Did you enjoy the indie game Papers Please and want more? Do you want to play games that range from deep political discourse to comedic fun? This list will go over ten different games with similar themes or gameplay to Papers Please!
10. Not For Broadcast
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Alex Winston is a studio director of a live national television station. Alex must censor curse words, play ads, and avoid certain interferences to keep viewership high. Not For Broadcast takes place in a country that is coming under new authoritarian leadership, making broadcast running an intense job.
Not For Broadcast is a dystopia just like Papers Please with a hidden element of “something isn’t right here”. The game has a dark humor to it which can help lighten up the mood, but the deeper you go, the crazier and darker things get. You will discover secrets of the going ons of the world, but be sure to keep it hidden from the public eye or else.
Choose This Game If You Like…
The fast-paced gameplay of being able to edit broadcasts live along with its many intense challenges it brings to keep you going
The hidden dystopian atmosphere as you discover the dark parts of the going-ons in the country you inhabit
The dark humor that surrounds the game with each broadcast that you must edit, giving the game it’s own charm and personality
9. Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived
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As a police detective in this black and white world, you run your own police force. You are tasked with taking down a dangerous terrorist group in any means necessary. Be the good or bad cop as you decide how to best get the answers out of your many suspects.
This game brings into question just how far you are willing to go for justice. You can go as far as to torture your suspects or witnesses in many ways for their answers! Just like Papers Please, you navigate a dark world where every choice will make you question your own morality.
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Interrogation and detective gameplay as you navigate different crime scenes, conversations, and of course intense interrogations
Having the freedom to interrogate however you please, whether it is by coaxing your suspects to trust you or scaring the answers out of them. The choice is yours
Meeting many different characters with their own personalities. Use this to your advantage in your interrogations as you learn more about who your suspects are
8. Orwell: Keeping An Eye On You
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The authoritarian government passes the Safety Bill, which allows a surveillance system called Orwell to spy on its citizens for maximum security. You play as an investigator outside of the country who was hired to use Orwell. The game plays through episodes where you investigate and report any potential dangers to the higher government.
Orwell is a dystopia which puts the government’s control and ethics into question. The game is inspired by George Orwell’s 1994 book with several references throughout the game. Be careful with every decision that you make and suspicions you report, as consequences can be drastic.
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A unique dystopian where you snoop at other citizens online and report what you find while being careful of all potential consequences(or not)
Learn about the lives of different people whether through their online posts or even watching them through surveillance cameras around the country!
Episodic storytelling that’ll hook you in with every event and detail that you find
7. For The People
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Play as a new state official in a communist factory town as you reshape it into however you see fit. Balance out the citizens' wishes while also keeping your political comrades tolerant and unsuspicious of you. Go through documents of potential bills to stamp and have conversations with other political figures to slowly rebuild a part of the communist regime.
Learn about the dark side of politics as you choose how you run your town. Make your choices for the best of the people or the best for yourself. Just like in Papers Please, no matter what you must always watch your back and who you trust.
Choose This Game If You Like…
The idea of running in the inside of corrupt politics as you manage your political relationships with not just the townspeople, but other officials
Being able to inspect different documents of bills and deciding which to pass or deny with their own long-term effects
Experience the many different endings that can result from your many actions and interactions with others
6. VA11 HallA Cyberpunk Bartender Action
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In this dystopian and oppressive world, you run the bar at Valhalla in the downtown of Glitch City. Companies rule the world with heavy enforcement on the law everywhere you go. As you live your normal life as a bartender, you get to meet several unique characters and learn about their lives and of course, favorite drinks.
Every character of Glitch City is finding their own ways to survive in a world that is against them. This game is incredibly character driven and plays like an interactive visual novel. Build your living space and find your own ways to survive through your job and circle of new connections.
Choose This Game If You Like…
Interactive visual novels inspired with old Japanese visuals that make for an eye-catching experience
Games with a large roster of characters with their own backstories and storylines to follow that give a lens to this dystopian world
Gameplay that involves crafting different drinks for different people matching to their personalities, giving a calm tone to the overall hopeless outside world
5. This Is The Police
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This Is The Police places you in the life of Jack Boyd, a police officer in the broken city of Freeburg. Freeburg is known for its many dangers and underground crime, making it an officer’s chaotic hellscape. Accomplish your duties as you attempt to build Jack’s retirement fund in 180 days in whatever means necessary.
As the head of the police department, you are tasked to dive headfirst into any crime you see with your police force. This will cause you to inevitably learn the cruelties of the city’s underbelly while also putting you in the driver’s seat. Reaching a nice retirement won’t be easy as you handle different calls, so make your choices wisely.
Choose This Game If You Like…
Police investigative gameplay with a hint of strategy as you control which officers or teams to handle different levels of crime
Building money through your accuracy and difficult choices. Choose what benefits you or the citizens you protect the most
Discover the dark and ugly sides of the city, with every decision you make having its own consequences prolonging the game
4. No Umbrellas Allowed
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You are rescued by a business owner named Darcy after being washed up on the beach of Ajik City. You have no memories of anything before, so Darcy takes you in as her son named Bob. Now you must help run her 30-year old pawn shop in this new world and life.
Ajik City has many different oddities and secrets to discover. There is heavy law enforcement here that you must dodge as you run the shop however you please. Take every item at the cheapest price, scam your customers, or help them and explore the ugly bits of why umbrellas are outlawed.
Choose This Game If You Like...
Pawn shop gameplay where you decide which items to buy from your customers, inspecting them, selling, and even reporting “suspicious” customers too!
Discover the different hidden oddities and darkness of the world you inhabit, including where your memories may have gone
Meet different returning customers or your neighbors to build connections in this hopeless city
3. Death And Taxes
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In Death and Taxes, you play as your own customizable Grim Reaper! Each day you go to your office to decide from a stack of papers who should live and die today. Each decision will affect the living world and the possible secret endings that you may get.
The gameplay definitely takes a note from Papers Please with the familiar stamping, but now you’re playing with mortality! Have conversations with your boss through dialogue options to find out more about this strange job. Be careful when stamping, because each day has a morbid quota to fulfill.
Choose This Game If You Like...
Office job gameplay that require you to stamp through papers with their own consequences reminiscent of Papers Please
Dark and witty humor throughout the story along with your own dialogue options to help investigate the ethics of your “job”
Several secrets throughout the game, rewarding creative and explorative players along with its own set of secret endings
2. Not Tonight
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Papers Please is a very political game, and what is more political than a game about Brexit? After an extreme far-right government takes over, all citizens of European heritage are exiled to relocation blocks and assigned jobs. You are assigned as a bouncer as you search for jobs to survive and hopefully return home.
Just like in Papers Please, there are many items to keep track of to do well at your job. Check ID’s, guest lists, and manage chaotic events. Every decision that you make in this life has an effect, so be careful wherever you go.
Choose This Game If You Like...
Gameplay that requires you to multi-task and pay close attention to multiple details that make the game a fun challenge
A game with a heavy political theme that can be related to real life, specifically with the dark turn of Brexit and governmental power
Slowly being able to gain money and shape your life however you want. Strategize how you build yourself in this broken world
1. Black Border
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This game is as close to another Papers Please as you can get! During the midst of a war, you are a border patrol officer who must decide who can enter the country. Check documents and tickets with multiple details to keep track of.
You will meet many different characters that come through. Some people are more dangerous than others that you must keep an eye on. Try to survive as you gain funds through your job or go as far as to sell items you find to the Black Market for profit!
Choose This Game If You Like...
Being able to play as a border patrol officer just like in Papers Please but with a different storyline and new features such as the Black Market
Meeting many different characters with some having their own stories and each with unique tricks up their sleeves
Running and strategizing how you make your money and survive whether solely through your job or taking bribes and selling to the Black Market
With many scrolls and journals full of written legends, I've conjured every tale to be told from the floating cities above the clouds to the dark depths of the Atlantic trenches of the sea.
Gamer Since:
2010
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Assassin's Creed III, Stardew Valley Bachelor Ratings (All Stardew Bachelors Ranked Worst To Best), Papers, Please
