Paradise Killer

So we'll leave a thousand or so things about it left unsaid - the music, yes, it's wonderful, sorry we didn't spend more time celebrating its City Pop-riffing breeziness and loose funk swagger; and those character poses really are straight out of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I mean, we didn't even touch on the influence of Suda51 and the Danganronpa series - but seriously, I think this is one where the less you know, the even more amazing it is. Oh, and that it makes you pay for things in blood? Really. What a game.

Paradise Killer is an exploration game like no other. There is a mystery to be solved, but you can spend ages soaking in the wonderful sights and sounds of the island. This one will stay with you for some time.

Paradise Killer marries a beautifully repulsive world with a gratifyingly open-ended approach to detective work, but its real achievement is in how it ties everything you’ve learned together. After a whole game of learning the story, you’re suddenly the one writing the ending. The most important person a detective needs to prove a case to is themselves, to give them the confidence to pass those details along. Paradise Killer treats you in much the same way. By the end of its 15 hours, the only person you really need to convince is yourself: Is that the ending you want to see? OK, prove it.

Paradise Killer is absolutely bonkers weird in the best possible way. It is soothing to play at your own pace, with a brilliant soundtrack, rewarding collectibles and a deep, complex mystery to unravel. It is one of the best games I have played this year.

Paradise Killer is a singular, exemplary experience. It's a detective game that feels like real detective work in a way few games do, and it makes its extremely complex worldbuilding feel effortless. I put off the final trial for as long as I can not only because I wanted all the evidence I could find, but because I did not want to leave the island or the game. Paradise might have been killed, but when you're deep into untangling the game's conspiracies, it feels very much alive.

Paradise Killer is a singular experience. An open-world detective game set in a weird, neon world where everyone is a suspect and each piece of evidence feels genuinely earned.

Paradise Killer is equipped with an unforgettable set of characters, an equally striking setting, and a great spin on the classic locked room murder mystery. Even those who've never considered themselves murder mystery fans will want to give this game a shot.

Paradise Killer is a fascinating murder mystery set in a strange world with even stranger characters. The game lets you put the evidence together to find out what really happened in a way most don’t. With its unique aesthetic and bumpin’ soundtrack, it’s well worth letting love die to find the facts.

Paradise Killer is a strange experience. Even having completed it, I have difficulty putting into words what it was like to play it. It's sometimes boring, often intriguing, frequently funny, and startlingly deep. I didn’t go into this expecting such an amazing detective experience, but that’s exactly what I got. It’s rare to see a game so adeptly balance style and substance, and even though it’s not a flawless experience, it has it where it counts. We may have just fallen short of Paradise this time around, but the next cycle could be perfect.

If you’re tired of murder mysteries that take place on boring old planet Earth and want something different, Paradise Killer might be the game for you. If you’ve ever wondered whether death god-worshipping cults have to solve murders too and why they would even bother, Paradise Killer might be the game for you. If you just want to run amok around an island created in a pocket reality while talking to some evasive and immoral immortals, Paradise Killer might be the game for you. Which is to say that Paradise Killer might not be for everybody, but it’s certainly an interesting trip.

Paradise Killer brings a unique approach to a visual novel adventure game, where first-person exploration in an open world becomes part of the picture and the player takes part in a criminal investigation with potential multiple outcomes. While the exploration part can feel rather slow and cumbersome regarding the distances travelled in the game, the investigation component is nothing short of a wonder, with its myriad of characters and intricate, alluring plot. Everyone who feels attracted towards visual novels and investigatory adventures should take a close look at Paradise Killer.

The story is absolutely captivating and the lore of the universe is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The game marvelously intertwines open world exploration with deep conversation trees and you can actually feel yourself building cases in your mind as you uncover more and more clues. If you’re not into parsing through pages upon pages of dialogue to get the full story, then Paradise Killer probably isn’t for you. But if you’re willing to invest the time, Paradise Killer will undoubtedly be a memorable experience.

For all those little frustrations, it's clear Paradise Killer is going to stay with us for a while longer. It's a considerable achievement for this tiny studio. Kaizen Game Works: may you continue to reach for the moon. [Issue#351, p.98]

Paradise Killer is a rarity amongst detective games as it accomplishes the feeling of being an actual investigator within its unique setting.

Paradise Killer’s gameplay design and execution are simple, though sometimes taxing. There is a lot to ingest before getting to the game’s conclusion, but the style makes the experience unique and worthwhile, which is a huge plus.

There’s a refreshing freedom to Paradise Killer we’ve not previously seen. You can start the trial almost immediately if you desired, which is far from sensible, but without a narrative constraining you, Lady Love Dies’ investigation is what you make it. Coming to your own conclusions can be a little overwhelming in places but successfully solving this case is immensely satisfying. For murder-mystery fans, this comes highly recommended.

Beneath all the ugly/stylish trappings, you have an open-world mystery game, where you have to search for clues, question suspects, and figure out whodunnit. In that sense, the game is fairly rewarding, and it even challenges you in a way that most other games of this ilk don’t, in that it leaves the “who” of the whodunnit up to you, and makes it clear that the decision of who to convict is in your hands. Given how frequently most mystery games only offer one path to a solution, it’s intriguing to see a game that takes such an open-ended approach. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a great idea wrapped in a nauseating package. No judgment if Paradise Killer’s hyperstylish aesthetic appeals to you, but I’m going to have to pass on this one.

Paradise Killer offers more style than substance, but that’s not necessarily a fault. It’s a choice. The game’s unique characters and story are open throughout gameplay and beyond completion, tasking you with solving a gory murder through low-pressure investigations and…well, hoping you were right.

I enjoyed my time with Paradise Killer quite a bit as I do love the mystery/visual novel genre of games quite a bit. The game has a fresh look and a killer soundtrack, as well as a fairly good story with plenty to look into. As good as that might sound, I would still recommend any of the Danganronpa or Phoenix Wright titles over Paradise Killer, as the unpopulated world gets tiring to explore and back-loading all of the trials makes for some poor game pacing overall. Still, if you love the genre and are looking for your next fix, Paradise is waiting for you with open arms.

The first-person, open-world approach to a murder mystery adventure is certainly unique, but Paradise Killer is weighed down by irritating movement and a confusing story. The character names do more harm than good, and the visuals are merely serviceable. Fortunately, the soundtrack provides incredible travelling music, and it’s worth seeking out tapes to add to your collection of tracks. If you can get into the world and its mysteries and intricacies, you’ll find an experience worthy of being called Paradise. If you’re expecting another Danganronpa, this might be more of a buzz killer.

On a story level, Paradise Killer was fantastic. It could have used a lot of fine-tuning but the setting was unique, the characters were interesting, and it asks a lot of questions about morality, acceptable behaviour, the difference between truth and fact, or law and justice. It’s up to you to decide what is right, but the game is a let down in execution. The experience is a long way from video game paradise, but it has its heart in the right place.