Outer Wilds for queer people.
This review contains spoilers
Paradise Killer is such an interesting game, gripping me originally as kind of a vaporwave noir detective style experience that I found slowly transform into a compelling moral quandary. Lady Love Dies is a character that becomes nearly omniscient at the end of the experience, her collecting and piecing together of the facts are exact and inevitable. The game very quickly becomes less a question of “who done it” and more “who deserves justice.” Which I think genuinely is a much more compelling game experience, especially considering that the actual incarnation of Truth and Justice is a very malleable thing, there is no right answer to the trial of Paradise Killer compared to Danganronpa for instance.
There are I think four categories of characters in Paradise Killer.
Genuinely Didn’t Do Anything
Aided and Abetted
Directly Criminal
Masterminds
The only characters really completely innocent are Crimson Acid and (not)surprisingly Henry Division, and I think that the set up for Crimson Acid in particular is really well put together.
The aided and abetted camp are occupied by Sam and Lydia Daybreak, and Doom Jazz. A cast of characters that wind up being the nicest, more upfront, and least corrupt of the cast. I think the heart of the game is found in these characters and whether or not you the player (or you Lady Love Dies) think they deserve justice for their actions.
The Directly Criminal characters are Akiko 14, Yuri Night, and Dainonigate. Outside of Dianonigate, I think these are the least interesting of the bunch because they are essentially tools. For what I am going to get into earlier these characters are almost always “guilty”, they are selfishly motivated, unsympathetic, and unessential in the grand scheme of the world of paradise killer. That doesn’t make them bad characters, I think their role is incredibly important.
And that leaves us with the two Masterminds, Architect Carmelina Silence and Witness to the End, and these characters are of similar importance to the heart of the game. I think that they wind up being the question because ultimately Paradise Killer isn’t a question of “who” it is a question of what is justice, or what is guilty.
At the end of this game a player is going to have two uncomfortable questions that they need to answer. Was what the Daybreaks and Doom Jazz did really worthy of execution (is that justice)? Or some variation of “Even though Carmelina did this, is she too important to kill” or “Is the Witness right.” Which leads the player to an incredibly interesting scenario, because unlike other similar style detective games more information doesn’t lead the player to the correct answer, but instead control of the narrative, it allows you to define what justice is and what guilt is.
Which leads to some really interesting kinds of trials you can have. There are two that I think most players will choose, a variation of killing Yuri Night, Akiko 14, Carmelina, and Witness as they are the most directly guilty, and the daybreaks/doom jazz don’t deserve punishment. Or the heart wrenching decision to kill the daybreaks and doom jazz as well, pretty much executing the entire cast besides Crimson Acid and Henry. I personally picked the first outcome on my first play through but on ruminating on the events of the game there are four distinct other outcomes of this trial that lay outside the bounds of the traditional sense of justice and guilt. Do you protect Carmelina but cull those will ruin the next paradise? Do you believe the Witness was correct and time spent wasted on making the perfect island instead of reviving the gods is blasphemous, and kill Carmelina and her abetters? Do you protect the current syndicate and execute Henry? Or do you believe this Syndicate is equally unworthy/too problematic for perfect 25?
I think the game gives you enough breadcrumbs for each and every choice to be one worthy of consideration, and I think it positions the game uniquely in the VN space. I think it also makes LD a really interesting and complex character.
The only thing stopping me from giving this a five star is that I think it kind of paces itself too quickly during the trial. We don’t get enough closure with the cast, I wish there was a way to talk to characters before the die and/or some real closure with the characters you let live. I think there was a lot of missed opportunity to end such an incredibly well structured and well put together game.
“When love dies, all that remains are the facts”
There are I think four categories of characters in Paradise Killer.
Genuinely Didn’t Do Anything
Aided and Abetted
Directly Criminal
Masterminds
The only characters really completely innocent are Crimson Acid and (not)surprisingly Henry Division, and I think that the set up for Crimson Acid in particular is really well put together.
The aided and abetted camp are occupied by Sam and Lydia Daybreak, and Doom Jazz. A cast of characters that wind up being the nicest, more upfront, and least corrupt of the cast. I think the heart of the game is found in these characters and whether or not you the player (or you Lady Love Dies) think they deserve justice for their actions.
The Directly Criminal characters are Akiko 14, Yuri Night, and Dainonigate. Outside of Dianonigate, I think these are the least interesting of the bunch because they are essentially tools. For what I am going to get into earlier these characters are almost always “guilty”, they are selfishly motivated, unsympathetic, and unessential in the grand scheme of the world of paradise killer. That doesn’t make them bad characters, I think their role is incredibly important.
And that leaves us with the two Masterminds, Architect Carmelina Silence and Witness to the End, and these characters are of similar importance to the heart of the game. I think that they wind up being the question because ultimately Paradise Killer isn’t a question of “who” it is a question of what is justice, or what is guilty.
At the end of this game a player is going to have two uncomfortable questions that they need to answer. Was what the Daybreaks and Doom Jazz did really worthy of execution (is that justice)? Or some variation of “Even though Carmelina did this, is she too important to kill” or “Is the Witness right.” Which leads the player to an incredibly interesting scenario, because unlike other similar style detective games more information doesn’t lead the player to the correct answer, but instead control of the narrative, it allows you to define what justice is and what guilt is.
Which leads to some really interesting kinds of trials you can have. There are two that I think most players will choose, a variation of killing Yuri Night, Akiko 14, Carmelina, and Witness as they are the most directly guilty, and the daybreaks/doom jazz don’t deserve punishment. Or the heart wrenching decision to kill the daybreaks and doom jazz as well, pretty much executing the entire cast besides Crimson Acid and Henry. I personally picked the first outcome on my first play through but on ruminating on the events of the game there are four distinct other outcomes of this trial that lay outside the bounds of the traditional sense of justice and guilt. Do you protect Carmelina but cull those will ruin the next paradise? Do you believe the Witness was correct and time spent wasted on making the perfect island instead of reviving the gods is blasphemous, and kill Carmelina and her abetters? Do you protect the current syndicate and execute Henry? Or do you believe this Syndicate is equally unworthy/too problematic for perfect 25?
I think the game gives you enough breadcrumbs for each and every choice to be one worthy of consideration, and I think it positions the game uniquely in the VN space. I think it also makes LD a really interesting and complex character.
The only thing stopping me from giving this a five star is that I think it kind of paces itself too quickly during the trial. We don’t get enough closure with the cast, I wish there was a way to talk to characters before the die and/or some real closure with the characters you let live. I think there was a lot of missed opportunity to end such an incredibly well structured and well put together game.
“When love dies, all that remains are the facts”
god where do I even begin
This game would've been better as a simple visual novel but instead there's weird 3d platforming gameplay hamfisted into a narrative filled to the absolute brim with unlikeable characters.
On that last point, I know you're probably not meant to like them because they're all selfish and have their stupid petty agendas against each other but there's a difference between a character having unlikable/negative traits and a character being straight up annoying. The cast of this game, including the protagonist, falls into the latter category -- interactions with them were a slog of unfunny dialogue, petty conflicts, and stilted relationships.
Cool setting, I guess. But even that means little to me. Wish I liked it!
This game would've been better as a simple visual novel but instead there's weird 3d platforming gameplay hamfisted into a narrative filled to the absolute brim with unlikeable characters.
On that last point, I know you're probably not meant to like them because they're all selfish and have their stupid petty agendas against each other but there's a difference between a character having unlikable/negative traits and a character being straight up annoying. The cast of this game, including the protagonist, falls into the latter category -- interactions with them were a slog of unfunny dialogue, petty conflicts, and stilted relationships.
Cool setting, I guess. But even that means little to me. Wish I liked it!
i like jumping around and collecting stuff. i love this game's aesthetic and nonsensical lore
I’ve developed a bit of a love/hate relationship with this game. I absolutely love the story and the overall mystery, that’s incredibly well made. On the other hand, I absolutely hate the exploration part of it because it feels like “Blood Stone Collecting: The Video Game” and it gets really boring by the end of the game. If it weren’t for the exploration portion of the game, the story would be an easy 10/10 but since exploration encompasses 90% of the game, I had to take a few points off.
So I walked away entirely unsure of what the devs believe and I still am but to me it's one of the most damning condemnations of cops and punitive criminal justice systems ever made
The collectathon stuff slightly overstays its welcome but everything else about this game was great - the vaporwave x lovecraftian visual style, the insane immortal cult setting, the unravelling of an actually good murder mystery, the perfectly pleasant seeming characters almost making you forget the horror of their human farming, the banging music. Good shit
Couple minor gripes - fast travelling should've just been free (bet most players end up not using it until the end of their playthroughs like I did) and meditation could've lasted longer, gets annoying to refresh
Couple minor gripes - fast travelling should've just been free (bet most players end up not using it until the end of their playthroughs like I did) and meditation could've lasted longer, gets annoying to refresh
This game is great in so many ways but it's very disappointing there isn't really a proper epilogue.
Very bizarre game. It's like two different games bolted to each other. There's an open city to explore and find random crap that doesn't seem important, then there are 2D characters to talk to and commence the visual novel bit. The story is kind of interesting but it's almost like a madlib, where "normal" things are replaced by "wacky" things. Really weird, and yet oddly charming. The music has me grooving the whole time and the graphics are appealing, but on base PS4 there are areas where the framerate drops.
Just not my type of game.
Such an incredibly fun and genuinely intriguing world to spend your time in.
The log/casefile system is implemented really well. Gameplay has the right touch of jankiness to it that endears you even more to the island.
The log/casefile system is implemented really well. Gameplay has the right touch of jankiness to it that endears you even more to the island.
a very cool idea that is executed well: a first person open world mystery??!!! LOVE the ending choices, and the world is trippy and beautiful. got lost a lot, but eventually learned the map (im directionless)
Got the platinum trophy, not quite sure why... an intriguing experience with a bizarre (but not unwelcome) ending process.
This is a very unique game that's somewhat a mix of Ace Attorney's investigation part (the trials not so much) and a walking simulator instead of point and clicking on a fixed screen. PK is set in an extremely alien world that is very confusing at first but very interesting to discover about. The game's lore is fairly extensive and there is quite an amount of info to discover, both on characters and the universe.
Despite its simplicity, the game's map is quite beautiful and interesting. There's a charm to all of the vaporwave visuals, the music, the empty town you're free to explore with no one to stop you. It might sound like a cheap walking simulator but the game did manage to stay fun to explore. You really have fun climbing all over the place, looking for random loot or shortcuts, discovering new things in town. However I also think that part of the game is the weakest. First, the game becomes too reliant on an ability to see where points of interest are, because without it you're never going to 100% the game. I think the only thing you can do about this is to remove the ability and any sort of counter to not induce FOMO in players. Second, a lot of the things you find, more than half, is useless. Most of it is just the in-game currency, so that's okay but it still doesn't really feel rewarding because this is the sort of game where you want info, lore, stories, not money and collectibles. As for the collectibles, they really just give you a random message that has nothing to do with the game, like a description of a soda can's flavour. I found that very boring and disappointing, as few are the items to actually extend lore. Think of Fromsoftware's games, where every item has a little story instead of a cheap nothing description.
The characters and story of the game were very interesting. Slowly exploring the mystery builds up into big discoveries and greatly extend the plot. I think the trials at the end could have been a bit more (like giving final lines to people you execute and making it harder to come to the true conclusion, the game basically serves you the solution even though you can figure it out by thinking) but it's alright, it wasn't bad.
Despite its simplicity, the game's map is quite beautiful and interesting. There's a charm to all of the vaporwave visuals, the music, the empty town you're free to explore with no one to stop you. It might sound like a cheap walking simulator but the game did manage to stay fun to explore. You really have fun climbing all over the place, looking for random loot or shortcuts, discovering new things in town. However I also think that part of the game is the weakest. First, the game becomes too reliant on an ability to see where points of interest are, because without it you're never going to 100% the game. I think the only thing you can do about this is to remove the ability and any sort of counter to not induce FOMO in players. Second, a lot of the things you find, more than half, is useless. Most of it is just the in-game currency, so that's okay but it still doesn't really feel rewarding because this is the sort of game where you want info, lore, stories, not money and collectibles. As for the collectibles, they really just give you a random message that has nothing to do with the game, like a description of a soda can's flavour. I found that very boring and disappointing, as few are the items to actually extend lore. Think of Fromsoftware's games, where every item has a little story instead of a cheap nothing description.
The characters and story of the game were very interesting. Slowly exploring the mystery builds up into big discoveries and greatly extend the plot. I think the trials at the end could have been a bit more (like giving final lines to people you execute and making it harder to come to the true conclusion, the game basically serves you the solution even though you can figure it out by thinking) but it's alright, it wasn't bad.
There must be some people out there trying to keep vaporwave alive, but this feels like a relic, even at only a couple years old. The subtractive colours, the city-pop inspired ost, the statues, the beach aesthetic, the general Japaneseness of the environments---it never added up to much outside of this game, and having to amble through large, vacant, and cumbersome to traverse environments of it didn't exactly endear me to the trend.
The gameplay influence seems to be drawing from the Tex Murphy and Ace Attorney, games that on top of being more original, insightful satires of their respective genres (film noir and courtroom drama), generally feature more engaging central mysteries as well. Paradise Killer has a couple of interesting qualities in that respect, though. Formulating the case around proving a scapegoat's innocence maintains intrigue without losing narrative focus, and the malleability of the trial sequence allows for multiple outcomes. While I don't like the aesthetic all that much, there's also something to navigating a mystery in a world where the physical and judicial laws feel alien. One must make sense of what the world is in and of itself before one can discern what violates it.
While I like the festive, sexualized character portraits, the dialogue and flavour text are largely verbose and overbaked. Visiting the many characters began to felt like busywork, and again, the sprawl of it all is tiring. And on that note, holy moly are there a lot of collectibles. They add very little to the game, and it's weird to have so many objects littered around haphazardly in proximity to clues that are of real importance.
What's interesting about to me about it feels like it's trying to hard, and the parts I don't care for feel like they're trying too little.
The gameplay influence seems to be drawing from the Tex Murphy and Ace Attorney, games that on top of being more original, insightful satires of their respective genres (film noir and courtroom drama), generally feature more engaging central mysteries as well. Paradise Killer has a couple of interesting qualities in that respect, though. Formulating the case around proving a scapegoat's innocence maintains intrigue without losing narrative focus, and the malleability of the trial sequence allows for multiple outcomes. While I don't like the aesthetic all that much, there's also something to navigating a mystery in a world where the physical and judicial laws feel alien. One must make sense of what the world is in and of itself before one can discern what violates it.
While I like the festive, sexualized character portraits, the dialogue and flavour text are largely verbose and overbaked. Visiting the many characters began to felt like busywork, and again, the sprawl of it all is tiring. And on that note, holy moly are there a lot of collectibles. They add very little to the game, and it's weird to have so many objects littered around haphazardly in proximity to clues that are of real importance.
What's interesting about to me about it feels like it's trying to hard, and the parts I don't care for feel like they're trying too little.
I think I'd adore this if it weren't for the really benign collectathon aspect. Even just some basic movement mechanics to make getting around the island more interesting would go a long way. The world and story is super interesting but I gave up a few hours in once I realised the game would mostly consist of slowly bumbling back and forth with little to do or see as I did so.
There's a lot I really loved about this game, but I think it fails in the most important way in that it's a collectathon without a satisfying reward. Sure, the world is fun to explore (for the first few hours before it gets REALLY tedious), but I want the reward for doing so to be fruitful. The trial is hyped up to be a huge moment in the game to cap off your efforts, but it feels so lacklustre. No Phoenix Wright-esque music to get you pumped about breaking the suspects, you have to individually go through each piece of evidence instead of having it all automatically presented after picking the appropriate suspect with all of the evidence already laid out, and the lack of animation/varied character sprites makes the particularly annoying characters' downfalls really unsatisfying. I spent so long rummaging around the world and finding every fact just for the ending to feel lacklustre.
I respect that they wanted this to be an aesthetically pleasing collection first and foremost, but I think the mystery/visual novel aspect of this game is severely lacking, which leads to an overall lacklustre experience. Having to run back and forth exhausting dialogue options with every character every time a new piece of evidence is revealed is so uninteresting. Let me engage with these characters and make the deductions/break them down myself instead of the process being fully automatic. It feels like the game is holding your hand, and it's not a great feeling.
The exploration and world carry this game a lot, as that was the only thing keeping me playing. I was definitely getting tired of exploring by the end, but I think it was a good enough game in that sense. It just sucks that that aspect didn't transition into the game's other personality as well as it should have.
I'd still give it a shot, but be prepared to be let down by the end
I respect that they wanted this to be an aesthetically pleasing collection first and foremost, but I think the mystery/visual novel aspect of this game is severely lacking, which leads to an overall lacklustre experience. Having to run back and forth exhausting dialogue options with every character every time a new piece of evidence is revealed is so uninteresting. Let me engage with these characters and make the deductions/break them down myself instead of the process being fully automatic. It feels like the game is holding your hand, and it's not a great feeling.
The exploration and world carry this game a lot, as that was the only thing keeping me playing. I was definitely getting tired of exploring by the end, but I think it was a good enough game in that sense. It just sucks that that aspect didn't transition into the game's other personality as well as it should have.
I'd still give it a shot, but be prepared to be let down by the end
This game makes incredibly little sense, but that didn't stop me from finding every piece of lore that it had just to stay in its world longer. I could barely put it down.
The collection part of the game and the lack of a proper conclusion kept this from greatness.
A fantastic mystery game! The setting is so interesting and requires the player accepting the new logic it sets out in order to crack the case. The characters are great, the world is fantastic and ultimately the story concludes in a really satisfying way. However, the world is so big, and there's a lot of wandering around that slows the game down a lot. That's my only gripe.
This isn't really a detective game so much as it is a collectathon, IMO. Not a bad thing, but the direction was initially surprising so I figured I'd mention it. If you collect every pick-up in the game, the conclusion is pretty evident, and if you miss even one or two pieces, you'll likely come to a completely different conclusion. There's not much "deduction" to be done, as the game basically spells it out for you if you find everything. Again, not a good or bad thing IMO, just worth mentioning up front. If you're into soaking up atmosphere while listening to synthwave and exploring a hyper-colored paradise, you'll dig the game. If not, you definitely won't.
I can't exactly convey why this game is so fucking good in a review, I need like 15 pages in a video essay.
This review contains spoilers
This game has style. There's no one that could argue that fact, and with an interesting plot and deep world building, I thought I was in for a great ride. Well, yes and no. Some of the plot beats were really cool, (inside the pyramid, and dropping down "that" hole are great examples of woah moments) But once you figure out the plot, it really leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. Once meeting the cast, its pretty obvious who are explicitly the masterminds behind the coups, and who are going to be bit players in the "game of thrones" -esque approach to the end of the world. You play for another 8 or so hours after that where the game really hammers you over the head that the Characters who suck, really suck, and the cool characters, are actually totally cool.
The world building is vast, almost dauntingly so, and I'd be a liar if I told you I remember all the God's names and reasons for xyz.. because they don't matter towards the end. With all the world building this game has it truly disappoints in its shallowness of experiencing CHARACTER building. These characters are immortal, and have been alive for an unfathomably long time, however there's not much to note about any one of them. The Marshal loves her subordinates. and being alive for millennia that's her only fault? The couple who have been friends with the protagonist for eons are one note caricatures of the "role" they play in their society. A bartender and the "ferryman". Characters in this game that I believe have good character building are Acid and Witness, who subvert their own roles in society based on their past actions within this story told, and are more than they seem, even if it is more of what you expect.
The ending is very matter of fact, where I feel like you could argue for some characters innocence or at least a lesser punishment than death, there is none of that. You either avoid and half truth your way to saving characters you enjoy, or murder the whole lot of them (besides the doctor, unless I missed something the doctor is kind of just there)
Some Character's do almost nothing compared to others, and all punishment is death, and understandably in a trial for the murder of their entire upper government any guilt is guilt of the crime I could agree to that, except for the fact that the protagonist did something similar to this thousands of years ago and She was exiled. Now anyone that has completed this game compare the crimes of Love Dies and the Day breaks and tell me who the more "criminal" character is.
I went on for way too long, and honesty I had fun with this game. I was just disappointed with my own expectations of what the intro of the game lead me to think. That's my own fault.
(I was torn between giving this game a 6 or a 7, but considering I went out of my way to get the platinum I'll give it the 7)
The world building is vast, almost dauntingly so, and I'd be a liar if I told you I remember all the God's names and reasons for xyz.. because they don't matter towards the end. With all the world building this game has it truly disappoints in its shallowness of experiencing CHARACTER building. These characters are immortal, and have been alive for an unfathomably long time, however there's not much to note about any one of them. The Marshal loves her subordinates. and being alive for millennia that's her only fault? The couple who have been friends with the protagonist for eons are one note caricatures of the "role" they play in their society. A bartender and the "ferryman". Characters in this game that I believe have good character building are Acid and Witness, who subvert their own roles in society based on their past actions within this story told, and are more than they seem, even if it is more of what you expect.
The ending is very matter of fact, where I feel like you could argue for some characters innocence or at least a lesser punishment than death, there is none of that. You either avoid and half truth your way to saving characters you enjoy, or murder the whole lot of them (besides the doctor, unless I missed something the doctor is kind of just there)
Some Character's do almost nothing compared to others, and all punishment is death, and understandably in a trial for the murder of their entire upper government any guilt is guilt of the crime I could agree to that, except for the fact that the protagonist did something similar to this thousands of years ago and She was exiled. Now anyone that has completed this game compare the crimes of Love Dies and the Day breaks and tell me who the more "criminal" character is.
I went on for way too long, and honesty I had fun with this game. I was just disappointed with my own expectations of what the intro of the game lead me to think. That's my own fault.
(I was torn between giving this game a 6 or a 7, but considering I went out of my way to get the platinum I'll give it the 7)
this game has a great story with great visuals in an open world, a great and enjoyable experience overall
It's a fantastic game with great music. I found the beginning a bit overwhelming but as soon as you get to investigating it get's really fun. Thorough exploration is rewarded and it feels very satisfying piecing the mystery together one by one. Don't be discouraged by the amount of collectibles - you get most of them simply by playing.
The world and the characters are very bizarre and intriguing since the world building is great. The ending was a bit weak but the rest of the game absolutely makes up for it. Really a hidden gem.
The world and the characters are very bizarre and intriguing since the world building is great. The ending was a bit weak but the rest of the game absolutely makes up for it. Really a hidden gem.
Awesome experience, tried to get started on this game a few times and found the opening quite overwhelming and not sure where to start or what to do. Normally detective-style games are gently guiding you in a specific direction, but this one just let's go of your hand from the first few mins.
Bit of a disappointing end, felt like my choices didn't matter too much, but the story, world and characters easily made up for it.
Bit of a disappointing end, felt like my choices didn't matter too much, but the story, world and characters easily made up for it.
Paradise Killer is a vibes game. The mystery is great, the exploration is fun (especially with platformer powerups you can find), and the characters are all fun to interact with, but the main reason you play it is just to be in its world. The Vaprowave aesthetic is something I thoroughly enjoy and this game oozes it from every pixel
It's not a perfect game. My main complaint is while you interact with the cast of colorful characters they, never interact with each other which hinders some of the story telling. Nevertheless, I throughly enjoyed scouring this world, both to solve its central mystery and to just be there
It's not a perfect game. My main complaint is while you interact with the cast of colorful characters they, never interact with each other which hinders some of the story telling. Nevertheless, I throughly enjoyed scouring this world, both to solve its central mystery and to just be there
Was interested for the vaporwave-like vibes, will play it more.
this is one of these games where i wish i could have amnesia so i could replay it for the first time all over again... i'm not going to pretend like some of the platforming wasn't annoying as hell but that's honestly such a small issue when you look at the game as a whole... the story was amazingly written the characters were all interesting and engaging the plot twists and secret things were all executed perfectly... and on top of that the soundtrack is just a 10/10
100% completion
Paradise Killer is part visual novel murder mystery, part first person platformer, and part collectathon. The vaporwave aesthetic is well-earned by the game's critical tension with the titular paradise. That tension permeates the entire narrative, as characters both luxuriate and suffer in their self-imposed immortality.
The mystery is enjoyable to uncover, with lots of dramatic moments if the player chooses to chase down every line of inquiry. The characters are memorable and nuanced, with complicated overlapping motives and skillsets. Unlike similar titles, there isn't a specific hard truth to uncover; rather, the player can present evidence that they feel is more incriminating in order to weave a compelling narrative of the crimes. This did make the ending slightly unsatisfying, as all the crimes have multiple plausible culprits.
I also found island navigation to be a bit irritating at times. The map is useless, and the overall design is a bit mazelike. That said, it is a small enough space that this issue fades into the background as you progress. First person platforming certainly adds a retro vibe, but this implementation is not a significant improvement over its very dated predecessors. With all the upgrades unlocked I did end up enjoying jumping around the island, but there were quite a few moments of frustration mixed in there as well.
Overall the imaginative world, consistent vibe, and exemplary writing made this a unique and compelling experience. I can forgive a few shortcomings when they come from a place of artistic experimentation, and the result is a game with a tremendous amount of heart and personality.
Paradise Killer is part visual novel murder mystery, part first person platformer, and part collectathon. The vaporwave aesthetic is well-earned by the game's critical tension with the titular paradise. That tension permeates the entire narrative, as characters both luxuriate and suffer in their self-imposed immortality.
The mystery is enjoyable to uncover, with lots of dramatic moments if the player chooses to chase down every line of inquiry. The characters are memorable and nuanced, with complicated overlapping motives and skillsets. Unlike similar titles, there isn't a specific hard truth to uncover; rather, the player can present evidence that they feel is more incriminating in order to weave a compelling narrative of the crimes. This did make the ending slightly unsatisfying, as all the crimes have multiple plausible culprits.
I also found island navigation to be a bit irritating at times. The map is useless, and the overall design is a bit mazelike. That said, it is a small enough space that this issue fades into the background as you progress. First person platforming certainly adds a retro vibe, but this implementation is not a significant improvement over its very dated predecessors. With all the upgrades unlocked I did end up enjoying jumping around the island, but there were quite a few moments of frustration mixed in there as well.
Overall the imaginative world, consistent vibe, and exemplary writing made this a unique and compelling experience. I can forgive a few shortcomings when they come from a place of artistic experimentation, and the result is a game with a tremendous amount of heart and personality.