We. The Refugees: Ticket to Europe

[h3]Refreshingly told tragedy of our times[/h3] It's a rather jarring story, I mean you kind of expect it with the topic material. And even if you try to make choices to remove suffering, you ultimately can do very little. You are a bit like Florence Nightingale, in a clear epiphany she realises that it was a mistake to nurse soldiers back to health. Only to prolong the war. On the other hand other medics take the view that all people are worthy of help no matter the situation. We. The Refugees is not just a history lesson, it's a personal discovery lesson for the protagonist. I guess that lesson is aimed somewhat at the reader or player. Meta stories about relationships thread through the whole story, so there is something talking to each of us in the story. But mostly it is the refugees, who get left with few choices. [h3]Choices[/h3] The game has a few tracks which you can change slightly, but ultimately you know how it will end. Refugees by boat do make it, a few get caught, many drown. Your choices will earn you "tags", which you can count up later, and which slightly alter dialog and insights. The game quickly draws to a close, sooner than I expected, but then nothing in th…

This text-based game lets you experience the challenging journey of people traveling from Africa to Europe. You make tough decisions on boats, in camps, and travel through countries. It highlights the risks of the sea voyage, the waiting times, and the hope that drives people forward. These aren't just travelers – they're resilient individuals with dreams and strength. Playing this in 2025 feels especially relevant, with similar stories still in the news today. I'd rather talk about the benefits of refugees than about the mechanics of the game, since the mechanics have already been described by many players. Refugees bring so much positive change to Europe. 💰 Let's start with the economy – it's one of the biggest areas where their impact shines. Europe has been dealing with slow growth and labor shortages for years, especially in key sectors. Refugees step in and fill those gaps right away. Studies show that migrants, including refugees, contribute massively to GDP, over time, this leads to more tax revenue. Without refugees, many economies would stall, but with them, there's renewed energy, innovation, and growth that benefits society as a whole. 🏺 Then there's the cul…

Picked this up for just $1.49 at 90% off of its $15 full price in the 2025 Winter sale. So far I completed the beginning fifteen minutes for the second time after having completed the free demo and it's been completely worth picking up the full game. That first fifteen minutes even changed a little bit as this is a choices matter title and I really like that. Definitely recommend playing both the free demo and picking up the full game on sale and will update this review once I invest more time into it. It's a game perfect for picking up and putting down, just as you would a book.

Exceptional research and copious rewarding amounts of writing. Only done one playthrough at the time of writing, definitely will play through to see if the same level of depth, choice etc exist in other paths also as I very much suspect there are. Probably the current standard bearer for the best quality of *writing* in games currently

I only did one playthrough. I did get this on discount. If there was a neutral score or weak positive I would pick that instead. My biggest gripe? I'm really not sure choices matter. There's a character that in my playthrough died and there was literally no action I could take to prevent this. Yet one minute, irrelevant action I took seemed to kill 1-2 characters. I think the protagonist is an unaware, selfish ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and there wasn't anything I could do to improve upon him. The game is short but there's a lot of fluff decisions that don't add depth. There isn't a lot of dimension to the more major characters. I wondered how many folks from outside of europe had a major role in writing these characters. If you make certain, seemingly innocent decisions at the end it locks out other things you might want to do. I like the overall concept. I liked the descriptions of some characters and environments. I did like some of the out of control realism. There were moments when it seemed to evoke something deeper, at a human level. I will probably replay it, and update this review.

This game feels less like a game and more like a novel you actively live through. Every choice carries weight, and not in a superficial way — you’re constantly pushed into difficult moral decisions that reflect real-world struggles, especially around migration, survival, and human dignity. What makes it powerful is that there are no easy answers. You don’t just play a story… you become part of it, and sometimes you have to live with choices that don’t feel right. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and surprisingly realistic. One of those rare experiences that stays with you after you stop playing. Absolutely worth it.