The passport is given to the woman, and she walks back out. Cutting action on the beat is usually something which editors do to make trailers more exciting, but in this case, the editing makes the act of rejection feel slow, deliberate and harsh syncing actions to the music adds personality to the protagonist's actions. Every action cuts in time to the slow, and plodding music. There's a cut on motion to reveal the passport, a receptacle for rubber stamps pops in, and rejects the entry. This enhances the cold and impersonal feeling of the montage by pulling us out of the scene we're now viewing this all occur from the outside.Īfter the title card we see a passport slide into the booth which swipes over to the right. Something else to note is as soon as the music starts, there's no more sound design. The music seals the deal you are in Arstotzka. The slow pace of the opening enhances the sense of waiting in line at the border.

The gray visuals, and the sound design of the ambience and rusty metal grate immerse you in the world. Only 12 seconds in, the trailer has well established the game's setting and premise.

This is probably the only time I've seen a trailer for a game which justifies putting its title at the beginning. It cuts to black on the first beat of the music, the title card appears one word at a time in sync with the music: 'PAPERS, PLEASE.' I love how the title does double duty as character dialogue. A metal grate opens on the face of a woman. The trailer starts with a silent shot of guards at the border which pans over to the long line of people hoping to get through a person is called into the immigration booth. Your job is to and approve or reject the entry of potential immigrants based on the constantly changing rules set by your oppressive government. Papers, Please is a game made by Lucas Pope set in the 1980s where you play a border immigration officer in the fictitious Eastern European nation Arstotzka.

Papers please passport stamps