Not Tonight

This game is ok. It definitely has taken inspiration from papers please, and tried to place it in a more contemporary setting. The design of the graphics, sound and music is very good. The design of the game and it's UI is less good. Many parts of it are a bit difficult to figure out, which is maybe kind of the point, but it still feels awkward. And some parts are just plain nonsensical, like the save slot management system.

There's nothing that special about this game other than it's a Paper's Please knockoff, which is why most reviews will just say that. If you want more of that gameplay (which I did coming into this), then I would recommend this game. Otherwise, in every other area, this game is a step down from Paper's Please. The mechanics don't really inform the story in the brilliant way Paper's Please does, the story itself is quite boring, and the politics are immature.

The game has the vague stance that Brexit and strict immigration policies are bad. These are things I agree with, but the execution within the game is just so surface level that I wish they hadn't included it in the first place. This game commits the cardinal sin: asking the question "What if white people were oppressed?" without any insight. In a game that explicitly references real political happenstances, it makes the cowardly decision to refuse to confront racism against non-white people by switching the target to other European countries. Although I don't entire align myself with Paper's Please's politics, it does make the observation that immigration checkpoints are incredibly unfair and dehumanizing. It question's one's purpose, appearance, origin, gender, and job, and subjects them to invasive searches from armed individuals. This is softened up in Not Tonight by either removing these aspects (no invasive search, no gender questioning) or by playing them up as jokey strawmen (haha no writers, reporters, or journalists allowed. isn't that fucked up?).

It's weaksauce. It's plain white toast. But if you like checking items off a list and peering through digital documents (as I do), then go ahead. It's mind numbing enough.

Great game. The winning formula. Start small and simple and get more and more complex. I laughed at several points. Art style is great.
The politics message can be a little on the nose at times and some levels where absolutely crazy frustrating, but I kept coming back for more punishment.

This is a good game, the story is cool, but I was a bit disappointed with the final chapter for being short and a little off, after investing some hours in it. The side jobs and the different dialogues and characters make the game less repetitive.

good, very good. too much to explain, but worth it.

Good narrative over seemingly mundane but enticing game play that leaves the characters room to breathe. English papers please sums it up well.

i liked this game. it does get a little repetitive after some time but i didn't care. what bothered me the most was not having any way to know what (and when) was i supposed to give to the other characters (mainly mylarna). the ending wasn't satisfying as i thought it would be and i think it should have gone deeper in the customization part (i wanted a cuter room). that said, i still think it's worth the time if you miss papers please.