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”