Papers, Please tasks players as an immigration inspector for the fictional nation of Arstotzka, checking the passports of various immigrants to decide who can enter. Successfully checking passports and documents at a quick rate will earn more money, ensuring one’s family survives month to month. However, the guidelines and requirements become more stringent over time.

Other challenges can emerge but we won’t spoil everything. Garnering widespread acclaim for its gameplay mechanics, themes and writing, Papers, Please has sold over 1.8 million copies as of 2016. It’s currently available for PC, iOS for iPad, and PlayStation Vita. Check out our review for it here and the surprisingly excellent short film here.

"Papers, Please" but small. August 5th. pic.twitter.com/87o8IqfCdF

— Lucas Pope (@dukope) July 23, 2022

Lucas Pope’s detective/narrative puzzler Return of the Obra Dinn will be coming to consoles this month. It’s out on October 18th for Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. The title originally launched for PC last year and was showered with praise for its game mechanics, storytelling, and investigative elements.

Taking place on the titular ship Obra Dinn, which has suddenly reappeared after going missing in 1803, it’s up to the player to investigate what happened to it back then. This involves using the Memento Mortem and analyzing the times of different deaths to connect different plot threads together. Oftentimes, you’ll be traveling to the past and witnessing the final moments of someone’s life to gather clues.

Utilizing a monochromatic and decidedly retro aesthetic, Return of the Obra Dinn has also received praise for its visuals and sound design. Whether it’s listening to different characters in panicked tones or the booming soundtrack, the title immerses the player at all times. Stay tuned for more details on its console release in the coming weeks.

Return of the Obra Dinn releases on October 18th for Switch, PS4, and Xbox One! pic.twitter.com/2r35Rw4eXP

— Lucas Pope (@dukope) October 3, 2019

Sony has announced that PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive SOMA, Onrush, and Iconoclasts – among other titles – for free in December. They might not quite be major headliners like last month’s Yakuza Kiwami and Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, but these are still some quality releases. Check out the video below.

SOMA is available for the PS4, and comes from the development studio behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It takes players into a futuristic underwater facility teeming with robots, both friendly and rogue. What’s going on, and how does the player escape? That’s part of the appeal in this atmospheric horror title.

Codemasters’ Onrush comes from the team responsible for DriveClub. Though it wasn’t especially successful, the title’s fast and responsive racing, along with an unorthodox approach to team play, is interesting to try out. Then there’s Iconoclasts for the PlayStation Vita (which has Cross Buy support with PS4), an excellent side-scrolling 2D platformer with a compelling story from the developer of Noitu Love 2: Devolution.

Other titles that you can look forward to include Steredenn and Steins;Gate for the PlayStation 3 and Papers, Please for the PlayStation Vita. All in all, it’s a fairly strong selection across all platforms. Look for them to go live when the PlayStation Store refreshes in December.

It’s incredible to think that a game like Papers, Please – where players assume the role of an immigration inspector in fictional Arstotzka – would gain as much traction as it did. Now, developer 3909 LLC is back with a brand new title called Return of the Obra Dinn. It releases on October 18th for PC and will retail for $19.99. You can find it on Steam and Humble Bundle (a GOG listing is coming later).

Touted as an “insurance adventure with minimal color”, Return of the Obra Dinn concerns a ship that was seemingly lost in 1802. However, it emerges about five years later without its crew, and as an insurance investigator for the East India Company, you have to solve its various mysteries. That includes assessing damages and trying to figure out the fate of its various crew members.

The game’s monochromatic style is bolstered by the resolution being locked to 800×450, which offers an antiquated and old-school look to the adventure. If you’re interested in trying out the concept of Return of the Obra Dinn, then the GDC 2016 build is available free on Itch.io. The developer notes that this is “not meant to be a proper demo of the final product but it’s probably safe to extrapolate from here.” Progress won’t be saved and bugs will be aplenty, but it’s still worth checking out.

Remember Lucas Pope’s compelling but ultimately chilling Papers, Please which explored the nightmarish red tape of border immigration? It’s been adapted into a 10 minute short film that’s now available to watch on Steam and YouTube. Check it out below.

Directed by Nikita Ordynskiy and produced by Liliya Tkach, both based in Russia, the short film focuses on a checkpoint inspector in Arstotzka. It’s his job to admit or deny entry to a number of different individuals. How morality plays into his decision making and the impact of certain choices is beautifully captured.

If you haven’t played it, Papers, Please is currently available for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows, PlayStation Vita and iOS. As the short film depicts, it’s up to the player to inspect those entering the Arstotzka checkpoint, checking for discrepancies in their permits and passports. As one progresses, they must stamp even more passports in an effort to support their family with food, medicine and heating. It’s garnered tons of critical acclaim and sold over 1.8 million copies as of 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFHHGETsxkE

The developer of the massively successful independently developed game Papers Please, Lucas Pope has launched the playable demo build for his next PC game. The demo was launched very quietly with no big hub bub made over it.

The game is called Return of the Obra Dinn and is set in 1808 and the game tells a tale of the sailing merchant ship, the Obra Dinn. The Obra Dinn was thought to have been lost at seen six years prior however, so what’s it doing back? Well, no one knows for sure yet, Pope says “This is a very early playable build,”…”There’s not much content and it hasn’t been tested. Progress is not saved.”

The game makes use of a beautifully stylized dot matrix styled graphical world to lead the player on a first person adventure full of mystery at sea. For those of you that are interested, the demo can be found at Pope’s site. 

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Lucas Pope’s indie puzzle title/immigrant check simulator Papers, Please has garnered an excellent amount of critical acclaim since its launch on August 8th 2013. Despite only being available on PC, Linux and Mac, the game has managed to sell over 500,000 units since launch according to a profile piece the BBC has been doing on Pope.

The game also recently won a BAFTA Award in the Strategy and Simulation category where Pope’s former employer Naughty Dog won awards for The Last of Us. We know that Pope is working on his next game but no details have been shared thus far aside from his fear of being able to live up to fan expectations.

You can check out our review of Papers, Please here and share your thoughts on the game in the comments. Will you be expecting a sequel to the same or a brand new game from Pope? Let us know below.