False Echo: inspired by Papers, Please, set on a submarine
Disclaimer 1: Oppressian Empire do not have any quarrel with Arstotzka nor it's loyal subjects. We are just looking for an individual named Jorji Costava who sold us oxygen tanks which we thought were torpedoes.
Disclaimer 2: False Echo in no shape or form could claim to be a copy or successor of Papers, Please. PP is a technical and design masterpiece. FE is influenced/inspired by it, among other games (and Das Boot movie).
Year is 1942. April. Stellantic ocean. Oppressian Empire is waging a world war against Western Kingdom and United Federation (in the west) and Republic of Sovetia (in the east). We are sent to Sub 227 to investigate an incident that took place there. Apparently Political Officer has concluded that Encryption Officer is conducting subversive activities. We are a young STASEC (State Security) officer, currently on basic naval training. Perfect candidate for a mess that has to be cleared out.
When we board the submarine we discover that "incident" is a mild word for the difficult and messed up situation that's going on that sub. We are thrown into the mix, assigned as a new Encryption Officer. Our job is rather simple: ensure that communication, information and documents passing through are thoroughly checked, verified and approved/denied.
Easier said than done.
We have at our disposal several machines, tools and multiple procedures. Typically we talk with the crew, open up our Daily Orders, check up-to-date rules and apply them while encoding or decoding the messages. We are using several key machines and tools like:
OBSCURA M3: encryption device based on Enigma M3, with the addition of numbers and reduced number of cables. We type the message and then write which lightbulb letter appears.
ECHO stamping device: with two basic functions - TRUE or FALSE ECHO. Ink cannot be washed away.
Teletyper: this machine can receive coded messages (and print them) and also send your encoded messages to the HQ.
We also have pen, regular stamps to mark documents in certain prescribed way and mutiple fields to check. Fields like Sender ID, authentication code, date, signature, all can and must be checked prior to our stamping.
Messages and documents are various. Sometimes we sign the equipment receipt or transfer order, sometimes it's a meteorological report. And sometimes order to patrol certain quadrant.
Enemy is trying to deceive us. Message might look correct but one tiny detail could mean that this is a FALSE ECHO that we stamped as TRUE thus increasing our chance of sudden depth-charge attack and death.
As the days go by we start to realize that things are not that simple as we thought. There is a spy/saboteur onboard but we are yet to figure out who that is. And different departments/compartments and groups have agenda of their own. Our actions could have consequences. Sometimes light (someone being mad that we didn't approve their message) sometimes dire (mistaking enemy dispatch as legit, bringing us into the ambush site). Sometimes we are willing to get a citation for approving a certain message but gaining something out of it. Sometimes we are unwilling to approve as that might get us to military tribunal and execution.
Game is divided into days, each day has set of tasks and events. After each day there is a War Diary screen, recapitulation of that day and things that have happened. That's a moment of tranquility where we can rest a bit.
In a nutshell it is data/document/paper checking game with a narrative component. A pixel art adventure that is influenced by the movie Das Boot and the game Papers, Please. Originally I've started making an Enigma machine game but, after playing PP, I thought that additional depth could be added. Thinking of the claustrophobic environment of a WW2 Uboat, all that tension and constant danger, I wanted to make a different experience.
I was genuinely surprised with how well the game (well, the promo material, videos, screens) is received as well as the idea. Since April almost 100.000 wishlists, calming my fears of "ah another PP clone" and "only WW2 fans would play it" and similar. Not to mention that this is my first pixel art game. In previous 2 decades I've worked on RTS, RTT, F2P games, various visual styles and thematic, this is the first time that I am drawing and animating a pixel art game (and the last time I started up the GM engine was 2010-s or smth.
Currently I am working on a demo and game release is either end of this year, early 2027. I am making it in Game Maker Studio 2, drawing stuff on my own and with a bit of help from a friend of mine. Music is composed by another friend. True indie game development.
If you want to check more there is a Steam page here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4418080/False_Echo/?l=english
Disclaimer 3: by all means I am really not trying to take (nor I could) the place of PP nor trying to clone it. Just thought you might be interested in the game concept since there are some mechanics and maybe even part of the atmosphere of the Papers, Please in False Echo. And I am eagerly awaiting the return of Lucas Pope with a sequel or a new game.
