Underchoice
Underchoice
Game
Game2026
Security 51
Developer Alawar
You're a security officer deep within Area 51. Scan the staff, verify clearances, and decide who can enter the elevator and who absolutely mustn't leave. The deeper you go, the less certain you are that anyone standing before you is still human. From the Steam store page
226 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
151 positive · 62 negative
95% range 64–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 151 | 62 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
176 of 245 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
70% recommend · 140 yes, 61 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 201 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (373 of 518 positive).
Some reviewers criticize the lack of story and character depth. [1][2][3] Several players defend the game against negative reviews, citing unfair comparisons. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
You're looking for Papers, Please. This is not Papers, Please. The reason you come into this game expecting Papers, Please is because all marketing implies a game like it; a spiritual sibling if not a spiritual successor. Sometimes, this works for lookalike games, like Not Tonight. It did not for Security 51. There are mechanical similarities to Papers, Please: you scan bodies, you sort documents, and you stamp …
- [2]
The Papers Please style mechanics work well, and the environment is great, but it has nearly zero story, and nearly zero characters. And some sort of story or characters to love is important in a game like this, because without something to get invested in, it's more a chore simulator None of the people you inspect are reoccurring characters, none of them have notable personality, and there are no puzzles or …
- [4]
I usually don't recommend games until after my first playthrough or after it was obvious that they are trash, but in this case I'll make an exception because this game is rated only "Mostly Positive" because of some early negative reviews by people who blamed the game for their own failures. Regarding the game itself: I've played Papers Please, Beholder, Contraband Police and Quarantine Zone several times over and …
- [7]
Paper Please but in the "Men in Black" facility, a more colorful. I have finished the main first Arc from what I understand (~4h). Pros: A lot of variety and good ideas in the checks/tasks. Nice artwork overall. Difficulty is fair, potentially even on the easier side. Fair price. Overall a chill game with good gameplay. Con: Lack of special events, and character faces were the same 10 faces with different names. …
- [5]
So, there are several negative rules claiming this game has bugs which trigger rule violations where none occurred. Do not believe those reviews, they are being posted by dum-dums who are not reading the instructions, not following the order of operations, and generally lack attention to detail. Rather than admit to themselves they missed something, these sad fragile individuals jump to the conclusion the game is …
Summarised from 34 of the 213 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Security 51 sits at 71% positive across 213 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 226 · most liked firstI usually don't recommend games until after my first playthrough or after it was obvious that they are trash, but in this case I'll make an exception because this game is rated only "Mostly Positive" because of some early negative reviews by people who blamed the game for their own failures. Regarding the game itself: I've played Papers Please, Beholder, Contraband Police and Quarantine Zone several times over and Security 51 is definitely on par with them. Great game so far, lots of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You're looking for Papers, Please. This is not Papers, Please. The reason you come into this game expecting Papers, Please is because all marketing implies a game like it; a spiritual sibling if not a spiritual successor. Sometimes, this works for lookalike games, like Not Tonight. It did not for Security 51. There are mechanical similarities to Papers, Please: you scan bodies, you sort documents, and you stamp 'yes' or 'no'. You spend money at the end of each day to pay for food and stress…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, there are several negative rules claiming this game has bugs which trigger rule violations where none occurred. Do not believe those reviews, they are being posted by dum-dums who are not reading the instructions, not following the order of operations, and generally lack attention to detail. Rather than admit to themselves they missed something, these sad fragile individuals jump to the conclusion the game is bugged. It's not. Blasted though my first playthrough, managing to save humanity.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Papers Please style mechanics work well, and the environment is great, but it has nearly zero story, and nearly zero characters. And some sort of story or characters to love is important in a game like this, because without something to get invested in, it's more a chore simulator None of the people you inspect are reoccurring characters, none of them have notable personality, and there are no puzzles or interactions to affect their lives beyond if you let them in or detain them, both…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like Security 51. The whole Area 51 / SCP / Papers, Please concept sounded exactly like something I would enjoy. The problem is that I kept playing because I was waiting for the game to become more interesting. It never really did. The basic loop is incredibly simple: check people, check documents, use whatever inspection method the game asks for, make a decision, repeat. New mechanics get introduced, but they never made me feel like the game was actually getting deeper.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really wanted to like this game. The pixel art, music and theme is great and the gameplay loop is fun and addictive enough. But it kind of doesn't go anywhere. The best part about Papers Please was how every day had something interesting happen with a short but heavily branching storyline, and here it's just grind after grind, and a lot of the game mechanics don't seem to be really developed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly disappointing. The setting here is wasted with what the game has to offer, I was really hoping that over time things would get weirder and the player more paranoid and unsure of things, but that's just not the case at all, things are just bizarre from the beginning and that would be fine for me if there was an interesting story behind it, but again that is not the case. There's no story here, or characters, all the people that you meet have the same few boring lines of dialogue and are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In my opinion, the negative reviews have been too harsh on this game. A lot of people criticize it simply for not being Papers, Please. The truth is, the game never promised a fully coherent story - it's a collection of anomalies and mechanics built around inspecting people. On top of that, there's a looming threat in the city, and examining isolated individuals gives you a way to find a solution to that threat (and create a new one). I wouldn't call the game perfect, but the gameplay loop is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EDIT: Endless mode is pretty fun, but I think it still suffers from some of the same problems the main game suffers from. Namely, in endless mode you only ever have to consider 3-5 conditions in the manual. I will say that the conditions are much more specific than in base game ( specific organ problem, etc. ), meaning you have to look harder, however the conditions have only every made me use 2 of the investigation tools, so it's still not that tough. It's possible that I didn't get far enough…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is a lot of valid criticism regarding the game, but some of it is plain silly and is heavily diluting the games review rating. I want to address two of these critiques: 1. People complaining about the voice acting being in a "simlish" style and refusing to interact further with the game due to this are the first of these that I want to address. I also don't love the style and would prefer if there was an option to turn it off and just add a typewriter sound effect for the text dialogue,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not recommended right now. Good bones, but it needs a depth and difficulty pass first. To be clear about what this is: not a 'stay away', but a 'wait'. Security 51 has a genuinely good set of bones. The checkpoint loop is satisfying, the escalation from 'check the badge number' to 'count how many organs this man has' is funny, and the pixel art suits the bunker well. I enjoyed my first playthrough. Then I looked at what the game wanted me to do next, discovered it was the same playthrough…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Somehow it became a bit worse than the demo. I did like the isolator change - in the sense that it is at least working. But every single mechanic is so shallow it is almost unbelievable. Why, for example, the option to ask for a medical record is available, when entry conditions no longer specify it?? Why isn't having a valid record an excuse to not be shot? I dunno. And now we have a lot less funds - never enough for a good upgrade. Instead we got a stupid panda figure - who the hell asked for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Paper Please but in the "Men in Black" facility, a more colorful. I have finished the main first Arc from what I understand (~4h). Pros: A lot of variety and good ideas in the checks/tasks. Nice artwork overall. Difficulty is fair, potentially even on the easier side. Fair price. Overall a chill game with good gameplay. Con: Lack of special events, and character faces were the same 10 faces with different names. Story and dialogues are very basic, and there is no story decisions like in Paper…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great twist on papers please - enjoying so far, MIB meets border patrol
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed the start of the game. But actually "solving" it seems repetitive and time consuming with very little feedback on if what I'm doing is helpful
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just made it to day 15 (2nd floor) on my first run. Had to come in here and give the game a positive review, if only to help offset the negative comments I've seen in other reviews. Most important thing to remember in this game is that you are moving up the list from BOTTOM to TOP. There is no point at even looking at the papers and passport until the very LAST. Any other rule will take precedence over that. Once that clicked (around day 6) it made tackling things in good time much…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I swear the positive reviews are written by friends of the dev, because how are people REALLY reducing the negative reviews to simply complaints from noob players who can't handle hard games? All criticisms in the negative reviews are valid: the game is short, the mechanics are too simple, no choices (or mistakes) matter, nothing is at stake, the dialogue is either non-existent or cringy, and the endgame is a hilariously lazy choice by the dev. None of the new mechanics make a difference to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The trailer made this game look alot more fun and interesting than it actually is. The gameplay is boring and easy. The story lacks substance. The characters all end up saying the same things over and over again. Through my entire playthrough I had a total of one unique encounter. I think this game has all the elements to be something really cool, but the writing is just non-existent.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It felt underwhelming, like a simple casual version of Papers Please. Some mechanics are unclear and some mechanics pretend to be deeper than they are (quarantine, city policies... it seems it doent matter what you chose there). The ending was extremely disappointing. There are no dilemmas, no choices to make, no final you arrive to. There are interesting mechanics with scanners and blood tests, but in the end you use maximum 2 of them each day, there is never complexity or a sense of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was very curious about this game, I love both Papers Please and the SCP universe, so this was supposed to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, as it is now, I can't really recommend this game. The little I saw was already off-putting enough for me. And I'm sad cause I really wanted to like this game. The thing that's preventing me the most from playing right now is how bad the voice acting is. I get what they tried to do, some generic voices that say non-words in something like simlish.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edit: I completed the game earlier and have added further thoughts and information at the bottom. The Papers, Please comparisons are very unfair. The only connections are making sure that criteria is met to either allow people through or to take other actions. This game isn't trying to be the other game. Security 51 has similar mechanics to begin with but then throws more and more challenges at you that change day by day. It isn't trying to throw a deep narrative at you where your choices…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty much the only game that comes anywhere close to Papers Please, while at the same time not being a total ripoff. So without a doubt I'd recommend it. But for me the thing I don't really like about this game is the tone. It feels too silly, and I'm not talking about the ghosts, strange entities, diseases, cyborgs, etc. No, what I'm talking about is the lack of story. One of the things that made Papers Please interesting was that *sometimes* you'd have these micro-moral decisions, where…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Initially it seems like a neat game. However, there's many aspects and gameplay mechanics that are very poorly explained or don't work right. You can reach the end of the game (or a run) in a very short time. There is apparently some sort of replay system (branches?) at the end but it's not explained well at all. Basically no one understands what you are supposed to do next or even the point. I'm downvoting due to so much of the game being extremely poorly explained and the branching system…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The daily time-limited mechanic makes casual games feel so rushed—there's no room to take your time and carefully assess things. It always feels like someone's chasing you from behind, just like cyber labor. It's really annoying.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been playing Security 51 but won't have column space to write about it soon, so I'll just say that there's something abjectly horrifying about taking a game like Papers Please—a near-perfect blend of gameplay and theme—hollowing out every ounce of meaning, and leaving just mechanics behind.
negative · AI labelView post →For the first few hours, this game is a solid 9/10; however, as I kept going through the various branches and different endings, the game started to beat me down mentally by missing out on QOL features that it desperately needs. For one, every time you go back to a different branching path, it will always do the same tutorial you had done before and considering the nine different endings, you will have to do most of the them EVERY SINGLE TIME. It would be so simple that after the first ending…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →YAY! not bad not bad, i think i am the first to review. Its fun.. already a little repetative with the words spoken but it was just released a few minutes ago so I know this will be fixed. Looks very story driven and quite fun as expected, lots of stuff to do.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish there was a "meh" rating on steam, because honestly this isn't a bad game. It's very much papers please/quarantine zone, but I found myself struggling. Even though I did constant operations in the city and constantly did research on quarantined specimens I got the "drastic measures" ending. I'm really not sure what I was supposed to do differently. The font in game is a bit hard to read for me as well, it was hard to get upgrades to actually do my job better because I also had to feed…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I find this game pretty chilling and immersive. Does not mean it has the same effect on others. I love the feel from Papers Pleasy, and despite the lack of variations on NPCs that came to be scanned , and also the fact you have no follow up on consequences from those NPCs, I belive the game is more focused on something else so there is no deep in that side.. To me this is fine because is not what the game is about. On the other hand, we have storylines that you can change later on in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't know what all the negative reviews are going on about, I honestly feel like they went into this expecting a different game or just not wanting to have fun. This game has been a lot of fun and I find it very enjoyable/relaxing. The random checklist everyday is really fun, the concept of being security in area 51, fun. It has hit all the marks for me, It's exactly what was advertised and promised. It takes inspiration from some other titles sure, but it's still its own unique game and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Papers, Please! but very uninspired. The theme is picked pretty well, but the implementation is severely lacking. Compared to PP, tasks are very grindy/mechanical in nature, all the "outside world" management feels tacked on (you just press buttons for the sake of some arbitrary numbers going up), Tutorials are unskippable and you'll be seeing them every playthough. It simply doesn't play too well, and neither it's much fun. Things happen pretty much on its own, and your diligence (or the lack…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No, I'm not a dev's friend and I have to say that this is a nice game?! It's cheap, a lot of fun and all in all a decent experience. Of course, if you want a crazy, deep story.. no, this is not for you. Am I a tryhard? No, I'm a normie and I enjoyed it. Sometimes I had to concentrate a bit more to get everything right. I don't understand why there's so many people complaining here.. I paid around 8 Euros and you're absolutely getting content worth the money.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can stomach a lot from games like Papers Please, but really, this is just a collection of disparate mechanics that don't fit together. It may be your thing if you like juggling this many mechanics, but if you're looking for a true "processing things" sim with any real complexity or logic, look elsewhere.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was interesting until I finished the timeline and the game started talking a lot and calling me cutie-pie. Then it got really confusing and annoying rather than more interesting. This branching timelines is not the way for this kind of game. Linearity is better if it'd let you keep progressing down.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Security 51 is a prime example of why copycat games should do more thinking than just "I want to be like this game.". Papers, Please's mechanics support its themes beautifully. Security 51 copies this without too much thought and creates a disjointed experience, where the Papers, Please aspects feel arbitrary and nonsensical, and its original ideas are questionable at best.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have to review it to counter the negative comments. People just don't know how to read. I am at day 19, I am on second floor since day 12 and I never died or run out of time. Gameplay You have to read the sheet and test from the bottom up. So you start with what is GREEN which is an automatic pass, so even if they have stuff that is RED or a no it is still an automatic pass. If there is no green you test the red stuff that makes them killed, if there is nothing you test the no stuff…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty good game. I don't know what the complaints were smoking, instructions are pretty straight forward. If you're curious about how long it takes to get an ending, take a look at my playtime as of writing this. Keep in mind that i did restart the day every time i made one mistake (i'm a perfectionist).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm sorry but i don't see any future for this game with the current features: - you can't hide multiple skin rashes with such a small loupe and pixel art, BAD DESIGN ! - devs did not bothered to make a larger okay area for the accept tool, i ALWAYS get warnings to match it perfectly at millimetric position ! seriously ?? - almost all mechanics are confusing and need to be simplified, game gets annoying tedious really fast. - i hate when multiple stuff happen in the same time behind the user…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game needs more polishing, the concept of SCP + Papers, Please sounds amazing but the execution leaves you rolling your eyes. The UI/UX isn't well executed, the game will leave you frustrated- if it's because the paper isn't properly placed, you'll have sometimes a cluster of documents and tools that just stand in the way and makes the experience messy for no reason, and the fact that you'll have to search people for anomalies- you'll find the anomaly and ask for a certificate- after doing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a decent clone of Papers Please, though much easier. My biggest issue is it's very short, I finished in about 4 hours without failing on my first playthrough, and the endgame is just kinda going back and doing the same days without killing the wrong people or making mistakes. Not a bad game for $10, just don't expect it to be your next addiction for weeks.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Masterclass in Tension and Strategy Review: I recently dove into Security 51, and I have to say, it’s easily one of the most captivating games I've played in a while! The blend of horror elements with intricate gameplay mechanics is simply outstanding. It's fascinating how it channels the essence of "Papers, Please" while pushing boundaries to create a unique experience. The atmosphere is thick with tension, and every decision feels critical. I found myself on the edge of my seat,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Personally, I think people overhate it. It's really cool! As a casual player, I enjoyed it! Easy and simple - perfect for not tryhards like me. If people wanna challenge, go play Dark Souls or Demon Souls. Seriously, not every game must be challenging and difficult.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Progress takes way to long and game gets boring realy fast. If i earn around 400$ daily and spend most of it on food, simple upgrade that cost 600$ and barly gives you anything seems pointless
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't really know why there's a hunger mechanic or a timer for this kind of game other than the fact it's trying to copy papers please. It didn't add anything and forces you to rush through checks. Quarantine Zone does this so much better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Juggling all those variables is mostly annoying. Get the one with zombies, Quarantine Zone.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When "Papers Please" + "Quarantine Zone: The Last Check" have a Baby together Otherwise, it’s just a simulator – a loop with different checks every day… there are no unexpected events or decisions you have to make. The lift check is incredibly boring, as are the city view and the prison… it’s just far too simple. You can give the research a miss too, because you can easily manage everything without it. I had fun for a few hours, but I’ve already realised I don’t feel like carrying on playing.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's ok, 6/10. Makes you appreciate how masterfully designed Papers Please was. In Papers Please everything made sense. Newspaper mentions a polio outbreak in a neighbouring country? The next day you get to check people for vaccination certificates. Makes sense! In Security 51, nothing makes sense. Everything you do feels completely random, with no overarching narrative explanation. One day you're checking people's bones for anomalies, the next day you're having people executed for having…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think if I hadn't left this game open while I was cooking dinner one day I would request a refund through the automated system that refunds games at 2 hour or less playtime. The visuals are great, but the pacing doesn't allow the player to investigate very far. The "end game" play loop does not seem to have any clear incentive. I bought this game when it was on sale for around $8 and only got 3 or so hours out. Cool concept, just needs more flesh on the bone. Also, just as a note, the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the game has a lot of problems that made me refund it. A. you cant look at the passsport and the face of the person at the same time B. i got fined for stuff that wasnt on the list C. i got fine for doing what the list told me to do D. the dialog is ♥♥♥♥ next time maybe let A.I write the script E. the food mecanic is not fun
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't normally leave reviews but I want to make a point of countering the negative reviews being left here where people say that they are getting penalised for no reason or incorrectly. You need to read the instructions or go back to school. Leaving a negative review just because you can't follow instructions is not the developers' fault. The first six days so far has been flawless and thumbs up to the developers. Looking forward to playing the rest and any fan of Papers, Please is going to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun! An improvement on Papers, Please in every way in my opinion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really good game! Definitely has a "Papers Please" vibe to it while also adding new content. They have great attention to detail and unlike most inspection games, they don't keep adding on more and more things to check for all in one shift, they switch things up every shift which makes it much easier especially for those who aren't all that great when it comes to these kinds of games, instead of having to remember to perform EVERY SINGLE type of inspection for each person, you only need to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoying the sci-fi horror theme and the art style of the game. I like the unique things to check for, and monitoring not only who enters but also who exits. I haven't gotten too far in the game yet, but so far I'm really enjoying the theme!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →👮Dear agents, Security 51 is now coming out on August 12th. We are giving the game some additional polish and release in the form we want to share with you. We apologize for the delay and truly appreciate your patience and support as we work to make the game the best it can be. See you, agents 🪪
neutral · AI labelView post →👮 Security 51 Playtest is Live👮 We’re excited to reveal Security 51, a brand new game by Alawar! You're a security officer deep within Area 51. Scan the staff, verify clearances, and decide who can enter the elevator and who should never make it back out. Join the playtest👇 s.team/a/4246860
neutral · AI labelView post →Eyes On: Security 51 [PLAYTEST Request Available] Is that a new Papers, Please style game from Alawar I spot? It appears they're going for a Papers meets SCP game and considering they make mostly indie darlings, I couldn't be more excited. #indiegames store.steampowered.com/app/4246860/...
neutral · AI labelView post →The game has no story or depth whatsoever. It took me seven hours to realize that there wasn't going to be any story and that everything just loops, with only slight changes to the document-processing rules. It's a time killer at best. The only similarity to Papers, Please is the document processing - that is it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →IGNORE the negative comments about story and hard or buggy gameplay. man those people are freaking NOOBS. the game has good story and very good gameplay and i like it alot i recommend u give it a try.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love the art style The game also fun worth my money your game will be better by other feedback and hope it coming soon hopefully also more buyer for this game love you :3 Alawar
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is NOT Papers, Please. From what I have seen so far (3 out of 9 endings) there are no recurring characters nor really any plot other than "stop the apocalypse". The gameplay mechanics are similar to Papers, Please and that is basically the whole game. If you want gameplay that is similar to Papers, Please (checking documents for validity) without any deeper plot then this game is for you. If you want difficult choices or plot then this game is not for you. It's very simple, the levels…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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