'Papers, Please' News: Short Film Based on Hit Indie Game Out Now

By Kevin Reyes, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The short film adaptation of hit indie game "Papers, Please" is now available for streaming on both Steam and YouTube for free.

The new 10-minute short is a dramatic thriller that tells the story of an unnamed border guard (Igor Savochkin) as he determines who can and cannot cross the Greskin border that leads into the country of Arstotzka.

"An official adaptation of the award winning game 'Papers, Please' by Lucas Pope," says the film's description on Steam. "1982 - East Grestin, Arstotzka. The 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia is over. There is a fragile peace. A border checkpoint now separates east and west Grestin."

Directed by Russian moviemaker Nikita Ordynskiy, it captures the dark undertones that come when a single person can completely change the course of another's life. Similar to the game, it features several moments where the inspector must cross-check the papers of various civilians as he interviews them to enter the country.

Running at just a little under 10 minutes without the credits, it is an intriguing short that properly instills the feeling and tone of the game it is based on. It even features some of the subplots that the player can participate in that occur in the game such as the border guard Sergiu and his lover and the terrorist group that hails from Kolechia.

As most people would know, the film is based on the indie game of the same name developed by Lucas Pope and released in 2013. It was one of the big indie games of the year and helped boom the overall scene as more and more independent developers began to publish their games on Steam. It has an average score of 85 percent on Metacritic with unanimous praise on its uniqueness, immersion, and surprisingly intense emotional reaction.

Perhaps to commemorate the release of the short film, the game itself is currently on sale on Steam at 50 percent off up until March. So, anyone that may be even the least bit interested in trying out the game after seeing the film can get it now for cheap.