Review: Security 51
- Guilherme Ribeiro
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Being a security guard in a restricted area is more complicated than it seems.
THE GAME
Security 51 is an atmospheric horror security simulator developed and distributed by Alawar. Your job is simple, or at least it seems simple: ensure that no one who isn't authorized to enter does so. Whether it's simply checking if documents are correct or going deeper and detecting anomalies, you're given a different order every day. If everything is in order, allow the person to use the elevator, but if not, prohibit their entry or send them to a worse end. Progress through the days, gain new tools and responsibilities as you try to prevent the apocalypse.
MY IMPRESSIONS
The biggest inspiration for Security 51 is quite clear. Checking documents, searching people, and trying to survive day after day is a very popular mechanic, even though there aren't many games that dare to explore this genre. Security 51 tries to innovate by having a completely different set of rules each day, without needing to use a mechanic from the previous day, for example. In trying to do new and different things, perhaps the developers got a little carried away, including many mechanics that, for the most part, aren't very exciting and are sometimes poorly explained. You'll have a sanity and hunger bar, which will be consumed each day, but can be replenished by buying consumables, acquired with money you earn at the end of each day. You can also upgrade your equipment, but the upgrades are so uninteresting that you can survive without them. The money you earn depends on your success on the workday. The game is in Brazilian Portuguese, which makes it easier for the player to understand the daily tasks and also helps to understand the dozens of different mechanics introduced throughout the game. The art in Security 51 is quite beautiful, with fun and graphically pleasing animations.
In addition to checking documents, you must also control the elevator, sending it down with those who have been released and returning with those already inside. These people going up in the elevator may also pose threats, so you must decide whether to eliminate them or take them into isolation. If you take these people into isolation, you can test them, which helps you in your attempt to stop the apocalypse. And speaking of the apocalypse, you can spend sanity points to conduct research and slow down the progress of the end of the world. As you can see, Security 51 is packed with activities and mechanics. The game proceeds at this pace, with the addition of mechanics and advancements in the story, which can lead you down different paths. It's a game that demands a lot of the player's attention and resource management, but it can seem a bit confusing in some aspects.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The achievements in Security 51 are quite varied. And when I say quite varied, I'm not kidding. With several different endings and encounters, it's no surprise that there are achievements for each one. Furthermore, some basic mechanics and actions that will be repeated several times also unlock new achievements. There are also achievements that I don't like, which are basically the ones where you have to fail. I don't think absurd failures should reward the player with achievements, but okay. In short, Security 51 will require the player to play a lot, consequently exploring all the mechanics and reaching different endings. Getting 100% of the achievements can be quite laborious.
CONCLUSION
Security 51's inspiration from Papers, Please is quite obvious and has been explicitly stated by the developers themselves. The only problem is that Papers, Please is so well executed that any comparison is unfair. Security 51 tries to innovate, but ends up getting bogged down with so many mechanics, many of which have vague or confusing explanations. Managing everything other than freeing people is quite tedious and completely distracts the player from where it's most fun. Although Security 51 tries to simplify its gameplay in a certain way, it errs by trying to do more than it needs to in order to be more enjoyable. I hope improvements are made, because it's a game with a lot of potential.
Comments