Gupscore: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Category: Point and Click, Choices Matter
Compensation Not Guaranteed is an upcoming document-checking game where not only do you need to check the accuracy of documents, you also need to do it with a heart, else you suffer nightmares if you decide to be a tight-ass about the requirements. And it’s actually cool when the horror bit jumps at you.
The sort of crayon-drawn art direction feels like something you can see from a local children’s book and there’s a touch of cozy to it. Plus points for the game walk-through. Although knowing it’s a document checking game and that it’s technically self-explanatory, it’s really nice to have a formal tutorial where not only are you told what to do, you’re also reminded of the consequences should you decide to be an uptight Nancy or a too democratic Linda.
This game is also particularly interesting because unlike Papers, Please or That’s Not My Neighbor, it’s a bunch of anthropomorphized animals set on post-colonial Southeast Asia. Not all the animals portrayed here are particularly predominant in Southeast Asia so animal representation could use a bit more thought. I’ve also noted a bunch of Indonesian (I think?) colloquial terms used in some dialogs. It’s understandable because the game is produced by Toge Productions, indie game devs from Indonesia, but the English subtitles could at least added a bit of context. I’m a Filipino, so playing the game sort of makes me feel like working in another country, and there’s always the rude factor when people start using their native language when communicating around you. But I digress.
I actually felt really bad denying the old elephant, which makes the game effective at tugging at your heartstrings. I understand that it’s part of my job to make sure I don’t give free passes to anyone but at the end of the day, it has been said that people were given enough time to comply. Like in real life, not having your shit together have actual consequences, and that’s a you-problem, not the government employees’. I’m not taking this personally lol.
Final verdict: Might play onstream so people can judge me and my choices in life. I’d probably be a stickler for order ngl.
