Release Date: 18/08/2018
Played On: Win
Available On: Win
Time Played: 6h 50m
Progress: Finished Chapter 2 / Still Playing
Developer: PanicBarn
Publisher: No More Robots
It's safe to say that most games we play are inspired and influenced by the ones that preceded them. Look into any genre and it's easy to start drawing lines between games that share mechanics, systems, themes, and design. Iteration is naturally fond of replications, but every now and then a game does something truly original and unique.
I didn't know what I was getting into when I first loaded up a quirky little game called Papers Please. The blurb was something about border control in a fictional European state, and the graphics looked drab and oppressive. Like many others, it wasn't until I started playing that I realised how ingenious the link between concept and execution was. It hooked me in and I didn't put the game down until I had completed several playthroughs.
Papers Please did something that very few games manage to do, which is to surprise me as a player. I mean genuine surprise that comes from experiencing something completely unexpected, and enjoying it immensely. Like most people, I have my favourite genres of games and I know what I like and dislike, but it's often what we don't know that can be gratifying.
Games like Papers Please are rare and special, and I hope they always bring success to their developers. If you've never played it before, then stop what you're doing and go and get yourself a copy. Thankfully it's earned a reputation these days, so many of us have had the pleasure, but it's one of those games that should be in everyone's library.
Unfortunately though, my experience with Papers Please was one that I will remember, because I had never played anything like it. I'm completely unaware of any previous games that might have inspired it, or been within the same ball park. It's like I was watching The Hunger Games without any notion that Battle Royale exists. I was the person who tells you about that great Johnny Cash song 'Hurt', because I don't know that it's a cover of Nine Inch Nails' original work. So maybe my love of Papers Please is a little ignorant, but with all of its acclaim I have to assume that it truly is an original masterpiece.
At what point though, does the cover version lose legitimacy and become a copy. I love Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' in its own right, but I also enjoy multiple covers of the same song in their own right. A cover song can often be a direct reproduction of the original, with little adaptation or creative embellishments. However, the artist pays royalties to the original, and most listeners will know that it's a cover, or can at least find out with minimal effort.
To bring us back to gaming, the same could be said for any number of Wolfenstein 3D clones, which take the exact same game and give it a different look. Most of the shooters I played when I was in school, were reproductions of the same original concept. They all wanted to be Doom, or later Quake, so they all adopted the same features.
We've had Wolfenstein 3D clones around long enough now to say that the latest Call Of Duty is nothing like the original, but there's a clear line between the two. The main difference seems to be time, as more similarities arise when you narrow the focus and look at shorter periods. Consider the difference between Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, which isn't even as close as we could get. However, the main difference between those games (other than theme and aesthetic), is the use of 3D geometry.
Wolfenstein 3D is now considered to be the origin of the modern first person shooter genre. As an enthusiastic gamer, you've probably heard all of this before, but even Wolfenstein 3D wasn't created in a bubble. The only reason I know that Catacomb 3-D exists, is because it pre-dates Wolfenstein 3D, despite sharing many similar characteristics. It's no doubt that Catacomb 3-D was never as popular as Wolfenstein 3D, but perhaps it needs to be recognised as an influence to the iterations the latter made.
You might be wondering why I've been going on about cover songs and original genre making games, without mentioning the subject of this post. Aside from it simply being 'the way I like to do things around here', I find it hard to talk about Not Tonight, without establishing some kind of broader context. After all, this is a game that could find its place within these kind of discussions in the future, so let's try and start on the right foot.
There's no avoiding a comparison between Not Tonight, and Papers Please, which is why I needed to give credit where credit is due. In fact, this game is so much like Papers Please, that it left me feeling a little at odds with myself and questioning how I feel about playing it at all.
More often than not, I try and appreciate games and other forms of art on their own merits. There's enough cynicism on the internet these days to get everyone by, but I find that being overly cynical ends up being an unhealthy way of interacting with the world. This doesn't mean I have to like everything, but focusing on cynicism will only ever yield negative results.
With that in mind, let me say that I've enjoyed my time with Not Tonight so far, and I look forward to finishing the game. At time of writing I've just finished the second chapter, of which I think there are three or four in total. Of course there might be something in the end-game that I've missed, but I feel like I've seen enough so far to have an opinion and something to say.
Enjoyable as it is, there's no doubt that Not Tonight has been very liberal in its direct iteration on Papers Please. In fact, I'm probably being a little polite there, as there aren't many tangible differences between the two games, other than setting. The gameplay loop and strategy layer of the game are all but carbon copies, while the moment to moment mechanics are even a little step backwards.
Let's start with Not Tonight's theme though, as it's perhaps the big selling point of the game. Instead of the fictional Eastern European borders of Papers Please, Not Tonight delivers a vision of alternate reality post-Brexit England. The country has removed itself from the EU and consequently found itself short on a few things. What's more, the government seems to have been given over to a totalitarian regime that's xenophobic and discriminatory.
You play as a character with dubious origins, who is considered a European. You have no rights and are living in a mandated living space. You have to pay large fees for rent and utilities, but you're unable to find well-paid work, thanks to being a 'foreigner'. Hence, you end up working as a bouncer at various clubs and festivals to pay your way, which is where most of the game takes place.
It's a bit of weird setting, but I'm neither English or European, so perhaps I don't have a lot of appreciation for where Brexit could realistically lead. Although I have studied politics, so I like to think I'm not entirely ignorant when it comes to the functions and capabilities of governments. Thus, even though Not Tonight sells itself as a post-Brexit nightmare, I actually find the setting to be quite fictional either way.
Note: I'm not making an argument for or against the whole Brexit machine in the real world, so let's not get angry over left/right opinions and all that.
The thing that feels disjointed about the setting is that it feels like a logical extreme that would never exist in our reality. Not Tonight's political state has devolved into such an authoritarian mess that it comes across as pure fiction, rather than an analysis of realistic concerns.
By creating an overt fictionalisation, Papers Please managed to highlight some real world issues in authoritarian nations. At the same time, its gameplay managed to expose the grey area that exists in a system that's often treated as good vs evil. By forcing you to make hard political decisions that would have a direct impact on your wellbeing and that of your family, Papers Please used fiction to discuss real world issues.
However, this seems to be something that Not Tonight missed when they were adapting Papers Please to their own setting. Despite being a fictional reality for Britain, the post-Brexit fallout of the game fails to hold as much weight in the long run.
Perhaps it's as simple as the game being set in 2018, so I'm already in disbelief that events could occur in such a short amount of time. Maybe if Not Tonight was set in 2020 or some other near-future, I would have a better time believing its world, but unfortunately that's not the case. The proximity of its setting, combined with the ideological extremes that have been adopted, end up being at odds with each other.
Additionally, the urgency and desperation is never as present as Not Tonight wants you to think it is. I mean, checking patron IDs outside UK clubs and pubs doesn't carry the same weight of denying refuge to asylum seekers at a border crossing. What's more, earning a pittance to buy a poster in your crap apartment, doesn't seem as important as feeding your family and paying for their medicine.
In fact, this is perhaps the greatest criticism I have for Not Tonight, as each element it exhibits feels like a watered down version of something from Papers Please. This goes right through the setting and theme, to the moment to moment gameplay, which is perhaps the most disappointing part of all. As much as I love world building and stories, I can forgive a lacklustre setting if the gameplay is fun and entertaining. To that end, Not Tonight is fun and entertaining, but it lacks the complexity and challenge of its predecessor.
The basic loop is that a patron hands you their ID along with any other documents required. Each ID contains basic information that needs to be checked against the criteria you've been given for each venue. Checking their details is as simple as comparing the patron to their photo, ensuring their over 18 based on their date of birth, checking that their ID hasn't expired, and looking for signs of fraud like missing or discoloured elements.
Each venue will then have other requirements, such as needing a ticket for the correct day, or a stamped visa. As you progress in the game, the requirements get more complex and you get access to new equipment. It builds the complexity gently and allows you to get used to each layer before introducing something new, which is a great way to feel like a genius later in the game when you're checking documents with deft skill.
To complete each shift you must clear a certain number of patrons, while making a limited number of mistakes. You get bonuses for reaching higher tiers of patrons cleared, while you get penalties for making more and more mistakes. At the end of the day, you're given a rating and your earnings reflect how well you performed. However, just like Papers Please, there are more ways to make money, and more to consider than just checking IDs and documents.
It's funny to think that selling drugs to patrons makes a lot of sense, but it's one of Not Tonight's elements that really fits its setting. If you're fast and clever enough to offer drugs to the right patrons, you could make a lot more money. The down side is that you also have a meter determining how suspicious your actions are, and if you deal too much, or sell to the wrong people, you'll raise suspicion and pay the price.
This all seems very much in line with the gameplay loop in Papers Please; there's even a resistance faction that want you to help them out at the cost of your own success. Despite the similarities, or perhaps because of them, Not Tonight ends up feeling more like 'Papers Please: Light' instead of a contender.
In Papers Please you had books of information to sift through in order to check where people came from. There were pages of official seals and symbols to learn in order to spot fraudulent papers. The depth and complexity demanded that you commit some parts to memory and learn about the world you're existing in. Being a fictional setting only enhanced the difficulty, as there was no point of reference, so all you could rely on was your own abilities.
Not Tonight hasn't reached the same level of engagement, which I'm still hoping to find in the end-game. However, I'm not expecting much to change, as the game seems to have plateaued in difficulty and upgrades somewhat. Plus, you can see what upgrades are coming, and there's nothing like a flag atlas or official seal encyclopedia coming my way.
It makes me wonder how I would feel about Not Tonight if it had come out before Papers Please, which seems implausible at this point. Although, perhaps I would have found the gameplay more compelling and challenging, as I wouldn't be comparing it so directly to another game. Maybe the setting would be interesting, as I wouldn't already have something better in the back of my mind. I suppose I can wonder all I want, but it doesn't change anything at all. I might prefer Jeff Buckley's cover version of Hallelujah, but Leonard Cohen will always be the genius who wrote it in the first place.
Sadly though, I don't prefer Not Tonight over Papers Please, as it falls short in just about every aspect. Even though this is the case, I’m still enjoying my time in Not Tonight, and will happily see it through to the end. I enjoy the loop of checking documents and making decision against the clock. I like taking risks that will hopefully pay off, but might put me in a bad position. The overall loop is an enjoyable one that already has its hooks in me.
I quite like cover songs, as they do bring something to the table that hadn't been there before, despite failing to create anything unique and original. The cynical side of me is worried that the marketing around Not Tonight will fail to recognise that it's not an original concept, and start flexing the mechanics its copied. It would be a real shame if the developers took undue credit for most of the concepts in their game, which were not their own creation.
On the other hand, if this is presented as a cover version of a brilliant and unique concept, then I can get down with its merits. After all, I think the main reason I'm enjoying Not Tonight as much as I am, is because I played Papers Please to death, and this is scratching the same itch. If this was the intention of the developers, then call me satisfied and happy to be playing their game. I just hope that there's humility in its potential success, and its origins are recognised.
It all makes me worried about having my good faith spoiled and cynicism justified yet again, which I think is the source of my discomfort. I'm having a great time with the game, but I can't help feeling like I'm on a knife's edge, waiting to see which way it all plays out. I'm hoping for Not Tonight to be a fun cover version of what was a unique masterpiece, instead of a blind rip-off that's cashing in on the genius of others. I'm hoping for the former, so let's not assume the latter.
If you're a fan of Papers Please, and want to spend some more time doing the same kind of things in a game, maybe check out Not Tonight. If you've never played Papers Please, go play that one instead, then pick up Not Tonight as a pseudo expansion pack.
Not Tonight might not be the Black Sabbath that wrote 'War Pigs', but It could be the Faith No More that covered it. Everything depends on the developer's perspective, and you own level of cynicism. It's easy to enjoy it for what it is, but I also think Mike Patton is no substitute for Ozzy Osbourne (and vice versa)..
UPDATE:
After 9h 15m I reached the end game, which I quickly discovered was bugged. I took to the forums and found many others complaining about the same thing. Basically there's a mechanic during the game that unlocks the very last sequence. If you haven't completed the steps along the way, you can't finish the game.
Instead you receive a failure state because the game thinks you didn't do everything optimally. Bad endings are fine, but if you get this bad ending, you don't technically 'complete' the game, as the credits never roll. You're kicked to the menu to try again, which is a total drag.
I completed all of the required steps (trying not to spoil it too much here), and the end game element still didn't unlock for me. This resulted in the same failure state happening over and over. I tried multiple times to complete the final sequence, but it crashed on me twice, and gave me the failure state every other time.
Kind of ruins the experience when you realise that it's impossible to finish because of a key mechanic not working. Worse still to think that it's coded into the game intentionally so you have to waste another nine hours replaying it in the hope of reaching the credits.
Keep that in mind.