A pretty decent Danganronpa-inspired murder mystery game wrapped around a fun open-world 3D platformer collectathon. Found it kinda difficult to get too emotionally invested in any of the characters given how morally reprehensible they all are, but I enjoyed the messed-up worldbuilding.
I LOVE VAPOURWAVE CITYSCAPES I LOVE VAPOURWAVE CITYSCAPES I LOVE VAPOURWAVE CITYSCAPES.
And Shinji :) Shinji is peak.
And Shinji :) Shinji is peak.
Paradise Killer equally values exploration and style with a liberal dose of visual novel seasoning, and while I must acknowledge the Playstation Plus fog lingering over my takeaway that does little to devalue how I powered through this game in two pretty visceral, almost astonishing pair of seven hour sessions.
I'll grant that as I got into the back third of the game that the city's labyrinthian construction became extremely annoying, and the mystery isn't actually all that mysterious. After my first marathon, I felt confident enough to approach the judge with my accusations only to realize I had very little evidence to present.
That could've felt discouraging, but instead it was exactly the push I needed to keep digging into Paradise 24's secrets. And I was truly surprised by many of the later revelations Lady Love Dies' detective work offered, and even if I was only confirming my early suspicions I really enjoyed the process of finding out exactly why some character made a choice, let alone their role in the broader mystery.
Better yet, the trial made me aware that I'd forced the hands of some characters to solidify my hypotheses, that there were several more clues to find and mysteries to solve, and that while I may have satisfied the demands of the court I may not have fully solved the mystery of Paradise 24.
As I began uncovering lie after lie, it was undeniable that not only did the Blood Crystal economy feel mightily restrictive (though I'm sure more than enough of them exist for the obsessive collectors) but the city itself was quite a burden to navigate even with all the movement upgrades. It got less and less fun making my way towards the character I wanted to talk to the closer I got to the end...but the thinker in me also began to interpret that impatience as an extension of the gameplay. In those moments, I started finding the time it took to get from one suspect to another a representation of both my and Lady Love Dies' frustration with the increasingly desperate lies of her former friends who'd become my new adversaries.
I'd like to think I nailed the trial. It sure seemed to feel like it. But I also know that there are mysteries I didn't solve, environmental puzzles and narrative links left dangling. Perhaps I was allowed to accuse one person of too many crimes, and finishing one or two of those Resident Evil-esque puzzles may have been the key.
I suppose for now I'll just have to feel okay with what I chose. But I wouldn't surprise myself if I came back to this when I'm looking for something to play and tried to uncover the mysteries I presented to the Judge as tangential.
At the very least, it'd be nice to wander around this place listening to its dope ass, mysteriously joyful soundtrack in search of the various Sinji interactions I missed. Because at the very least, the truly curious player just has to know if the reward for finding all of his instances is the removal of the hilarious emoji obscuring his banger.
I'll grant that as I got into the back third of the game that the city's labyrinthian construction became extremely annoying, and the mystery isn't actually all that mysterious. After my first marathon, I felt confident enough to approach the judge with my accusations only to realize I had very little evidence to present.
That could've felt discouraging, but instead it was exactly the push I needed to keep digging into Paradise 24's secrets. And I was truly surprised by many of the later revelations Lady Love Dies' detective work offered, and even if I was only confirming my early suspicions I really enjoyed the process of finding out exactly why some character made a choice, let alone their role in the broader mystery.
Better yet, the trial made me aware that I'd forced the hands of some characters to solidify my hypotheses, that there were several more clues to find and mysteries to solve, and that while I may have satisfied the demands of the court I may not have fully solved the mystery of Paradise 24.
As I began uncovering lie after lie, it was undeniable that not only did the Blood Crystal economy feel mightily restrictive (though I'm sure more than enough of them exist for the obsessive collectors) but the city itself was quite a burden to navigate even with all the movement upgrades. It got less and less fun making my way towards the character I wanted to talk to the closer I got to the end...but the thinker in me also began to interpret that impatience as an extension of the gameplay. In those moments, I started finding the time it took to get from one suspect to another a representation of both my and Lady Love Dies' frustration with the increasingly desperate lies of her former friends who'd become my new adversaries.
I'd like to think I nailed the trial. It sure seemed to feel like it. But I also know that there are mysteries I didn't solve, environmental puzzles and narrative links left dangling. Perhaps I was allowed to accuse one person of too many crimes, and finishing one or two of those Resident Evil-esque puzzles may have been the key.
I suppose for now I'll just have to feel okay with what I chose. But I wouldn't surprise myself if I came back to this when I'm looking for something to play and tried to uncover the mysteries I presented to the Judge as tangential.
At the very least, it'd be nice to wander around this place listening to its dope ass, mysteriously joyful soundtrack in search of the various Sinji interactions I missed. Because at the very least, the truly curious player just has to know if the reward for finding all of his instances is the removal of the hilarious emoji obscuring his banger.
🔔 UMA ANÁLISE VALE MAIS DO QUE MIL IMAGENS 🔔
Desenvolvido pela Kaizen Game Works, Paradise Killer é um jogo que junta elementos de exploração na primeira pessoa com um enredo misterioso e um formato visual novel. Ambos os aspetos são fundamentalmente interessantes mas o cerne da questão está na soma das suas partes, que nos traz um dos jogos mais estranhos no catálogo da Nintendo Switch. Com um mistério cativante por resolver e uma ilha tropical inteira por explorar, Paradise Killer consegue elevar a fasquia colocada por jogos como Danganronpa ou Ace Attorney.
O enredo segue Lady Love Dies, uma detetive previamente exilada, na tarefa de investigar homicídios cometidos na ilha tropical conhecida como Paradise Island. As infelizes vítimas fazem parte de uma entidade chamada The Syndicate, responsável pela criação do local paradisíaco em questão. Não referindo todo um leque de contextos, a história é inquestionavelmente estranha mas ao mesmo tempo, consegue ser sedutora com todos os seus mecanismos narrativos. Explorar mais elementos na análise seria estragar a surpresa, mas envolve muitos deuses e demónios; esta é sem dúvida uma demanda como nunca antes viram. O único senão de Paradise Killer é o seu conteúdo quase bíblico, muito massudo, com a quantidade absurda de sabedoria exigida e proveniente de todos os contextos (nomes estranhos de personagens, testemunhos complexos, entre outros).
A jogabilidade divide-se em dois pólos: exploração e investigação. A exploração, onde controlamos Lady Love Dies numa perspetiva de primeira pessoa, é um autêntico mundo aberto: é possível caminhar, correr e saltar até onde bem apetecer ao longo de cenários idílicos. Isto é incentivado, visto que há objetos por apanhar em algumas localidades. No entanto, e apesar de ser divertido, explorar a ilha deixa de ser uma novidade interessante após os primeiros atos. A velocidade-base de Lady Love Dies é muito lenta comparativamente ao espaço por explorar, mas para mitigar esse aspeto, Paradise Killer tem no mapa vários pontos de passagem rápida. Infelizmente e por razões que passam completamente ao lado, a utilização destes pontos exige uma moeda de troca, de nome Blood Crystals, a unidade monetária em Paradise Island. Sem estes cristais não existe outra hipótese senão caminhar lentamente até ao destino e os cristais não são propriamente o elemento mais abundante. Isto torna-se ainda mais feio quando somos obrigados a dar voltas à ilha para interrogar suspeitos.
A investigação destaca-se então como o ponto mais interessante da aventura. Na busca pela verdade do homicídio, Lady Love Dies e o seu muito útil portátil Starlight, interrogam os habitantes de Paradise Island. Todos eles têm um novelo narrativo por desvendar, o que contribui para o clímax do julgamento. É extremamente importante ter o máximo de informação possível pronta para este momento decisivo; quanto melhor Lady Love Dies conhecer os habitantes de Paradise Island, melhores serão as suas probabilidades de declarar alguém culpado. O que torna Paradise Killer cativante (até certo ponto) é a possibilidade de declarar alguém culpado desde que Lady Love Dies possua informação suficiente para avançar com o argumento. Isto pode resultar em acontecimentos inesperados, mas não deixa de proporcionar uma aventura mais aberta ao contrário dos limites tão sufocantes do género.
_______________ CONCLUSÃO ________________
Único dentro dos seus pares, Paradise Killer apresenta características não lineares na construção do enredo. No entanto, e mesmo com um leque de personagens únicas e uma história cativante, a exploração inclui alguns elementos medíocres e incompreensíveis. Ainda assim, resolver o mistério passo a passo é uma tarefa muito satisfatória que vai certamente agradar a muitos fãs deste tipo de jogos.
Pontos Positivos:
✅ Abordagem única dentro do género
✅ Mistério muito interessante
✅ Personagens caricatas
Pontos Negativos:
❌ Pontos de passagem rápida mal implementados
❌ Movimentação natural da personagem lenta
______________ FICHA TÉCNICA ______________
◻️ ➡️ "Paradise Killer – Análise"
◻️ 🙋♂️ Read more of my reviews by clicking here
◻️ 🗂️ Metacritic’s page here and OpenCritic’s here
◻️ ✍️ in European Portuguese
◻️ 📝 on 23/07/2020
____________________ FIM _____________________
Desenvolvido pela Kaizen Game Works, Paradise Killer é um jogo que junta elementos de exploração na primeira pessoa com um enredo misterioso e um formato visual novel. Ambos os aspetos são fundamentalmente interessantes mas o cerne da questão está na soma das suas partes, que nos traz um dos jogos mais estranhos no catálogo da Nintendo Switch. Com um mistério cativante por resolver e uma ilha tropical inteira por explorar, Paradise Killer consegue elevar a fasquia colocada por jogos como Danganronpa ou Ace Attorney.
O enredo segue Lady Love Dies, uma detetive previamente exilada, na tarefa de investigar homicídios cometidos na ilha tropical conhecida como Paradise Island. As infelizes vítimas fazem parte de uma entidade chamada The Syndicate, responsável pela criação do local paradisíaco em questão. Não referindo todo um leque de contextos, a história é inquestionavelmente estranha mas ao mesmo tempo, consegue ser sedutora com todos os seus mecanismos narrativos. Explorar mais elementos na análise seria estragar a surpresa, mas envolve muitos deuses e demónios; esta é sem dúvida uma demanda como nunca antes viram. O único senão de Paradise Killer é o seu conteúdo quase bíblico, muito massudo, com a quantidade absurda de sabedoria exigida e proveniente de todos os contextos (nomes estranhos de personagens, testemunhos complexos, entre outros).
A jogabilidade divide-se em dois pólos: exploração e investigação. A exploração, onde controlamos Lady Love Dies numa perspetiva de primeira pessoa, é um autêntico mundo aberto: é possível caminhar, correr e saltar até onde bem apetecer ao longo de cenários idílicos. Isto é incentivado, visto que há objetos por apanhar em algumas localidades. No entanto, e apesar de ser divertido, explorar a ilha deixa de ser uma novidade interessante após os primeiros atos. A velocidade-base de Lady Love Dies é muito lenta comparativamente ao espaço por explorar, mas para mitigar esse aspeto, Paradise Killer tem no mapa vários pontos de passagem rápida. Infelizmente e por razões que passam completamente ao lado, a utilização destes pontos exige uma moeda de troca, de nome Blood Crystals, a unidade monetária em Paradise Island. Sem estes cristais não existe outra hipótese senão caminhar lentamente até ao destino e os cristais não são propriamente o elemento mais abundante. Isto torna-se ainda mais feio quando somos obrigados a dar voltas à ilha para interrogar suspeitos.
A investigação destaca-se então como o ponto mais interessante da aventura. Na busca pela verdade do homicídio, Lady Love Dies e o seu muito útil portátil Starlight, interrogam os habitantes de Paradise Island. Todos eles têm um novelo narrativo por desvendar, o que contribui para o clímax do julgamento. É extremamente importante ter o máximo de informação possível pronta para este momento decisivo; quanto melhor Lady Love Dies conhecer os habitantes de Paradise Island, melhores serão as suas probabilidades de declarar alguém culpado. O que torna Paradise Killer cativante (até certo ponto) é a possibilidade de declarar alguém culpado desde que Lady Love Dies possua informação suficiente para avançar com o argumento. Isto pode resultar em acontecimentos inesperados, mas não deixa de proporcionar uma aventura mais aberta ao contrário dos limites tão sufocantes do género.
_______________ CONCLUSÃO ________________
Único dentro dos seus pares, Paradise Killer apresenta características não lineares na construção do enredo. No entanto, e mesmo com um leque de personagens únicas e uma história cativante, a exploração inclui alguns elementos medíocres e incompreensíveis. Ainda assim, resolver o mistério passo a passo é uma tarefa muito satisfatória que vai certamente agradar a muitos fãs deste tipo de jogos.
Pontos Positivos:
✅ Abordagem única dentro do género
✅ Mistério muito interessante
✅ Personagens caricatas
Pontos Negativos:
❌ Pontos de passagem rápida mal implementados
❌ Movimentação natural da personagem lenta
______________ FICHA TÉCNICA ______________
◻️ ➡️ "Paradise Killer – Análise"
◻️ 🙋♂️ Read more of my reviews by clicking here
◻️ 🗂️ Metacritic’s page here and OpenCritic’s here
◻️ ✍️ in European Portuguese
◻️ 📝 on 23/07/2020
____________________ FIM _____________________
One of the most unique mystery games I have ever played. The vibes and worldbuilding are so incredibly distinctive and full of character, and the freedom you are given by roaming around this open world and tackling things in whatever order interests you has never really been done before to this degree. The mystery itself is quite engaging as well, always keeps you on your toes with new reveals and twists that make you question what you thought you understood about this case, and sometimes even what you understand about this world. If you know you enjoy mystery you owe it to yourself to play this game.
Paradise Killer's hook may be a little difficult to grasp without having played it- It's a murder mystery story, obviously, and a great one too, but it's more than that.
The real selling point of Paradise Killer is the "open world" part. It's not just a linear quest that just lets you meander as much as you want, it makes complete and perfect use of its open-endedness to be something that very few games before have done: To put it bluntly, Paradise Killer is the rare detective game that actually makes you feel like you're a detective, rather than just some guy being led through a linear, scripted "investigation" that you have no input on. Paradise Killer actually lets you tackle any of the many threads of clues in any way- you can focus on any given one before the others or even ignore some completely, the choice is yours and it feels real.
This ties extremely well into the story- like the investigation itself, it's up to the player to deepen their understanding of the lore of Paradise Killer's world. Almost everything in the game is optional, collectibles, character plotlines, even the investigation: you're allowed to start the trial early and try to manipulate it in any way you desire, even to purposefully accuse innocent characters to save your favorite ones.
Almost every other aspect of Paradise Killer is stellar- the characters are all immediately interesting and all have their own hidden complexities, the music is amazing and the atmosphere is incredibly memorable- just existing in the world of PK is a treat. It's such a beautifully executed game, and I'm eagerly looking forward to whatever comes next.
The real selling point of Paradise Killer is the "open world" part. It's not just a linear quest that just lets you meander as much as you want, it makes complete and perfect use of its open-endedness to be something that very few games before have done: To put it bluntly, Paradise Killer is the rare detective game that actually makes you feel like you're a detective, rather than just some guy being led through a linear, scripted "investigation" that you have no input on. Paradise Killer actually lets you tackle any of the many threads of clues in any way- you can focus on any given one before the others or even ignore some completely, the choice is yours and it feels real.
This ties extremely well into the story- like the investigation itself, it's up to the player to deepen their understanding of the lore of Paradise Killer's world. Almost everything in the game is optional, collectibles, character plotlines, even the investigation: you're allowed to start the trial early and try to manipulate it in any way you desire, even to purposefully accuse innocent characters to save your favorite ones.
Almost every other aspect of Paradise Killer is stellar- the characters are all immediately interesting and all have their own hidden complexities, the music is amazing and the atmosphere is incredibly memorable- just existing in the world of PK is a treat. It's such a beautifully executed game, and I'm eagerly looking forward to whatever comes next.
Interesting enough story let down by eventual drag. Game was probably 2 hours too long.
Too much text and not invested in the story, but the vibes are cool
An amazing and fresh take on detective games. The lore of the story is deep, and definitely has an eldritch tweak in it. The character art is beautiful, additionally each person you encounter in the story is quite an interesting character.
Very good Detective game with incredible Worldbuilding. Some puzzles are a bit random. wierd but destinctive
saxophone solo
(Game Pass) A VN investigation title with vaporwave aesthetics and a banging soundtrack. The story started off hard to understand due to the unique world, but made sense in the end.
Um dos melhores jogos de investigação/mistério que joguei a tempos, junto com sua pegada ''collectathon'', ele propõe um mistério enorme junto com um dos universos mais densos que já vi (Ok, as vezes parece que eles só tacam coisa pra encher linguiça, mas ainda) com personagens que te prendem, enganam e fingem de tudo. Seu estilo de arte sendo bem único no modo que é utilizado, juntando com a OST incrível que tem, o que mais peca pra mim talvez seja a gameplay. Ok, é um jogo de mistério e eles focaram totalmente nisso, e o resultado foi super positivo, mas ainda, se você coloca que a mecânica pra achar as coisas é num first person, tenta adicionar uma coisinha ou outra. De qualquer forma, SUPER recomendado, principalmente pra quem quer começar num mundinho meio Visual Novel, esse jogo te deixa querendo mais coisa nessa vibe, 100%
Do I recommend: Yes if, and only if:
You like your games weird, 'different', strange, trippy, etc.
You can enjoy slower gameplay with almost zero action.
You enjoy exploring and finding (very) hidden secrets.
You want to talk to a bunch of different NPCs a bunch of different times to get to know them.
You can handle adult themes.
That said, I really enjoyed the game. What really drew me in is the highly original vaporewave inspired setting. Right from the get go I knew I was playing something unique when the main character is being release from their 3,000,000 day exile. There is a hidden lore here that involves gods, immortality, suffering citizens, alternate realities, power trips, betrayal, and what seems to be an extremely complicated process of reaching a religious goal.
You piece this lore together mostly through exploring, talking to NPCs, and finding "items" in the form of low-res images that explain bits and pieces of what transpired in the past. I found the map exciting to explore, as it is quite large and filled with interesting things. There are different districts and each one has it's own vibe and art style. There really are some neat corners of this world to discover and exploration felt fun.
I loved the characters and found all of the main NPCs to be memorable. They all have hipster names and a cool aesthetic and over time you will learn about their backstory as you try to squeeze or seduce more information out of them.
The music is an amazing mix between vaporwave synth and jazz saxaphones, making a strange contrast to the mystical and exotic setting.
Finally there is the mystery that you are trying to solve. Strangely enough this was what I was least interested in. But what I was very glad to find out is that the game keeps track of all of the MANY clues you will uncover and auto prompts the dialogue to incorporate what you have found. What this means is you really don't have to memorize, or even analyze the clues you are finding to finish the game. Just keep talking and exploring and the game does most of the heavy lifting.
Some players might not like that they don't have to figure it out themselves but I'll just say this...there are so many pieces of information that personally I would find it exhausting if not impossible to put it all together with my own head. I'm just not that good of a detective.
At the end of the game you will have to make some possibly tough decisions based on what you think happened. Once the credits rolled I felt satisfied that my 20ish hour journey was finished.
You like your games weird, 'different', strange, trippy, etc.
You can enjoy slower gameplay with almost zero action.
You enjoy exploring and finding (very) hidden secrets.
You want to talk to a bunch of different NPCs a bunch of different times to get to know them.
You can handle adult themes.
That said, I really enjoyed the game. What really drew me in is the highly original vaporewave inspired setting. Right from the get go I knew I was playing something unique when the main character is being release from their 3,000,000 day exile. There is a hidden lore here that involves gods, immortality, suffering citizens, alternate realities, power trips, betrayal, and what seems to be an extremely complicated process of reaching a religious goal.
You piece this lore together mostly through exploring, talking to NPCs, and finding "items" in the form of low-res images that explain bits and pieces of what transpired in the past. I found the map exciting to explore, as it is quite large and filled with interesting things. There are different districts and each one has it's own vibe and art style. There really are some neat corners of this world to discover and exploration felt fun.
I loved the characters and found all of the main NPCs to be memorable. They all have hipster names and a cool aesthetic and over time you will learn about their backstory as you try to squeeze or seduce more information out of them.
The music is an amazing mix between vaporwave synth and jazz saxaphones, making a strange contrast to the mystical and exotic setting.
Finally there is the mystery that you are trying to solve. Strangely enough this was what I was least interested in. But what I was very glad to find out is that the game keeps track of all of the MANY clues you will uncover and auto prompts the dialogue to incorporate what you have found. What this means is you really don't have to memorize, or even analyze the clues you are finding to finish the game. Just keep talking and exploring and the game does most of the heavy lifting.
Some players might not like that they don't have to figure it out themselves but I'll just say this...there are so many pieces of information that personally I would find it exhausting if not impossible to put it all together with my own head. I'm just not that good of a detective.
At the end of the game you will have to make some possibly tough decisions based on what you think happened. Once the credits rolled I felt satisfied that my 20ish hour journey was finished.
i really loves this in a kind of indescribable way.
slow to start but became infinitely more playable with each unlock, further cementing my belief that movement in every video game is too slow by default.
i dont have time to meander i have to go to work
slow to start but became infinitely more playable with each unlock, further cementing my belief that movement in every video game is too slow by default.
i dont have time to meander i have to go to work
Great soundtrack, great worldbuilding, great narrative, great exploration. As long as you aren't expecting a clone of Danganronpa its damn good.
All praise the New Weird. The New Weird will never die but when it does I will track down its killer and catalog the crime on my Nightmare Computer.
For a solid week, this game is the only thing I could think about. It infected my dreams. Along the way, it had me tossing and turning over not just its mystery plot but thoughts about dead malls and beach vacations, economic inequality and clique-ridden virtual communities.
Also, there’s some jumping puzzles. You don’t have to do the jumping puzzles. (I did all of the jumping puzzles.)
Just an amazingly strange and singular game. Easily one of my favorites of the past few years. Possibly one of my favorites ever. I’ll have to think about it a bit more. Not just because I want to; I have to.
For a solid week, this game is the only thing I could think about. It infected my dreams. Along the way, it had me tossing and turning over not just its mystery plot but thoughts about dead malls and beach vacations, economic inequality and clique-ridden virtual communities.
Also, there’s some jumping puzzles. You don’t have to do the jumping puzzles. (I did all of the jumping puzzles.)
Just an amazingly strange and singular game. Easily one of my favorites of the past few years. Possibly one of my favorites ever. I’ll have to think about it a bit more. Not just because I want to; I have to.
SO GOOD AND UNIQUE
as much as I want to love this game because of its style and phenomenal music, I just can't get past the character designs. it feels like the person who designed the npcs and the entire game were on different wavelengths and im not vibing with it.
Awesome detective game, plays like a first person collectathon the only downside for me was the trial at the end, I hoped to see something closer to the trials in Ace Attorney, but if you did everything right before entering it had no surprises
The ending of this game feels lackluster.
The open-world, vaporwave soundtrack, lore and worldbuilding is top notch. Unraveling the mystery of the game feels amazing. I remember I was stuck on a clue, then discovered more about that clue and was shocked at how many answers I found.
Great game, the ending just felt empty.
The open-world, vaporwave soundtrack, lore and worldbuilding is top notch. Unraveling the mystery of the game feels amazing. I remember I was stuck on a clue, then discovered more about that clue and was shocked at how many answers I found.
Great game, the ending just felt empty.
Um jogo que me surpreendeu, explorando Paradise eu comecei a ficar obcecada em tentar descobrir os segredos de cada um dos personagens. O mundo aberto, a estética e design junto com a dublagem e música fizeram ele ser um jogo único e bem construído, que junto da história deixa muitos mistérios. Única surpresa foi o tempo de jogo muito maior do que eu esperava que fosse ter, acabou ficando um pouco arrastada a gameplay
This is one of those masterpieces that left a burning hole in my heart because I never wanted it to end. I finished Paradise Killer several months ago and I still can't stop thinking about it.
Truly an iconic, unique gem that has somehow never garnered the respect it deserves. Paradise Killer is fluid in terms of genre, it's execution unprecedented in how it doesn't rigidly fall into any single genre or category: It's not a visual novel, but is text-heavy as a murder mystery. The writing isn't anything spectacular, but the story has the perfect amount of complexity and depth at a comfortable pace. The game has platforming elements, but isn't your traditional platformer. It has a large open world for investigating, yet isn't an RPG, horror, or action/adventure game. Imo the best part is that there's zero combat. If there were combat it would ruin the game and detract too much from the exploration aspect. I could explore this gorgeous world for hours, and the music is banger after banger gold. Top tier atmosphere with vibes you could get lost in forever. The only cons are that the game was way too short. My run was 25 hrs and that me really stretching the game out as much as I could, exploring every last crevice and piece of lore. There is also, unfortunately, no replayability, though it has tempted me more than once.
Truly an iconic, unique gem that has somehow never garnered the respect it deserves. Paradise Killer is fluid in terms of genre, it's execution unprecedented in how it doesn't rigidly fall into any single genre or category: It's not a visual novel, but is text-heavy as a murder mystery. The writing isn't anything spectacular, but the story has the perfect amount of complexity and depth at a comfortable pace. The game has platforming elements, but isn't your traditional platformer. It has a large open world for investigating, yet isn't an RPG, horror, or action/adventure game. Imo the best part is that there's zero combat. If there were combat it would ruin the game and detract too much from the exploration aspect. I could explore this gorgeous world for hours, and the music is banger after banger gold. Top tier atmosphere with vibes you could get lost in forever. The only cons are that the game was way too short. My run was 25 hrs and that me really stretching the game out as much as I could, exploring every last crevice and piece of lore. There is also, unfortunately, no replayability, though it has tempted me more than once.
8.5/10
A very fun murder mystery with a killer soundtrack. The setting is so bizarre and out there that I never got tired of learning more about the world and the NPCs. There isn't much to the gameplay, just a lot of exploration and some light first person platforming, which does get old after a while, but thankfully I was almost done with the game by the time that happened.
A very fun murder mystery with a killer soundtrack. The setting is so bizarre and out there that I never got tired of learning more about the world and the NPCs. There isn't much to the gameplay, just a lot of exploration and some light first person platforming, which does get old after a while, but thankfully I was almost done with the game by the time that happened.
What a breath of fresh air. A thrilling murder mystery plot, an aesthetic that isn't really like anything else and was stunning to look at, an island full of secrets in every corner, excellent dialogue and character designs, and a killer soundtrack to boot. Can't recommend this enough.
A really fun game that's part VN part chill exploration game.
I really wish exploration was more meaningful, as collecting jpegs gets stale, but I can't complain about the story.
Colorful cast of characters, good narrative and great art direction
I really wish exploration was more meaningful, as collecting jpegs gets stale, but I can't complain about the story.
Colorful cast of characters, good narrative and great art direction
Killer Vibes; I loved being an "Investigation Freak", sprinting around with wild abandon to pick up every last treat. Never managed to get atop the ziggurat, so I didnt actually get them all. Loved accosting all the other outrageous freaks they shoved into the game, some more than others. I think the mystery was well constructed, having multiple avenues to tease out what happened, the competing conspiracies. I think the character/dialogue writing is probably the weakest part of the game, the way of the blood bar segments were particularly intolerable.
3 stars; perfect for a weekend getaway.
3 stars; perfect for a weekend getaway.
I'm going to admit to several things that may make enemies for me, but I have to say it: An amazing premise and soundtrack have been tragically placed into one of the most mechanically barren and offputtingly designed game i've ever played. This game almost certainly appeals to someone, but that someone is a very specific someone. Someone whos favorite music is vaporwave, disliked the action segments in LA Noire, and loves JoJos Bizarre Adventure.
SO CALLED "FREE THINKERS" WHEN LOVE DIES: ALL THAT REMAINS ARE THE FACTS
okay so the aesthetic of this game is out of this world. first of all. loved going through the world and collecting all the collectibles (there are a TON which is amazing for ME in specific i love collecting things) and doing funny parkour without taking fall damage. related to this the soundtrack is also a jam and a half especially the title theme
the word "diverse" has been tainted but there's something very nice about the varied backgrounds of the characters (especially witness who is iranian probably kurdish? i am not kurdish but i am iranian and he HAS AN IRANIAN ACCENT it makes me sooo happy) and the queerness of it wrt love dies and her optional flings. i love the whole cast and how messy they are even if they suck shit the world they're in sucks shit so it's influenced them. except for yuri because he's a dick but that's the point i guess?
as a mystery... it's great. i love it. i like how starlight groups all your evidence together so that i don't have to do the heavy lifting and thinking. the final act with the trial was also a delight and i like how different characters can be convicted based on the evidence you have at the time (whether you start the trial prematurely or not) and how co-conspirators can drag each other down with them it's like watching dominoes topple. though unfortunately for all the free will love dies gets as detective and executioner (especially once the trial is over) it feels kind of empty. like the only consequences come if u mess with the based married couple and even then it's not much
but don't let this stop you from playing!! Please play this game im so normal about it
okay so the aesthetic of this game is out of this world. first of all. loved going through the world and collecting all the collectibles (there are a TON which is amazing for ME in specific i love collecting things) and doing funny parkour without taking fall damage. related to this the soundtrack is also a jam and a half especially the title theme
the word "diverse" has been tainted but there's something very nice about the varied backgrounds of the characters (especially witness who is iranian probably kurdish? i am not kurdish but i am iranian and he HAS AN IRANIAN ACCENT it makes me sooo happy) and the queerness of it wrt love dies and her optional flings. i love the whole cast and how messy they are even if they suck shit the world they're in sucks shit so it's influenced them. except for yuri because he's a dick but that's the point i guess?
as a mystery... it's great. i love it. i like how starlight groups all your evidence together so that i don't have to do the heavy lifting and thinking. the final act with the trial was also a delight and i like how different characters can be convicted based on the evidence you have at the time (whether you start the trial prematurely or not) and how co-conspirators can drag each other down with them it's like watching dominoes topple. though unfortunately for all the free will love dies gets as detective and executioner (especially once the trial is over) it feels kind of empty. like the only consequences come if u mess with the based married couple and even then it's not much
but don't let this stop you from playing!! Please play this game im so normal about it
Killer Vibe Murder Mystery. Never seen the vaporware astetic done better in a game than in this one. It's astetic also serves the story of it all well. Everything feels just off enough to get entangled into the world of this story. From the start you can tell something is wrong. Although the gameplay might be slow for some and the vibe might not be for everyone, for me it was enough to get me hooked on this game while playing l. Unraveling this conspiracy was a joy to figure out and do and I can't wait to play more murder mystery games after this one. (9/10)