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. It looks like it'll be worth checking out, though (as long as you're not in the mood for something to brighten up your day, anyway), so we'll let you know when more info emerges.
