Changing gears in the most severe way possible with the inclusion of Papers Please onto this list, and one of many games this year that advanced the entire medium of videogames into more artistic territory. You play a nameless drone-like worker in a fictional Soviet Russia-inspired country, tasked with observing the border control checkpoint between the glorious nation of Arstotzka and the many neighbouring countries. Its down to you to sift through the many different applicants papers, to see who is allowed into the country, and whilst that may sound dull or boring, the rub lies in balancing the needs of the many against those of the few. You see you have your own family to take of on your lowly wage given by the state, and should you make too many mistakes, your son or wife could forgo a meal for the evening, or even take ill, being they cannot afford medical care. This feeds into the various people youll allow into the state, as youll find a husband with papers in-check, yet a wife further down the line is missing documentation, yet she pleads to be let in. Do you allow them in, knowingly committing a mistake and damning yourself to work ever-harder for the rest of the day, or split up the already-struggling couple? This is one of many questions that will come at you across the course of the game, and with the stakes being raised through the introduction of people who will do anything to get across, alongside cash bonuses being thrown your way should you detain entrants for minor discrepancies, the position Papers Please puts you in as both a gamer and a human being, is truly fascinating.
