[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:03.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,♪(Intro music playing)♪
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.27,0:00:06.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, a few years ago there was the man\Nwho went up to the moon,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.75,0:00:08.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there was a wall that got torn down
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.80,0:00:10.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and union that got dissolved
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.32,0:00:13.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and now that all that stuff is over\Nand done with
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.22,0:00:15.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have this game called Papers, Please
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.68,0:00:17.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it might be the most conventionally
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.62,0:00:22.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"FUN" product of this weird\Npost-pop indie workgame movement
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.93,0:00:25.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And by conventionally fun\NI mean to say
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.90,0:00:27.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Papers, Please is technically
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.49,0:00:28.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a polished product
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.83,0:00:32.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It feels good, is sounds good,\Nit looks (short pause) good enough
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.29,0:00:34.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it has a sense of reward and punishment
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.13,0:00:35.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that hooks you into wanting to win
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.01,0:00:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that's all where its conventional\Nqualities end
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.48,0:00:41.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Winning in this game isn't \Nnecessarily glorious
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.55,0:00:44.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and given the setting and subject matter,\Nit shouldn't be
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.49,0:00:46.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For those who played the free demo \Nback in February
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.00,0:00:50.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the core experience of playing\Nthe full version of Papers, Please
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.07,0:00:51.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is pretty much the same thing
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.35,0:00:54.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're working the border checkpoint\Nof an impoverished communist nation
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.45,0:00:58.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in early 80's that's somewhere \Neast of Berlin and west of Beijing
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.74,0:01:00.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Immigrants line-up towards\Nan inspection desk
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.87,0:01:02.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and hand you a bunch of paperwork
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.17,0:01:03.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you scan it over
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.31,0:01:04.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,checking for discrepancies
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.58,0:01:06.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,typos and forgeries
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.09,0:01:09.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and after violating few of their rights you either let them pass or send them back home
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.98,0:01:13.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's the whole core of the game, you're literal paper-pusher
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.38,0:01:17.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The most basic and common action in this game is just sliding papers around the desk
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.45,0:01:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And believe it or not - it feels surprisingly good
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.00,0:01:23.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mostly thanks to some really crisp crinkly paper sound effects
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.60,0:01:27.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the sharp pixel art style that filters out all but the most necessary information
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.13,0:01:31.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Plus the printer sound effect you get when you make a mistake is really grading
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.57,0:01:34.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For some reason that noise drove me nuts
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.19,0:01:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it makes screwing up feel that much worse
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.00,0:01:41.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As the game goes on the nation's rules, regulations and policies change
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.42,0:01:44.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more types of paperwork get out into the pile, so keeping your desk organized
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.67,0:01:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and free of clutter becomes a secondary objective to processing the immigrants through
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.38,0:01:51.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few twists and turns later, you're suddenly decyphering coded messages
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.95,0:01:54.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and actually shooting down trespassers
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.39,0:01:57.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But all that is just mechanical, as the demo hinted at
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.30,0:02:00.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the full game has a lot of stories to tell on the other side of that counter.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.63,0:02:04.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're catching glimpses of these characters' lives, while they're at their most vulnerable
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.31,0:02:08.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The robotic and almost anonymous bureaucratic actions on your end
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.95,0:02:09.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,carry heavy emotional weight
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.89,0:02:12.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Depending on how you interpret your country's strict immigration policies
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.84,0:02:18.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you might break up families of war refugees or inadvertently traffic prostitutes
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.11,0:02:21.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're given two chances to make mistakes before an invisible supervisor
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.23,0:02:25.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starts docking your pay and weighing where, when and how let some of these
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.35,0:02:28.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,characters slip through the wall creates an intersection of time, ethical
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.64,0:02:30.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and monetary pressure
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.69,0:02:33.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, this game makes processing paperwork way more
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.75,0:02:36.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,exciting and stressful than it has any right to be,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.14,0:02:40.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it gives those actions long term mechanical and contextual consequences.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.54,0:02:44.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are multiple branching story paths that eventually lead to twenty different endings
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.55,0:02:47.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they all depend on who you let throurgh, how many mistakes you make
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.81,0:02:50.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how fast you can push all those papers
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.24,0:02:52.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Before long you make contact with a resistance movement
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.79,0:02:55.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and diplomats and spies start trying to make their way through
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.97,0:02:58.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and suddenly your decisions carry historical weight
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.75,0:03:02.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're seeing recurring characters show-up enough times to develop arcs
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.02,0:03:04.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and bunch bunch of minor little details to this unverse
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.49,0:03:06.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,suddenly become important
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.12,0:03:09.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even names of these cities are relevant to the international politics going on
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.86,0:03:12.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which are also influenced by the country's position on the map
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.78,0:03:16.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and whether or not you play to the certain fraction that go to your checkpoint
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.35,0:03:19.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at critical moments can determine how the rest of the entire story plays out
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.72,0:03:23.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But all things considered, this game tells it's story in such unorthodox
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.78,0:03:28.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and clever way that I am ready to recommend it based on it's uniqueness alone
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.63,0:03:31.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, what genre would you call this thing?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.80,0:03:36.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is it a puzzle game? Is it a work simulator? Is it a point&click adventure?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.39,0:03:40.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It tells a darkly humorous political satire on a really small stage
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.48,0:03:45.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and essential gameplay mechanic is the most boring kind of work imaginable
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.05,0:03:48.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the places it takes you and the things that has you do without ever leaving
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.84,0:03:53.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that desk feel so natural in this setting, that it's also kind of creepy too
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.63,0:03:58.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the game is clever and unique experiment into familiar and realistic territory
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.70,0:04:02.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it works! Lucas Pope pulled this off very well
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.61,0:04:05.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the one slip-up in the process might have been the free demo
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.35,0:04:07.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he released one year ago
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.11,0:04:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mainly, because there is not substantial amount of new content
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.04,0:04:11.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,added to the final build
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.22,0:04:14.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The game is only 10 dollars, but it's still pretty close to the same experience
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.54,0:04:15.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can get for free
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.92,0:04:19.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a minor bit of audiovisual polish, there are couple of new types of paperwork
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.94,0:04:23.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to manage and also an upgrade system that has keyboard shortcuts to the interface
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.53,0:04:28.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's a four hour and ten dollar game that has you doing the exact same stuff
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.07,0:04:30.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you did for free for one hour in the demo
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.71,0:04:33.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problem is that after few of those hours
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.13,0:04:35.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the repetition of processing people's papers over and over again
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.90,0:04:39.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starts to feel less quirky and ironic and more like actual wrok
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.96,0:04:43.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If anything, it doesn't really change or add to the experience of the demo
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.72,0:04:46.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it just intensifies it
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.52,0:04:47.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ok, hear me out
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.90,0:04:50.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This process gets really hard sometimes for no reason
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.87,0:04:54.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On some days I swear every last person in this line is trying to hide something
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.92,0:04:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So every damn time you don't probe over every little detail
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.54,0:05:00.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your supervisor yells at you
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.24,0:05:01.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I get it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.72,0:05:05.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I f**d up, I admit. But, do you wanna do this job?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.80,0:05:08.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm just one guy here, gimme a break!
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.15,0:05:09.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This place is a God damn mess!
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.97,0:05:13.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's clear that this broke-ass government has me understaffed and insecured.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.65,0:05:16.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People are blowing each other off right outside my office
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.58,0:05:19.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the criminals are giving me more money than my employers.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.32,0:05:23.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's no wonder I take those bribes. It's the only way to keep my kid from getting sick
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.85,0:05:26.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every time I wake up and say hi to him in the morning.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.45,0:05:28.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe I wouldn't take them if this bankrupt administration
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.85,0:05:32.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just pay these people just to give a damn, but when corruption is the only way to
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.74,0:05:35.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,take care of my own people, then what do you expect from me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.79,0:05:39.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So no, I am sorry, I cannot do this job as fast as you think I can.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.41,0:05:43.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your demands are unreasonable and I am incapable, I am trying as hard as I can
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.40,0:05:47.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I am still losing, so f{\b1}k you, f{\b0}k this country an f**k this job.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.94,0:05:52.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I think that if you go into this game with the kind of precautionary mindset
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.20,0:05:54.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then it will still feel worth the purchase.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.15,0:05:58.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Things get pretty frustrating, but not in an inappropriate way.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.73,0:06:00.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There might not be enough there mechanically to justify
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.69,0:06:02.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the time and money it takes to play
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.26,0:06:04.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this thing successfully makes a game system
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.25,0:06:07.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of the desperation, frustration and never ending poverty
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.70,0:06:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that characterized an entire era
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.00,0:06:12.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It also makes a historical fictional allegory out of it
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.01,0:06:14.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that makes this world seem a whole lot like their own.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.45,0:06:17.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's funny, it's scary, it's insightful and it's relevant.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.47,0:06:20.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for that it's a pretty damn cool game.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.95,0:06:24.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And throughout the frustrating repetitive grind that is playing it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.35,0:06:27.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it earned a hell of a lot of my respect.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.29,0:06:30.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I highly encourage that everyone at least check out the demo,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.24,0:06:32.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but if you are to purchase the full version
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.56,0:06:34.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then keep in mind that the kind of gameplay in demo
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.46,0:06:36.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,might lose it's novelty after the first few hours.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.83,0:06:39.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But after thinking about it for a while
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.29,0:06:41.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you might realize that it's kind of the point
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.44,0:06:47.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that it also never really stopped being fun, for whatever fun is supposed to mean
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.25,0:06:49.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this kind of case