Paradise Killer - free-form, open-world investigation from Kaizen Game Works

[Zombra]

6 hours in and I am utterly hooked on this game.

At first, I was reluctant to try it, because "oh good, another crazy world I have to read a bunch of historical infodumps about and a big list of names to memorize", but the hidden strength here that no one talks about is how good the game is at introducing you to everything and everyone. You're not expected to instantly absorb everything - instead, the world is taught by repetition and casual references. You never have to sit through a "setting briefing". Most info is given so offhandedly that you almost don't notice you're learning. "Yeah, so I was on my way home after the ritual slaughter of 2000 colonists - normal Tuesday right? - and this guy comes up and asks me for a blood crystal. The nerve!" And the characters - less than a dozen - are so distinct that after talking to any of them for 5 seconds you can't get them mixed up in your mind. The fact that they all have hilarious, unmistakable names like Crimson Acid and Doctor Doom Jazz seems almost an afterthought. (But it does help keep everything straight.)

Really wonderful, unique sci-fi setting I haven't seen before, yet with very relatable characters, just amazing stuff.

 

[Zombra]

Just finished the game; can't recommend it enough. Steam review up. Discuss.

 

[HoboForEternity]

so what did everyone do with the suspects

Spoiler

the daybreaks ?

i ended up accusing and got them proven guilty and executed them personally

Spoiler

they don't deserve it, but LD would totally sacrifice her friends for the truth. "When love dies, all that remains is the facts" -LLD

 

[Zombra]

so what did everyone do with the suspects

Spoiler

the daybreaks ?

i ended up accusing and got them proven guilty and executed them personally

Spoiler

they don't deserve it, but LD would totally sacrifice her friends for the truth. "When love dies, all that remains is the facts" -LLD

At my trial, I ...

Spoiler

... accused

Spoiler

Yuri

of breaking the 2nd seal, which he actually did (they both did at different times) so Lydia was off the hook. And I accused

Spoiler

Dainonigate

of breaking the 3rd seal (which he also did at a different time) so that let Sam off the hook for that. Since none of those details came out in earlier rounds, there was nothing on record to connect the Day Breaks to the Killer Demon conspiracy later on ... that part was just LD saying "I don't know how the demon got in there", which was also technically true, since the Day Breaks never actually confessed and the evidence against them was circumstantial. I believe they did it, but it was never proven.

I could have executed or exiled the Day Breaks anyway, but my version of LD is corrupt. She let them get away with it, because in her judgment they didn't deserve punishment and "Perfect 25" would be better with them than without them.

Does that make me a bad person?

 

[HoboForEternity]

so what did everyone do with the suspects

Spoiler

the daybreaks ?

i ended up accusing and got them proven guilty and executed them personally

Spoiler

they don't deserve it, but LD would totally sacrifice her friends for the truth. "When love dies, all that remains is the facts" -LLD

At my trial, I ...

Spoiler

... accused

Spoiler

Yuri

of breaking the 2nd seal, which he actually did (they both did at different times) so Lydia was off the hook. And I accused

Spoiler

Dainonigate

of breaking the 3rd seal (which he also did at a different time) so that let Sam off the hook for that. Since none of those details came out in earlier rounds, there was nothing on record to connect the Day Breaks to the Killer Demon conspiracy later on ... that part was just LD saying "I don't know how the demon got in there", which was also technically true, since the Day Breaks never actually confessed and the evidence against them was circumstantial. I believe they did it, but it was never proven.

I could have executed or exiled the Day Breaks anyway, but my version of LD is corrupt. She let them get away with it, because in her judgment they didn't deserve punishment and "Perfect 25" would be better with them than without them.

Does that make me a bad person?

it's probably the better outcome. in effect both

Spoiler

exile and capital punishment

works the same way for the citizen of perfect 25. for them, yours is the better outcome. in the end the multiverse turns, the perfect 25 is a reality (judging by the whisky induced flash forwards) and the gods still must be appeased. i like that there are no clear way outta this. either way innocent person is hurt but the blood sacrifice still have to keep going anyway.

 

[Zombra]

i like that there are no clear way outta this.

Me too. The moral ambiguity here is wonderful, very "noir".

Ultimately it comes down to how you interpret the existence of the "Judge". The Judge is never a suspect in the case, and is said to have given up humanity to become an "impartial arbiter of justice", but is still a character with their own bias and perspective, which the player may or may not agree with. I do agree that Lady Love Dies will do anything to learn the truth. This is a very different goal from telling the Judge everything. I began to question the Judge as the perfect boss when he revealed that complicity in any part of the crime, at any level, was a capital offense. Who wrote that law?

Some of the best noir stories show the detective manipulating evidence to get the outcome they wanted - arranging to let a criminal go if their crime was forced by circumstances, or framing someone who clearly deserved punishment but didn't leave enough of a trail to convict. In the end, I served the letter of the law and allowed criminals to escape detection. It was a weird feeling to realize that if the Judge knew everything, they would have ordered my execution too. Turns out the road to real justice isn't marked on the map.

 

[KafkaBot]

Reviving this thread just to say this is utterly marvelous - probably one of my favorite games ever. It has some minor flaws that make it clear it wasn't made with the largest budget (the enormous amount of typos and grammar mistakes being the most evident of those), but it's dripping with absolute incline. Sad that it apparently hasn't drawn much attention; I'd kill for a continuation of this story.

 

[Vohaul]

I enjoyed the game too and it felt fresh and unique..

However, the adventure part of the game was really disappointing. There was no real thinking involved when it comes to solving the mystery, nor does it contain any puzzles with any actual substance, those super easy "match the shapes" puzzles offered no challenge whatsoever and were just dull time wasters.
You basically explore the world and find things and the game spells out what actually happened you.

However, exploring the world was super fun, the game has great style and atmosphere, crazy and interesting world and characters. I really enjoyed my time with it despite finding it a bit shallow.

Here's hoping for a sequel that fixes some of my complaints.

 

[Zombra]

Paradise Killer

In for this, thanks.

You are in for a treat. Probably the best game I finished this year (released last September).

 

[kangaxx]

Playing through this now. Initial thought is that I like the music, the game seems ever so slightly pretentious, but I do really appreciate just being given a map and told "go" for once.

 

[Tramboi]

Couldn't finish it without a wakthrough but it was great.
NEED MORE SLEUTHING.

 

[Grunker]

this is one ugly ass game

 

[Tramboi]

this is one ugly ass game

It's good though, and only weeb on the surface.

 

[Ivan]

Paradise Killer 2/4
Another game I had my fingers crossed would make it to GP: Paradise Killer feels like a walking simulator/murder mystery/visual novel by way of Grasshopper Inc/Suda 51. Part of me tires of the 3D traversal and craves a speedier approach like in the Nonary Games, but I think I only feel this most keenly when I'm forcing myself to nab every collectible (which you totally don't NEED to to unlock all the fast travel points). It features a poppy soundtrack that's been quite memorable. The game keeps track of all the clues and findings you acquire, such that in the game's finale, which you can trigger whenever you'd like, your character connects all the dots FOR YOU. It's strangely AUTOMATED, making me feel more like a witness to the trial rather than an active participant. In this way, the game does all the work for you, you yourself don't connect any of the dots, you just watch the dominoes fall, depending on the intel you uncovered throughout the adventure. By the end of my playthrough, I couldn't shake how unsatisfying the movement felt, particularly the lack of mid-air control when double jumping. The game-world isn't so gargantuan to make me wish for free fast travel, but it sure deflated my desire to explore the space and nab the collectibles.

TLDR: cool world/characters, poor controls/exploration, automated finale, divisive art style and soundtrack (I dug it)

 

[pakoito]

Wait, did you find Daynianoniano or whatever? Because he opens up a lot of the decisionmaking at the trial.

 

[KafkaBot]

Paradise Killer 2/4
Another game I had my fingers crossed would make it to GP: Paradise Killer feels like a walking simulator/murder mystery/visual novel by way of Grasshopper Inc/Suda 51. Part of me tires of the 3D traversal and craves a speedier approach like in the Nonary Games, but I think I only feel this most keenly when I'm forcing myself to nab every collectible (which you totally don't NEED to to unlock all the fast travel points). It features a poppy soundtrack that's been quite memorable. The game keeps track of all the clues and findings you acquire, such that in the game's finale, which you can trigger whenever you'd like, your character connects all the dots FOR YOU. It's strangely AUTOMATED, making me feel more like a witness to the trial rather than an active participant. In this way, the game does all the work for you, you yourself don't connect any of the dots, you just watch the dominoes fall, depending on the intel you uncovered throughout the adventure. By the end of my playthrough, I couldn't shake how unsatisfying the movement felt, particularly the lack of mid-air control when double jumping. The game-world isn't so gargantuan to make me wish for free fast travel, but it sure deflated my desire to explore the space and nab the collectibles.

TLDR: cool world/characters, poor controls/exploration, automated finale, divisive art style and soundtrack (I dug it)

What pakoito said. The trial is a bit messy if you don't have the information to actually connect all the dots, and finding Dainonigate is an essential part of that.

In fact, my main complaint with the game goes in an opposite direction - I was disappointed with how the character pretty much acts dumb if you CHOOSE to not connect some dots.

Spoiler

The Daybreaks, for instance, are quite sympathetic AND friends with the protagonist, but the game does not take into account the possibility that you might want to refrain from accusing or banishing them. Refuse to present the necessary evidence and Lady Love Dies just says she has no clue, and neither she nor her friends ever acknowledge the evidence you had after the trial, even if you had confronted them directly.

 

[Zombra]

Spoiler

The Daybreaks, for instance, are quite sympathetic AND friends with the protagonist, but the game does not take into account the possibility that you might want to refrain from accusing or banishing them. Refuse to present the necessary evidence and Lady Love Dies just says she has no clue, and neither she nor her friends ever acknowledge the evidence you had after the trial, even if you had confronted them directly.

You weren't thorough enough.

Spoiler

I closed all cases without implicating the Day Breaks.

 

[KafkaBot]

Spoiler

The Daybreaks, for instance, are quite sympathetic AND friends with the protagonist, but the game does not take into account the possibility that you might want to refrain from accusing or banishing them. Refuse to present the necessary evidence and Lady Love Dies just says she has no clue, and neither she nor her friends ever acknowledge the evidence you had after the trial, even if you had confronted them directly.

You weren't thorough enough.

Spoiler

I closed all cases without implicating the Day Breaks.

You misunderstood my post, I believe.

Spoiler

I got all the evidence and implicated them. Then I went back and tried to intentionally NOT accuse them; Love Dies simply says she has no idea who brought the demon to the penthouse, and the Daybreaks never acknowledge the fact that you let them go afterwards, even if you confronted them before the trial. The same happens if you just accuse someone else. Similarly, if you banish them, she simply says she couldn't prove it in trial, but "knows" they did something.

My complaint is related to the fact that the game does not acknowledge your actions if you have the evidence to incriminate them (and there is a LOT of it), but choose not to do so. You can outright corner them before the trial and then keep mum when the chips are down; nothing changes. Given how they're portrayed as being sympathetic - and friends with the main character - this was quite disappointing.

And no, we can't really create a headcanon in which they didn't do anything, since they outright confess their participation if you nail them in trial. The three characters that can be said to be truly innocent when it comes to the murders - Henry Division, Crimson Acid and Doom Jazz - never confess to anything.

To be completely honest, in an ideal world, every single character would acknowledge your actions in this manner if you chose to let them go - or, at least, the ones you fully befriended. But it feels especially deflating when it comes to the Daybreaks, given their relationship with Love Dies. They're the only guilty characters that are genuinely friends with her from the start, after all.

 

[Ivan]

Did this team come out of nowhere? Would definitely be interested in whatever they have lined up next.

 

[Ivan]

Wait, did you find Daynianoniano or whatever? Because he opens up a lot of the decisionmaking at the trial.

I did not. I did realize I had missed something b.c of the blood splatter just after the 4th seal, but again I found the movement/double jump so distasteful that I couldn't be bothered to explore more thoroughly. Which is funny, b/c I was so near his area next to One Last Kiss. That said, I still didn't like how the only really decision making you get is who to accuse, not actually connecting evidence which Love Dies does all herself. I also didn't find any difference if it mattered which nodes you selected once accusing someone, it kind of just felt like ticking off boxes. Not sure if it actually makes a difference the order in which you select the points.

 

[Zombra]

I missed D the first time around too. After the jumping puzzle "dungeon" area and then finding OLK as the big finale to that section, I expected that I'd already found the reward, didn't bother searching for anything else. Also at that point I had the scanner which picks up most objects, had fallen out of the habit of physically searching. I bet a lot of people miss that.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

There's an increasingly popular tumblr-ish, queer (i don't mean that in a derogatory sense, just that its popular within spaces that call themselves queer communities) aesthetic that looks very tacky to me. Bright gaudy neon colors, often clashing colors, anime style that still looks vaguely western, hipster-ish fashion and hairstyles that are typically overdesigned.

I can tolerate a certain level of it but Paradise Killer is teetering right on the edge of that for me.

I'm okay with this (Dustborn):

Still fine but getting there (2064 Read Only Memories):

Maybe too far (Paradise Killer):

Kill it with fire (Murder By Numbers):

Reading more about it, though, the gameplay does seem genuinely inspired and fun. Might have to bite the bullet and play it anyway. Perhaps the art will grow on me.

No way I am touching a game where all the characters look so faggy, hipsterish and unbearable. Just one look at them makes me wish they would all die in the first minute of gameplay.

 

[KafkaBot]

Did this team come out of nowhere? Would definitely be interested in whatever they have lined up next.

Yep. I'd kill for a sequel to this game, frankly. The ending suggests they'd love to continue the story, but I have no idea how well Paradise Killer did sales-wise.

No way I am touching a game where all the characters look so faggy, hipsterish and unbearable. Just one look at them makes me wish they would all die in the first minute of gameplay.

The art style is meant to complement the world's vaporwave aesthetic, like almost all of the game's visual and aural elements. Hell, the main character even tosses in some japanese expressions from time to time. While some people might find that "faggy", to use your words, passing up on this one would be a disservice to yourself if you enjoy detective and adventure games.

 

[agentorange]

vent any faggot who plays this game out of the fucking airlock

 

[Ivan]

Also, during the endagme, post trial, I was vising each remaining NPC to say goodbye when it suddenly, for the first time in the entire playthrough, began to rain. It was a pretty ugly looking effect, but I was so surprised by its happening that it didn't bother me too much. I wonder if there were other weather effects that I just happened to miss.