Papers please game play
#PAPERS PLEASE GAME PLAY HOW TO#
Whenever people ask me when the game's HUD should be visible (especially with games where the HUD is an inescapable part of the game), this is an excellent example of how to use closeups to isolate the important information.įor Papers, Please isolating information was as easy as using zoomed in footage, but for other games with a lot of HUD elements like Into the Breach, it would take extra work by either the editor or game developer to strip away what isn't necessary for a particular shot. The trailer smartly isolates each part of the game using closeups we never see the entire game interface all at once, only what is needed to communicate each idea. The view of the border is at the top of the screen, the bottom left has the applicant, the slot in the booth, and the bottom right is your desk this is a lot to process. The music reaches its climax there's a fast montage of a variety of faces and passports whizzing by and being rejected.Īs you can see, there's a lot on screen as you play it. X-ray photos reveals her partially naked body and a gun taped to her back there's a closeup on the gun. There's a closeup of a "Search" button popping out. There's a closeup on the rule book dictating all Kolechians must be searched.
The next person comes into the booth she hands over her papers. Some game UI pops up as some items are highlighted a discrepancy is detected between the rules and the papers. The trailer then shows how the game gets more complex because the next person in the booth has even more papers than a simple passport the items are spread across the screen along with a rule book for approving/rejecting people. The person throws an object which explodes on a musical flourish. The tempo of the music continues increasing, and we see a person vaulting over the border intercut with more passport rejections. The next shot fleshes out the story a bit more with a shot of a newspaper about the border opening and families potentially being reunited. This gives the trailer the feel of a propaganda video, further cementing the atmosphere of the game.īy this point, the trailer has done its job of showing the audience the idea of stamping passports. There's a new title card: "Glory to Arstotzka" we see the emblem of Arstotzka. The tempo of the music increases, and a man is called into the booth. The passport is given to the woman, and she walks back out. Cutting action on the beat is usually something which editors do to make trailers more exciting, but in this case, the editing makes the act of rejection feel slow, deliberate and harsh syncing actions to the music adds personality to the protagonist's actions. Every action cuts in time to the slow, and plodding music. There's a cut on motion to reveal the passport, a receptacle for rubber stamps pops in, and rejects the entry. This enhances the cold and impersonal feeling of the montage by pulling us out of the scene we're now viewing this all occur from the outside.Īfter the title card we see a passport slide into the booth which swipes over to the right. Something else to note is as soon as the music starts, there's no more sound design.
The music seals the deal you are in Arstotzka. The slow pace of the opening enhances the sense of waiting in line at the border. The gray visuals, and the sound design of the ambience and rusty metal grate immerse you in the world. Only 12 seconds in, the trailer has well established the game's setting and premise. This is probably the only time I've seen a trailer for a game which justifies putting its title at the beginning. It cuts to black on the first beat of the music, the title card appears one word at a time in sync with the music: "PAPERS, PLEASE." I love how the title does double duty as character dialogue. A metal grate opens on the face of a woman. The trailer starts with a silent shot of guards at the border which pans over to the long line of people hoping to get through a person is called into the immigration booth. Your job is to and approve or reject the entry of potential immigrants based on the constantly changing rules set by your oppressive government. Papers, Please is a game made by Lucas Pope set in the 1980s where you play a border immigration officer in the fictitious Eastern European nation Arstotzka.