J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars vs Papers Please
J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars
J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars is truly a game that's very unique. Despite its apparent appearance - it does look like "just another space sim", doesn't it? - the game is a fun and innovative, story-driven adventure game with a heavy dose of mystery added for good measure. In this game, you'll get to step into the spacesuit of Rachel Manners, a 35-year-old astrobiologist who initially embarked on a critical mission to explore and collect data on potentially habitable planets with a crew of of other elite and hand-picked scientists, but somehow, things went awry, and she found herself alone with J.U.L.I.A., the space probe's rather tempermental AI and Mobot, the reconnaissance robot.Driven by a need to know, you'll need to help Rachel search for clues which might potentially explain the mission's failure and the missing crew. You'll also get to travel to six widely varied planets where you can then get to work trying to reveal their secrets. There will be plenty of puzzles and mini-games in your journey as well just to give your brain some intense workout from time to time.
That said, the puzzles in the game can be a tad bit frustrating to solve, mainly because it's the sort of "trial and error" puzzle-type. So, unless you have a thing or two against this specific game mechanism, J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars is a really nice puzzle-adventure game to buy and play.
Papers Please
Papers Please is a pretty dark, story-rich, point and click game where you're sole and yet most difficult job as an immigration officer is to approve or deny a throng of people, some of which are good but of course there will be smugglers, spies and terrorists, entering into your country of Arstotzka from the war-devastated neighbor, Kolechia. Thankfully, you'll have some information at hand to help you make your decision. There are lie-detectors, documents, fingerprints, inspections and other primitive methods along with, of course, a series of questions and follow-up questions that you can ask.Your every decision will determine the lives of those who go through your immigration booth and enter Arstotzka as well as for those who were turned back to eke out a living in a war-torn country. Your morality and empathy will be greatly tested in this game.
Papers Please is among one of the most impactful games of, perhaps, all time. The game is simple enough for anyone to get into and yet it challenges your very beliefs, your concepts and your morality as you stamp those immigration papers with the words "Approved" or "Denied". If you are looking for a thought-provoking game, Papers Please is just perfect for you.