Nothing to Declare Review (PC)

“Which imbecile stowed a canister of fuel in their capybara-shaped satchel?” I asked, pointing a finger at the passenger who had previously sworn that he’d absolutely nothing to declare. “Your satchel may be above board, sir, but I have every reason to believe that you’re about to set this terminal ablaze.”

With hindsight, it would have made more sense to cool my jets before taking to the security checkpoint in Nothing to Declare. With Papers, Please to blame, I waltzed into it with a god complex, indescribably cynical about every little object that came through the scanner. The candy-coated graphics might’ve fooled me, but I knew that airport security was no picnic, and that every suitcase had to be treated like a potential bomb threat. That was, of course, until I realized that Nothing to Declare wasn’t at all like Papers, Please, and that I was being unnecessarily judgmental for the sake of it.

Against all odds, airport security was a doddle. It was so laid-back even, that the only thing that I had to fret about, really, was being able to afford to retire on such a meager salary. The job, however, was satisfyingly easy—therapeutic, even. Unlike Papers, Please—a gig that often required me to critically analyze even the smallest credentials—Nothing to Declare didn’t give me a lot to worry about. Simply, it gave me a stream of starry-eyed passengers, a handful of mini-games, and enough cash to fuel a retirement plan. All I had to do was ensure that no flammable liquids rolled through the conveyor belt.

At no point during the inspection phase did I ever worry about the consequences, only the contents and how a poor inspection would directly impact my cash flow. For the most part, though, Nothing to Declare felt like an easy win. Like a beginner-friendly game, it gave me all of the tools of the trade, and it held my hand as I walked the candy-littered path of a security officer in an overtly vibrant airport. It gave me an x-ray, a man endless supply of luggage, and a simple task: to unload the contents of each bag, and to decide whether or not to let each passenger pass through the appropriate checks.

Nothing to Declare is a bit like Quarantine Zone, but without the death toll and ravenous horde mentality. In the beginning, you have a couple of simple chores to complete—to inspect luggage, and to ask questions. As you progress through the campaign and earn your paychecks, however, you earn more tools and options to make your day job a little easier. Though, the job that consumes most of your time is a simple one: to point, click, and deduct items from a bag. If you spot a piece of equipment, be it a suspicious electrical device or a liquid that goes against the laws of airport safety, for example—then you must remove it and, if correct, take a higher grade at the end of your shift.

With thanks to its procedurally generated structure, Nothing to Declare is an incredibly easy game to slip into and play right off the bat. As each shift brings its own baggage, passengers, and challenges, you always have something to analyze here. Passengers aside, you also have items that you can purchase from the Gift Shop, as well as a handful of cozy mini-games to keep you occupied during your short haul shifts. And if you are wondering whether or not there’s a point to any of this (or an endgame, at the very least), no, there isn’t. Well, to tell a lie, there is an objective — but nothing that’s particularly meaningful. You’re essentially working in the hopes of eventually retiring, basically.

Luckily, the mini-games don’t involve a lot of effort to complete. In most cases, each “puzzle” requires you to weigh each bag that passes through the conveyor belt, and to make a calculated decision on whether or not to inspect the contents. As there are no penalties for incorrectly handling the luggage (or any unnecessarily dangerous confrontations with frequent flyers), you more or less have the freedom and the breathing room to work at your own pace. And so, if you do want a gig that gives you that kind of leeway and flexibility, then you should be comfortable with the entry-level duties in this terminal.

Of course, if you’re not combing through the contents of each bag, then you’re scanning credentials, as in, the boarding passes, the passports, and documents. Again, think Papers, Please, but with a cozier, less problematic process, and you should have a vague idea of how the world works. For the most part, that’s all that you’re doing here: completing shifts, earning a small wage, and spending whatever little cash you have on post-work activities and gifts. It doesn’t go a lot deeper than that, but then, it doesn’t really need to.

Suffice it to say, Nothing to Declare is an easy game to jump into and learn on the fly. As it doesn’t involve any major legwork or stress-inducing activities, you honestly don’t need to put in a lot of effort to simply enjoy the experience and earn a couple of paychecks. Sure, it might lack a decent challenge, but frankly, its lack of complexity compliments its overall aesthetic and general composition.

Verdict

Nothing to Declare adds an extra layer of comfort to the Papers, Please formula to create a candy-clotted, mini-game-obsessed conveyor belt that, while still without a solid challenge, gracefully delivers a clean and thoroughly enjoyable experience with a lot of heart and soul. With a good amount of tasks to tackle, a procedurally generated world of luggage to inspect, and a host of eccentric characters to meet and interact with, Rogue Duck Interactive presents a weighty case of content to work through.

All in all there’s an easy recommendation here that deserves to be seen as a worthy addition to the cozy sphere. It might not scratch the itch that yearns for a challenge, but it does cater to the target demographic with its own Papers, Please-like twists. With that, I’d call it an ideal alternative for your usual deduction-based haunt.