game is something else! Also there’s this small glitch that IF you want someone’s fingerprints or you wanna search them, if you tap too fast, for some reason it detains them. Although you don’t get any penalties for it, it’s still a bug I recommend fixing. But overall, AMAZING GAME!
Papers Please is a fun game with alternative endings. I've be waiting for years for a game like this to come out on the App Store great game keep up the good work . Oh by the way way worth the money🤑. However I have 1 concern first is the expiration dates. Some times the documents (excluding passports because they can expire anytime.) stuff like the entry permit expire before they were even a thing in the game which is weird.
This is a really great game, and I really enjoy it. And it will receive all five stars when the bugs are worked out. Sometimes it will issue citations for things being incorrect when they aren’t. I even caught this on screen record once just to make sure it wasn’t me. Luckily it doesn’t happen often enough to cause a problem with gameplay, but it’s really annoying if you’re trying to be a perfectionist.
I wrote a review on this and it didn't save so uhhhh, very good game, buy now. Absolute masterpiece. Also there is a bug where if you highlight a different name discrepancy, even if the fingerprints match it will not clear the discrepancy and you have to deny them or citation go brrr. I would appreciate it if this was fixed. Glory to Arstotzka
This isn’t going to be a long review but let me just say that this is completely worth it. The game might give you some doubts, sure, but it is totally worth it. I had 8 dollars left and I spent all my money on this and it was really good. There are 20 endings to the game, it’s really cool. And you get to decide whether to deny people or accept them
It's definitely worth the money, no doubt, and it has a great storyline. I was playing for hours waiting to see what happened. One good feature is that you can have different storylines going at once so when you fail you can go back or start over. It is the best game on the App Store by far.
I have played this game on the pc and it works great. But however, even though this game is the best game even on mobile i have an issue. I only got to day 4 and now I don’t have any sound. I uninstalled the game from my Ipad and re installed it but I still have no sound. Help?
I play on an iPad and can’t figure out how to do anything with a person that has no documents period. I looked up what to do online and even used ChatGPT and I’m still not seeing what I’m supposed to corroborate. Will someone please help? I love this game but I’m stuck
Just a good game in general, amazing controls and not too hard. 10/5 honestly, Worth the $! I haven't found ANY glitches so far (debugging is hard, I have personal experience on it)! Just make a landscape mode please. That would be nice, and you can just copy half the files to landscape graphics.
Papers please is simply just a masterpiece in story-telling, gameplay and is a work of art in general. There are multiple copycats on the App Store, but if you feel like spending a few bucks, then give this game a try. It is worth your money.
The amount of care put into this mobile port is amazing. This is one of indie gaming’s greatest games, and it works perfect on a small iPhone screen with all the changes the developer has made. Please buy it and support good games instead of all this micro-transaction schlock.
Best border game that possibly ever existed in the universe.
I love Papers, Please. Because it feels so fun to let people in or out of a country and stuff. It gets really stressful when you have to deny families or something like that, but I like the stress. It’s a game that had a very large amount of potential and figured out a way to use that potentials.
This game is one of the best examples of video games being art with a great story of a dystopia that has all this crazy stuff which really makes you think could this stuff happen? Has this stuff already happened? What will happen if this stuff happens? So all and all this is a great game!
Every time someone is missing an ID supplement I click the counter then the rules and it says it matches up. So I pass them through and it says I get a penalty for missing ID supplement. The game is otherwise fun but it is really irritating having that component not working.
While playing this game, you have a feeling of being with the characters. Life is hard, and this game is truly thought-provoking. At times, you are pressed to make difficult decisions. You get personal with the characters, even-like Sergiu, the border guard. This game teaches you about saving money and efficiency, and it also models real-world conflicts. This game is slightly repetitive, very very slightly, but teaches you concentration, and is spiced up by dialogue, discrepancies, interesting visitors, favors, and terrorist attacks. In all, good game. Try it out. See what you think. -That One Kid Who Likes Well-Structured Games
Ok, so this game had no glitches for me on my iPad mini. I was concerned about the amount of desk space in this game, but there is just enough to make it a challenge, but not be irritating. Kinda pricey, not gonna lie, I wish it was $1.99 but the game is ok. Just enough action and story to make this game great, I seriously recommend it.
It’s definitely a game that will make you think. Check, and double check. Also pro gamer tip. Make sure your device is off silent. Tired of seeing reviews whining about no sound.
The game is great but as I was playing the sound effects stopped. The music plays at the beginning of the day but after the music fades out, there’s no sound at all. I’ve tried everything to fix it and searched everywhere but can’t find any answers.
So overall the game is really fun and i really like the concept. But there is a problem where it says revoke passports from citizens in alto district. When i do this it gives me a citation saying "clear for entry". I even let them through and it said "not clear for entry". So basically i can move on through the game. Pleas fix this and i will be more than happy to rate five stars
Fix audio issue. I can’t hear any background noise unless I am using some sort of speakers or powerful headphones. No issues with my phone, and problems direct to this game. What a shame, and so much for the soundtrack. I guess I will be playing audio from another device to make the game seem relevant. Iphone 13.
This game is funny. I just have issues with controls like using poison on passport since I think it was originally a windows game and not an App Store game. Otherwise, would of given it 5 stars. Better than that’s not my neighbor. Bribes and other stuff in this game!
i wish we could play in landscape mode, and i wish if it had an iphone version with some interface rework to fit it better with cloud syncing, other than that its a very fun game EDIT: LETS GOOOOOO ITS ON IPHONE NOW
This game has always kept me entertained on long trips and at home. It has so much to offer and the gameplay also will have you make hard decisions at times. I highly recommend that you play this game.
The game mechanics feel bumpy at times on the iPad. I can get over that, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to use the gun. I swear it’s a bug. The gun highlights when I select it and freezes. It just doesn’t work. I’ve replayed a level a few times, and I cannot get it to work. It shows you how crappy the game mechanics is on the iPad. Clicking and using items shouldn’t be difficult on any game.
This game is awesome worth the price I recommend it but it hasn’t updated in 2 years and I fear it won’t be available on my iPad Mini for long so please update it so I can continue playing without worry.... outside the game of course
This game is amazing it's so fun sure it can be overwhelming at times but it makes up for it you can take the side of the government or ezic both ways are fun but ezic is more action packed. This game is amazing and I can't wait for a sequel to the game!!
“Oh hey there inspector! I heard you hit your head when the border explosion happened and was hospitalized. 1989? Berlin Wall? East Germany collapse? Oh inspector, what are you talking about! You must’ve hit your head pretty hard! Come inspector, we have more passports to confiscate and treacherous Kolechians to detain!”
Y’know I was hesitant at first but the mobile format for this game works smoothly and effortlessly. I don’t know how you manage to make literal paperwork interest but they did it and I’m hooked!
This might be the most original game in the App Store. Totally dark and completely addictive. Its numerous endings and twists and turns are unlike anything else you will play. Well worth the price.
It’s really fun until you get about 10 days in and then it’s just the same ol that ver and over again. For $5 it’s an easy purchase but I can’t see much in the way of replaying for the different endings when it’s so slow to progress.
Look elsewhere if you just want to unwind a little after a tiring day at work and you have half an hour to make it count, this will just do the opposite for your mood. The 3 stars is for the terrible User Interface by the way.
So addictive and immersive. I’m really impressed at how well they formatted it for mobile. Runs well. Now I can take my love of this game anywhere. Glory to Arstotzka.
A dystopian document thriller. The award-winning, critically-acclaimed border inspector game. ______________________________________ "Congratulations." "The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled." "For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint." "An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling." "Glory to Arstotzka." ______________________________________ Awards ◉ Best Game of 2013 - The New Yorker ◉ Best Game of 2013 - Wired Magazine ◉ Top Indie Game 2013 - Forbes Magazine ◉ Best Strategy & Simulation Game 2014 - BAFTA ◉ Grand Prize Winner 2014 - Independent Games Festival ◉ Excellence in Design Winner - IGF 2014 ◉ Excellence in Narrative Winner - IGF 2014 ◉ GameCity Prize Winner 2014 - GameCity ◉ Cultural Innovation Award 2013 - SXSW ◉ Best PC Game 2014 - LARA Game Awards ◉ Innovation Award - GDCA 2014 ◉ Most Innovative 2014 - Games For Change ◉ Best Gameplay 2014 - Games For Change ◉ Best Game of 2013 - Ars Technica ◉ Best Game of 2013 - PC World ◉ Best PC Game of 2013 - Destructoid ◉ Best Story of 2013 - Destructoid ... and more ______________________________________ Story The communist state of Arstotzka has just ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin. Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested. ______________________________________ Features Includes the complete original game with all 31 days and 20 endings. Also adds unlockable multitouch support for faster paperwork, an enhanced inspection mode, Game Center achievements, leaderboards, mid-day resume, and more. ______________________________________ Warning This game contains mature themes, non-photographic nudity, and brief moments of pixelated violence.
