Recent reviews by CapnBob

*STROBE STROBE STROBE* *SEISURE* *SEISURE* *SEISURE* *DEAD* *DEAD* *DEAD*

Is Real Good

I would be lying if I said the game was anywhere near perfect. I would also be lying if I said this game had vastly improved since I bought it a few years ago. This game is not very good to be honest, but there are redeming factors that make it worth your time.

Negatives:

It is REALLY buggy and often crashes.
There is not a lot of content to sink your teeth into.
There is hardly any variation in the animals you play as.
Most enemies are stupid and aren't that hard to kill.
The platforming is grossly underutilised.
The game doesn't offer a wide variety of maps.
The campaign takes about ten minutes to beat.
It is a lot more difficult to get mods than it should be.
There is only one campaign at the moment, and hardly any stealth gameplay to be seen.
No online multiplayer.

Positives:

THE COMBAT


This game is not great, but the combat alone makes it enjoyable. The mechanics are solid and make you actually time your movements to ensure you hit your target. You need to block at the right moment to catch your enemy off guard and land a solid blow to the head. The weapons play remarkably well and increase the intensity of an already intense battle. The satisfaction you feel after defeating a horde of enemies is immeasurable. The game does not offer a whole lot of stealth to enjoy, so it is up to you to create your own moments in the editor. It is not hard to be stealthy, but quietly picking off your foes one by one is enjoyable none-the-less.

I definitely recommend getting this game if you have the money. It might be more convenient to wait for a sale, but that is up to you. It is also important to know that this game is in Alpha (and has been for 6 years), so it is definitely not a reflection of the final product, with updates coming regularly.

Papers, Please is a surreal indie game in which you play as a border inspector working for the communist country, Arstotzka. The game is full of gray areas that force the player to make difficult decisions. The "puzzles" get increasingly difficult as the game progresses, with more and more rules being put in place for you to follow. This game is not perfect by any means, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.

The game starts with you finding out you had been chosen in the "lottery," and that you are now forced to become Arstotzka's border inspector. They had recently opened the border, so crowds of people who want to get in are large and unruly, with instances such as terrorism becoming a somewhat common occurance. Everybody who comes up to you for entrance to Arstotzka has a reason for going there, whether it be work or family. It is up to you to decide if they are fit to enter by checking their passports and other documents to make sure they are not counterfeit or missing completely. If you let someone in who doesn't have the proper documents, you will be penalized. This is where the concept of choice appears, as it is up to you to decide if you want to let the desperate people in even if they are not qualified. No matter your decision, the game makes you feel terrible for what you have done. If you let them go, you lose money that you need to spend on rent and medicine for your sick family, which results in a fail-state if it happens to often. If you deny them, you will have to see their hopes and dreams crushed as they discover they may not see their family again.

The game plays fine, but the repetitive gameplay gets old rather fast, so you will often have to take a break to avoid getting too sick of the game. The puzzles start off easy, but get harder as the game progresses. It is a gentle slope, so you will never feel overwhelmed by the amount of things you have to do. It is worth noting that you will likely have to do a lot of reading in order to fully understand how to play the game, and a perfect run is pretty much impossible. The more people you get through the more money you make, but if you go too fast you may make more mistakes which result in more penalties.

The art style of this game is interesting to say the least. People look deformed and sad, which fits in with the bleak setting of the game. There is nothing noteworthy about the graphics, but the gray and brown color scale of the game portray a perfect atmoshere.

Overall, this is a great game that really makes you wonder about the choices you make. The gameplay is quite repetitive, but the tone and setting of the game seem to always bring you back for more. This is a must buy for fans of surreal, atmospheric games.