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.
Paradise Killer is a fascinating game that mixes together a wide range of genres, while at the same time developing its own art style and storytelling to make it a unique journey. Let’s dig right into it.
Story and Style
The story behind Paradise Killer is something that must have been dreamed up by Kaizen Game Works after having a Terry Gilliam film marathon, as it is strange but artsy. There are islands inhabited by powerful beings who are in search of the perfect paradise. The islands, and there is just one existing at a time, are systematically destroyed each time there is imperfection found on them. Some people make it off the island during the destroy phase, some beings don’t, but perfection is a must, and island architects keep plugging away to make perfection happen. The story begins at the point where the universe is currently set at creating what is believed to be the final perfect island, but tragedy strikes when a group of diplomats is murdered before the 25 island launches. The current island is in a tizzy and calls out for an independent investigation before the island is destroyed.
You play an investigator named Lady Love Dies, who is in exile after being accused of a heinous crime. She is pulled out of exile by a powerful being called Judge, who is looking to solve the murders, though others think they have the culprit, and you’re sent off on a murder mystery of epic proportions to find out what in the heck happened.
The story keeps you engaged with lots of false leads, sassy island folk, branching dialogue, and enough suspicion to keep you motivated in your search. You can tell right from the get-go that island residents are certainly hiding something. The story for a game like this has to grab your attention and this one does a fantastic job of it by making fascinating characters with creative backgrounds that you want to know about, including your own Lady Love Dies, who’s past is slowly uncovered. The presentation also lends well to the story.
The presentation, meaning the visual look and feel of the game, is a cross between anime and some weird sci-fi trip that you can’t come down from. While the game is mostly first-person and contains some gorgeous environments that help with the atmosphere of the story, the people and beings you meet are 2D flat graphics. It’s like you’re playing some weird-ass version of Paper Mario: Murder Edition. The mixture of both FP and 2D is an interesting choice because it’s jarring at first, but it strangely works because the game is so incredibly weird that it’s acceptable. You will see God-like figures, strange-looking multi-arm deer gods with smiley faces over their crotches — you’ll see some art.
The presentation of the game also sells the story, which in turn sells the atmosphere. You can feel how contained it all is as you explore the island, which helps to keep the creepy/uncomfortable factor up, while also maintaining a typical murder mystery structure of there’s a killer in the room/island. Think Murder on the Orient Express, where a group of people are trapped on a train, and there is a murderer among them. It’s effective, it works, and it adds to the story. Anyway, it all works together quite well in odd harmony.
High Sensation Value
The gameplay structure of Paradise Killer is similar to a Phoenix Wright game. During gameplay, you’re sent to interview people and try to get the best possible amount of answers from them, which turn into clues. From those answers, you try to uncover facts from fiction, which makes this an interrogation game at its core. This is a Phoenix Wright structure, where you talk to witnesses, snag clues, and go from there. It works, but it’s dialogue-driven, much like Wright, which means you have to do your homework on the fly, even though that homework is essentially simple math. This might pain a few players out there, but doing work within a game is essential for success in Paradise Killer. The game does feature a computer system called Starlight, who helps put together and organize all the interviewee details. That helps a bit when it comes to gathering info, and other things.
Part of the interview process in the game is picking the right branching choice. While I can’t confirm that replaying the game and choosing a different set of dialogue leads you to any other conclusion than the one you got during the first playthrough, it’s still nice to see you can switch responses and get friendly or unfriendly chatter going. I’m not bold enough to state that there is a Knights of the Old Republic choice going on here, but I will say that the player is fully in control of the situation, which bodes well for the gameplay. You always want to make sure players are fully in control of their games; otherwise, it’s a movie.
On the exploration side of the tracks, the game’s first-person adventure perspective is okay. While the world of the island seems very empty, as it should be because it’s about to be fully eliminated, the ability to move around and explore everything will help keep the ‘trapped on an island’ tone firmly embedded in the adventure. The first-person adventure is more immersive than practical. The game’s atmosphere is built by its presentation, which is gorgeously displayed through its first-person perspective. In other words, the FP adventure isn’t a tool to improve the gameplay, rather it’s a tool to ‘put you there’ on the island. It’s like when they play the fake crowd audio at an MLB game — without it, the atmosphere changes dramatically.
Let’s wrap this up.
Conclusion
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.
