Paratopic

 PC
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. CD-Action
    Feb 13, 2019
    80
    An experiment developed with virtually non-existent budget and a very specific intention: to expose players to an unpredictable, disturbing nightmare born in a mind consumed by fever. [12/2018, p.77]
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  2. GameCritics
    Mar 28, 2018
    80
    Paratopic‘s unique approach to storytelling and its unsettling content come together in a lo-fi, short experience that left me wanting more of this world and this story. But seriously, don’t watch the tapes.
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 6, 2019
    75
    Paratopic is a lo-fi horror game that represents golden PS1 era with its style, graphics and ability to complete it in one sitting.
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  1. The Verge
    Apr 29, 2018
    Paratopic is an unsettling experience that’s so atmospheric it’s stifling — a staticky, nicotine-stained take on cinematic video games.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 25
  3. Negative: 9 out of 25
  1. TitaniumDragon
    Jun 7, 2019
    0
    Paralogic is a surrealistic walking simulator. The story is told out of order, with the end coming at the start, and then the rest of the plotParalogic is a surrealistic walking simulator. The story is told out of order, with the end coming at the start, and then the rest of the plot showing how you got there. It’s a truly strange piece, and nothing in the story is really explained to the player. There’s a few NPCs, but none of them are particularly forthcoming in terms of the plot, and while there are dialogue trees, what little roleplaying you do is pretty limited and had no obvious consequences.

    It’s really hard to describe Paralogic as anything other than “borderline incoherent”; there are some mysterious tapes you’ve been hired to take somewhere, and you’re not supposed to watch them or else bad things™ happen. There isn’t really much more to Paralogic than that; there is no significant “gameplay” to speak of, and no challenges. You skip between various locations and events, and it isn’t even always clear when in the plot a particular event is happening, or even if you’re playing the same character in some of the scenes. There are a small number of low-fi locations, and the overall low fidelity of the graphics of Paralogic is played up deliberately to make the whole thing feel even stranger and more disconnected.

    I didn’t really ultimately feel like I engaged with this; I basically played it because I got it in the Humble Monthly and it was supposedly pretty short, which it was - despite the ostensible 2 hours of playtime Steam says I spent on this, it was really closer to 30-40 minutes. There’s some achievements for doing some random things during the story, and none of them felt really important or significant.

    On the whole, it’s hard for me to really say anything terribly positive about this piece. Paralogic felt like it was weird for the sake of being weird, and it didn’t feel like it had any sort of point to it. I never connected with it.    … Full Review »
  2. stefonlewis32
    May 9, 2021
    0
    DO NOT BUY. It's a complete waste of money. Boring walking simulator. Game has tons of glitches and a bad story with a writer who has no ideaDO NOT BUY. It's a complete waste of money. Boring walking simulator. Game has tons of glitches and a bad story with a writer who has no idea what they're doing. The game would highly benefit from someone who actually understands storytelling and how to write a GOOD story. This game is completely awful. DO NOT BUY… Full Review »
  3. ultraviper
    Apr 2, 2022
    3
    Only 40 minutes long. Waited for it to get fun but it never got there. Seems to be going for "it doesn't have to be fun because it's so ARTSY"
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