Papers, Please mobile port to release August 5
Pope has been busy answering questions from fans on Twitter over the weekend, as well. This version of Papers, Please will be a simple paid app, with no free-to-play or microtransaction elements. However, it will be an update to the 2014 iPad release, meaning those who purchased back then won't need to buy it again. No new content has been added, but Pope has reworked the interface to make it more comfortable on such a small screen, and he's confident enough in getting it to work on mobile that there won't be any kind of zooming function. It will only be playable in portrait mode to accommodate the new interface. Pope also joked that Papers, Please is on track for a console release in 2031.
Papers, Please released on PC in 2013 to critical acclaim. It takes place in the fictional Eastern-bloc country Arstotzka, ruled under an authoritarian regime. The player works as an immigration officer on the border, processing newcomers to Arstotzka. It begin simply enough, only needing to check things like passport expiration dates, but quickly the rules become more byzantine, necessitating a flood of documents from each immigrant and a stack of books for the player to cross-reference them with. The player only receives a small fee for every immigrant successfully processed, but is also fined for incorrectly admitting someone, putting immense pressure on the player to earn enough money to support their family, all while dealing with terrorist attacks from neighbouring countries and enticing offers from a revolutionary group.