Paradise Killer Review

[Michael {United Critics}]

A visual novel game with an actual gameplay and freedom that most entries in this genre don't have. Starts slow but quickly turns crazy. 

Let me just start by saying that I don’t care for visual novels. They’re slow with their unskippable text and contain zero to very small amount of interaction. I’m not even convinced when there’s a great mystery behind it. Looking at the images, this seemed like another wasted opportunity. Until I watched the actual gameplay video and decided to give it a shot.

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📕Story:

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The story’s pretty bonkers. Basically, you have this group of immortals called The Syndicate. They worship and want to resurrect some alien gods through human sacrifices on the island Paradise. The problem is, they always end up summoning demons instead of gods. That’s when the Council, the leaders of the immortals, hits the reset button and remakes the island. Things get learned along the way and they get closer to perfection with each new island. Now they are on island no. 24, island no. 25 is supposed to be perfect.

But on the eve of transition someone murders several members of the Council. The crime is pinned on a citizen who doesn’t remember anything and has been the cause of trouble in the past versions of the island. As the coming of the perfect island may be in jeopardy, the remaining immortals decide to bring back Lady Love Dies, the best investigator they have. She was sent into exile after she got deceived by the false god and caused the destruction of one of the previous islands. Her punishment was watching the destruction and rebirth of several islands from a complex above.

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🎮Gameplay:

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Your main job is to investigate the crime and then report back to the Judge. How you do this is entirely up to you and there is no time limit. You can explore the entire island the moment you step out of the judge’s door. Run straight to the murder scene and start investigating or simply walk the other way and enjoy the scenery. The only true boundary is water around the island, but even if you accidentally fall in, you’ll simply appear at the nearest save point.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2433164575

The game isn’t slow like some detective games. A sprint and jump button make exploring easy and there’s also quite a lot platforming involved. This means that if you see something interesting on a roof or hard-to-reach place, usually some sweet collectible, there’s probably a way to get to it by jumping. You might even jump off a cliff and find something that shouldn’t be found. Oh, and there’s no fall damage.

But the main gameplay still consists of collecting everything interesting. The island is divided into small districts that are littered with small squares you can interact with. There’s even an occasional puzzle or two stuck in there. The things you pick up is usually directly connected and can be used in the current area so it’s always a good idea to search it thoroughly; like colored gems that need to be placed into nearby slots. Some areas are closed off and can be opened only with a simple hacking mini-game. Naturally, you’ll have to find new sets of glyphs for more important doors.

Stuff you get to pick up may contain evidence, item or blood crystals, this world’s currency. You can spend them on several things: to unlock quick travel points, sacrifice at altars, visit footbaths and purchase special abilities, like double jump and meditation which shows points of interest and saves you the trouble of searching for that last collectible, on vending machines and black market where you buy information on others.

Squares may also contain information or relic of this world or show you a memory from one of the island’s previous versions. Their only purpose is to build the world and don’t bring anything to the investigation. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about missing anything. Every clue or statement is stored in your personal computer Starlight. It contains information about the case, members of the council (alive, dead and those that already moved to Island 25), inventory, timeline, map, skins for your computer and music.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2401971421

No good mystery game goes without wacky characters and this game has around a dozen weirdos. You always know where they are as their location is displayed by simply pressing the button. They either have some connection to Lady Love Dies from the past or just hate your guts and call you’re a freak. Topics you can talk about depend on the stuff you discovered so far, including motive and alibi of others. There’s no fear of missing anything or messing up.

You can respond any way you like and each response is described like “Friendly”, “Suspicious”, “Flirty”. You soon discover that choices don’t matter. You can also hang out with them and build relationship. Do it often enough and you’ll get some new piece of juicy information as reward. All this talking unfortunately does include a lot of back-tracking. You may find some unimportant clue on one side of the island and use it to interrogate someone on the other. You can use the quick travel at save points, but this costs blood crystals which are limited.

You can finish your investigation at any time, whether it’s 10 minutes into the game or 10 hours. You can really sink your teeth in and find the true, definitive conclusion, or accuses the first suspicious character. And everyone’s a suspect. While investigating the main crime you might stumble upon hidden clues that connects a character to a much bigger picture. You’ll find dirt on everyone. It’s your job to piece the puzzle together and begin the trial.

During the trial you’re asked questions about individual cases. You must then accuse the suspect and back it up with evidence. Depending on how thoroughly you researched a case, you either succeed in convincing the judge or fail. After the trial you can still hunt for the missing collectibles, choose the fate of surviving characters or simply end the game.

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🎥Graphics and Sound:

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Although the island isn’t that big once you get familiar with the surroundings, it still is pretty nice and has lots of detail. There’s also a day-night cycle that moves really fast and paints the island in a different light but doesn’t change the gameplay. Characters are flat 2D images placed in a 3D world so it looks weird every time they turn towards you.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2401971034

Similar to VN, the only voice characters make are certain words or sentences. Another major plus of this game is its soundtrack, again from the 80s. It’s that famous synthwave you’ve been hearing in almost everything lately. The type of music that makes you feel good and relaxed. You’re pretty much stuck with it throughout the game; you can collect tapes with new music you can listen at any time or make a personal playlist.

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🙋‍♂‍Final Thoughts:

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The game runs fine. I encountered only one slowdown when a lot of stuff happened on the screen at the same time, but it quickly returned to normal. It’s a real shame the game doesn’t have achievements, which could lure you into playing it a few more times and make different choices or accuse other characters. Now there’s little incentive to search every nook and cranny for that last piece of collectible once you collect enough clues.

It also doesn’t encourage another playthrough; you’ll probably explore everything the first time. And save often because the game doesn’t support autosave! This game feels more like an anomaly and not something that will get copied. VN mystery game mixed with open world concept can only take you so far. There is room for a sequel though. Your computer contains information on several characters that already moved to island 25.

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👍/👎Pros and Cons:

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Pros:

• Open world
  
• Lots of collectibles and secrets
  
• Soundtrack
  
• Different endings

Cons:

• Fast travel costs money
  
• Plot holes if you don't explore

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🏆Make or Miss:

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Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: Sosich