Paratopic

 Switch
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 7 out of 18

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  1. nusco
    Oct 26, 2020
    6
    Paratopic is a very short hallucination with deliberately primitive 3D graphics. It puts you through a sequence of flash-backs and flash-forwards, that all together allude to an overarching plot involving VHS tapes smuggling, violent killings, and possibly some kind of alien conspiracy. In other words, not typical gaming material. Paratopic is definitely experimental work, and an explicitParatopic is a very short hallucination with deliberately primitive 3D graphics. It puts you through a sequence of flash-backs and flash-forwards, that all together allude to an overarching plot involving VHS tapes smuggling, violent killings, and possibly some kind of alien conspiracy. In other words, not typical gaming material. Paratopic is definitely experimental work, and an explicit homage to the movies of David Lynch–with a generous serving of David Cronenberg to boot.

    Pros:

    - Creates an unsettling, hypnotic sense of dread.
    - Strong, uncompromising artistic vision.
    - Great soundwork.

    Cons:

    - Extremely short–less than an hour, with very limited replayability.
    - Barely interactive and very linear.
    - The early 90s-era polygons are part of the vision, but you might find them intolerable.    … Expand
  2. robnamnam
    Nov 8, 2020
    6
    Disclaimer: this is not a game. It's an experience. A semi-interactive 1 hour-ish movie that clearly wants to be experimental and provocative. Nothing bad about it.
    Very crude on the graphics side (deliberately inspired by 90s Playstation videogames) and non-linear in the storytelling (with jumps back and forward in between characters and timelines), it falls back to linearity in the    Disclaimer: this is not a game. It's an experience. A semi-interactive 1 hour-ish movie that clearly wants to be experimental and provocative. Nothing bad about it.
    Very crude on the graphics side (deliberately inspired by 90s Playstation videogames) and non-linear in the storytelling (with jumps back and forward in between characters and timelines), it falls back to linearity in the gameplay (if we can talk about gameplay).
    Can anybody appreciate that? Probably not. Did I enjoy playing it? Not a bit. 6 for the artistic-value and the attempt at making something different.    … Expand
  3. Dangusse
    Apr 21, 2023
    6
    the vast majority of my points removed have to do with the price, since i enjoyed the game for what it is. however, it feels more like a demo than a full title, so i think it should probably be free with suggested donation.

    if you can get it for free or heavily discounted, it's worth a play, and probably best played alone with headphones as suggested. if you choose to pay for the game    the vast majority of my points removed have to do with the price, since i enjoyed the game for what it is. however, it feels more like a demo than a full title, so i think it should probably be free with suggested donation.

    if you can get it for free or heavily discounted, it's worth a play, and probably best played alone with headphones as suggested. if you choose to pay for the game at full price, i would consider it the same as a kickstarter.

    i think more could be done with the same environments if there were a few more people to talk to, a radio show in the car, something a little more interactive and meaningful like the cashier at the gas station. i want to go into the hole in the bunker. it just feels like the whole game is a sketch for what could be a much better entry with even a little bit of added length and scripting.

    the game is ominous, includes a(n) jumpscare, and has decent writing, interesting pacing and creative animation. i don't actually mind that so much of it is empty and monotonous, it's often a cool way of making the game more immersive and to hammer in some foreboding themes. overall, it's really good, but it's so short that you don't get much more out of playing it than you would from watching someone else do it on youtube.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Cubed3
    Feb 7, 2025
    60
    There are no answers in this short spooky story. None. You might think there are, but there aren't. Paratopic is all atmosphere, and zero plot. Things are happening, but it's hard and maybe even impossible to make sense of it all. The good news is that when the atmosphere isn't just good, but fantastic, and as a result the adventure is very immersive despite its lack of a coherent narrative. A solid recommendation whenever the price is low enough, and in the mood for something enjoyably unsettling and mysterious, yet without much meat on its bones.
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  2. Nintendo Life
    Sep 14, 2020
    70
    Paratopic is a fever dream; a near-constantly engaging sequence of strange and at times frightening imagery. It's intriguing stuff, to say the least, but we felt that it rather fizzled out just when our interest in the various eldritch goings-on was piquing. We found that beyond experiencing it all over again there was nothing much in the way of meaningful replay value, but as a once-through bad trip, it'll keep you glued to your Switch from start to annoyingly-abrupt finish.
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  3. Vandal
    Sep 13, 2020
    70
    Paratopic is something different, a game with a tiny budget and the sole purpose of challenge your expectations. It’s very weird, but we love having these experiences that help us break our gaming routine.
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