Quarantine Zone: The Last Check isn’t set to be released until September. But this unusual alternative to Papers, Please is already attracting lots of interested players.
The quirky simulation game Papers, Please was a huge success when it was released over 10 years ago. In the game from indie developer Lucas Pope, you take on the role of a border guard in the fictional state of Arstotzka, checking the papers of people entering the country.
Depending on whether the documents presented by the travelers comply with the current regulations, you can either grant them entry or deny them.Despite its simple gameplay mechanics and unusual setting, Papers, Please was praised by critics, especially because it confronts players with profound moral decisions.
With Quarantine Zone: The Last Check, the young studio Brigada Games will deliver a spiritual successor with very similar mechanics to Papers, Please this summer. What makes it special is that Quarantine Zone adds a zombie apocalypse twist to the border control simulation.
The zombies are coming
In Quarantine Zone, you take on the role of the overseer of a colony of survivors. Every day, you stand guard at a gate in the wall and have to check new arrivals who want to join your community.
The health check is particularly important: Does anyone have an unhealthy rash, bruises, or irregular breathing—or, in the worst case, bite marks on their body? If so, that person needs to be quarantined immediately.
If you allow an infected person into your colony, you may be putting the survival of the entire community at risk. Terminally ill people can turn into zombies and attack other people. They must therefore be isolated and, in serious cases, eliminated. However, you can let people who are proven to be healthy pass through.
More than just passport control
In addition to health checks, you must also monitor the condition of your defenses. You expand your base, improve your checkpoint, and fend off hordes of zombies. So there’s a little more gameplay variety than in Papers, Please.
And it’s precisely this mix that seems to be very popular with playerson Steamat the moment: As the developers announced at the beginning of May, almost 10,000 players tried out Quarantine Zone during the last test phase, which lasted several days. This was only a closed beta test.
The developers now want to use the feedback they have gathered to create a demo version, which is scheduled for release on May 22. The final release of Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is planned for summer. According to the Steam page, the simulation is scheduled for release in September 2025. However, you can already add the game to your wish list on Steam.
