Game Recommendation #7: Papers, Please

Welcome to Arstotzka, where you are now a border immigration officer who is trying to survive cold winters while serving your country. You must keep out immigrants who come from countries you do not have open borders with and let the others pass. It sounds like an uninteresting premise, but thrill and puzzlement shine through this addictive dystopian thriller puzzle game.

Gameplay and Story

Papers, please is made by indie game developer Lucas Pope, published through his game company 3909. The game starts out with you receiving your new job, and you must begin immediately. Each round will start out by telling you the regulations. A person will pass through your station and hand you a passport. You are the one responsible for making sure that the person meets the regulations and you decide by either rejecting them or letting them through.

At the end of each round, you will get paid and you have to organize your funds so that you can survive and take care of your family. You get paid every round, but its dependent on how well you did during the round.

The game gets increasingly more difficult with each round, as political conflicts rise with Artstotska and its neighbors. This is the puzzle aspect of the game, as you have to balance your work so you can let as many immigrants in as possible.

Who would I recommend this to? 

The game has decent graphics, and the art style accompanies the dystopian tone underlying the gameplay and story. Even though the game is essentially paperwork, it quickly gets addicting and the ambiance of the story adds to the fun. A good game to check out if you enjoy puzzles,

 the game is priced at $9.99 on Steam. Glory to Atstotska!

Game Recommendation #5: Hyper Light Drifter

To start up this blog again, I will be recommending a game that came out just recently. Hyper Light Drifter by Heart Machine is one of the most recent indie games, it just came out less than a month ago. It's one of the most ambitious Game Maker projects, raising money on Kickstarter. It's a beautiful exploring RPG with challenging gameplay and a gripping story. 

Story 

The game starts out with an intro sequence. There is no dialogue, but there is music to add drama to the scene. Your character has to fight off monsters, and to do so, has to collect pieces from ancient temples and upgrade their abilities. You can talk to the NPC's to slowly learn more about what is going on, but everything is visual. 

Gameplay 

The gameplay in Hyper Light Drifter is challenging but fun. (It's recommended to play with a game controller.) You have a sword, a gun, and the ability to 'light drift'. This lets you run away faster and get through puzzles. You usually encounter groups of enemies to kill off before running out of health. There is also a lot of platforming, but it never gets frustrating. There is a large challenge in balancing your health since you can only heal yourself if you find health packs. 

Graphics

Out of all the games that I have recommended so far, this is the most breathtaking to look at. All of the character and enemy designs are unique, the backgrounds are stunning and the colors pop. Knowing how hard it is to use Game Maker, the visuals are outstanding. They add to the story and gameplay, never being too distracting. 

Who would I recommend this to? 

I would recommend this to someone who is ready for a challenge and love pixel art. It can get frustrating, but it's not game ruining. So if you have the time to appreciate beautiful art and story with complex gameplay, then you can buy it on Steam for $19.99. The heart put into the project really shows in the beauty of all its aspects. 

So what do you think of Hyper Light Drifter? What should I recommend next?