"papers, please" received positive reviews on release, receiving "generally favorable reviews" from 40 reviews on metacritic. "papers, please" has been praised for the sense of immersion provided by the game mechanics, and the intense emotional reaction. cbc news' jonathan ore called "papers, please" a "nerve-racking sleuthing game with relentless pacing and dozens of compelling characters – all from a desk job". simon parkin writing for "the new yorker" blog declared "papers, please" the top video game of 2013. he wrote: "grim yet affecting, it’s a game that may change your attitude the next time you’re in line at the airport." some critics received the story very well: ben "yahtzee" croshaw of the escapist's series "zero punctuation" lauded the game for being a truly unique entry for 2013 and even made it one of his top five games for that year; he cited the game's morality as his reasoning by explaining that "["papers, please"] presents us constant moral choices, but makes it really hard to be a good person... while you could waive the rules to reunite a couple [...] you do it at the expense of your own family... you have to decide if you want to create a better world or just look after you and yours."