It seems like solely yesterday that I poured hours into binge-watching YouTube movies of different individuals taking part in by Papers, Please whereas ready for it to obtain so I may play it myself, however to my horror, it truly launched greater than a decade in the past. 

I first encountered Papers, Please when Jacksepticeye did his play-through eight years in the past (he’s performed it once more since, 4 years in the past) and instantly rushed to obtain the sport. It appealed to my interior detective, my knack for locating secrets and techniques and my want to concentrate to element. 

The sport, developed by Lucas Pope and printed by 3039, grew to become a phenomenon, receiving lots of of hundreds of thousands, possibly even billions of views on YouTube alone. On Steam alone it’s been downloaded 4.3 million occasions and has gained a variety of awards, together with the BAFTA Video games Award for Technique and Simulation, New Yorker Greatest Sport of the Yr 2013, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at IGF 2014.

Now, in 2024, a brand new recreation by unbiased developer Ignacio Alvarado has hit the scene and is giving individuals nostalgia for the glory days of Papers, Please  — That’s Not My Neighbor. 

That’s Not My Neighbor

That’s Not My Neighbor is about in February 1955, and also you’ve simply been employed as a doorman in an condo block that’s been plagued with current disasters involving Doppelgangers. It’s your job to appraise residents as they enter the constructing, making an attempt to discern whether or not they’re the true deal or a doppelganger.

To do that, you’ve gotten a number of instruments and paperwork at your disposal, simply as you probably did when taking part in Papers, Please; Resident ledger, the anticipated customer checklist and likewise paperwork supplied by the ‘resident’ after they attempt to enter. Utilizing your wits (and reminiscence, however extra on that later), you’ll want to stop doppelgangers from slipping previous as a result of, in the event that they do, you and a few of your neighbors will die. 

Did I point out that the doppelgangers have murderous intentions?

For those who suspect somebody to be a doppelganger, you’ve gotten the selection to press the emergency alarm and name the DDD (Doppelganger Detection Division), who will proceed to provoke the “cleansing protocol.” This all occurs behind a closed shutter, and I don’t wish to know what goes on again there, however no matter it’s, you simply must hope you didn’t topic your precise neighbor to it. 

Generally, determining who’s a doppelganger is remarkably simple, because of their further eyes or different questionable options. Different occasions, you’re going to have to have a look at the whole lot with nice care and a focus and even use the cellphone to name as much as their condo to verify the true neighbor isn’t dwelling. 

The worst half is that you simply don’t discover out till the top of the day whether or not you’ve succeeded in conserving the doppelgangers out, and if even one has slipped previous, there’s a jumpscare ready for you. 

There’s one stark distinction between Papers, Please and That’s Not My Neighbor, other than the very noticeable distinction in artwork model. In Papers, Please, you’ve gotten the flexibility to maneuver paperwork round your display and preserve them open with a purpose to examine particulars.

In That’s Not My Neighbor, you don’t have this potential. At occasions, the sport turns into a check of your reminiscence greater than anything, contemplating that ID numbers are a string of 12 random numbers, and if even one quantity is flawed, you’ve possible obtained a doppelganger in your fingers. 

If you wish to play That’s Not My Neighbor, or should you liked Papers, Please and have an itch to play the same recreation, I’d suggest doing so. It’s out there now on itch.io, and for less than 2.99 USD, it’s value each penny. The sport isn’t completely full, and in response to the menu and the developer, there are extra recreation modes coming sooner or later. 

My solely advice is to maintain a pen and paper helpful in case your reminiscence is even half as unhealthy as mine.