Glory To Arstotzka!
In spite of its retro-looking art design, there was nothing shallow about the experience that players had when they entered the world of Papers, Please. In fact many would agree that it was one of the most harrowing and immersive games to ever be released in the last decade, all of it driven by realistic scenarios that inspired intense, moral conflict.
Taking the role of an immigration officer tasked with authenticating or dismissing new entries into the country of Arstotzka, it’s your duty to make as few mistakes as possible in order to provide better living conditions for your family, all the while having to choose whether to turn a blind eye to the civilians in dire need of help.
With such a rich premise, it was inevitable that someone would come along and try and make a live-action adaptation. According to an article on PCGamer, a short film inspired by the game is already in post-production.
Papers, Please is a sort of point-and-click puzzle game in which you play an immigration inspector for the faux-nation of Arstotzka, a run-down communist joint that’s just come out of a war with its neighbor. Your job is to inspect the papers of people who want to enter the country and decide who gets in and who’s kept out, being mindful of terrorists, smugglers, spies, mimes, and so on.
It sounds like a fairly straightforward time management game but as we said in our 2013 review, it’s actually much more impactful than that. “The mental-emotional tug-of-war the game manages to stimulate through paperwork is impressive, but a lot is owed to its perfect pacing,” Evan wrote about it. “Above all Papers, Please is a $10 ticket to emotional manipulation, left brain stimulation, and elegantly-paced virtual paperwork wrapped in clever storytelling.”
It was also enough of a hit that earlier this year, creator Lucas Pope announced that a short film adaptation by Nikita and Liliya Ordynskiy was in the works. Pope shared some production stills from the set in the announcement, and today the creators released the “Final Trailer,” showcasing what promises to be a relatively grim film-going experience.
Neither the YouTube listing nor the Facebook page reveal much about the film, beyond the fact that it exists: It’s written and directed by the Ordynskiys, directed by Nikita Orkynskiy, produced by Liliya Tkach, and stars Igor Savochkin. IMDB says it’s currently in post-production, but there’s no indication as to when it will be out or where it will be available.
If you are eager to revisit the hauntingly realistic world of Papers, Please be sure to check out the trailer for the upcoming film below.
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