Paradise Killer
Genres: Mystery, Point & Click, Story Rich
Release Date: 4-9-2020
Developer: Kaizen Game Works
Our verdict
8.5/10
- Difficulty: Easy
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 10+ h
Paradise Killer is an open-world murder mystery rather than a classic escape room. As the exiled investigator Lady Love Dies, you return to a surreal island run by immortals trying to revive alien gods, where the ruling Council has been killed behind locked doors. You explore freely, gather evidence, question suspects and then argue your own case at a trial. It suits solo players who like detective stories, odd worlds and exploring without a timer.
It is rated Very Positive, with about 93 percent of 3,504 reviews positive. Players love the vaporwave look and soundtrack, the strange lore and the cast, and many call it unlike anything else. The non-linear structure gets praise: the ending depends on how much you uncover, and there are several possible culprits. Expect a lot of collectible hunting and platform-style traversal across the island.
The main criticism is that the detective work is light. One reviewer felt evidence is sorted so neatly that the culprit is obvious, and that the trial mostly replays the evidence list with few real choices. Players report 12 to 20 hours. Buy it for the world and atmosphere; skip it if you want hard logic puzzles or Ace Attorney-style deduction.
Pros
- Open island investigation you can tackle in any order
- Vaporwave visuals and a soundtrack players keep listening to
- Trial where you build and argue your own case
- No time pressure, with several possible culprits and endings
Cons
- Neatly sorted evidence makes the culprit fairly obvious
- Trial offers few real decisions
- Heavy on collectible hunting and walking around
About
An island outside of reality. A rogue human civilization hoping to resurrect dead alien gods. A murder behind locked doors.
Paradise is an island that regenerates every few millennia. The psychic power that the alien worshipers within release into the universe is meant to feed and eventually resurrect their fallen deities. But this force also attracts undesired interest from demons, who eventually corrupt each island — until a new alternate reality is birthed by the Council.
The system isn’t perfect, but it will be one day — on Perfect 25, the next island-to-be. But on the eve of rebirth, the Council is murdered and Paradise is killed.
In the aftermath, the “investigation freak” Lady Love Dies is summoned from exile to find the culprit. This is the crime to end all crimes.
What are the facts? What are the truths? Are they the same?
Return to Paradise Island in this updated and enhanced version of Paradise Killer, featuring new music and new mysterious beings, additional quests and rewards, extra Starlight skins, and more collectibles to find, plus performance improvements, a HUDless mode and Steam achievements. A free update for all players, available now.
Featuring DX12 support, ray tracing* (DX12 only), advanced upscaling (NVidia DLSS and AMD SR), and a host of other visual and performance updates, Paradise Island looks more stunning than ever!
You are tasked with finding the killer and building an airtight case against them. Take your case to trial and argue your interpretation of the evidence. Only when someone is successfully convicted can the crime be considered solved and Paradise be saved.
The “truth” is that there are many possible killers, and many ways to build a case. Even if you make a convincing case for prosecution and get someone convicted, is the mystery really solved?
Paradise is an island set in an alternate future history filled with cryptic lore and even more mysteries. Examine bizarre relics to learn more about this world’s surreal history.
You choose who to accuse, and build a case to support conviction. Everyone on Paradise has a secret to hide and something to gain. Old friends become new suspects, forcing you to choose between the evidence, the greater good and your own beliefs. There are many possible murderers, but who you pick will define your own personal truth.
Let your personal computer and electronic assistant Starlight be your guide through another dance of an investigation. Collect evidence, record testimony and interpret the facts to form your own truth.
Solve hieroglyph puzzles on ancient nightmare computers to discover new areas of the island, find concealed evidence and reveal terrifying secrets.
Paradise Killer has a suite of accessibility options that allow you to tailor the game to suit your needs.
*Raytracing requires a compatible NVidia RTX GPU, DirectX 12 and Windows 10 Build 1809. To play with Raytracing, please launch the game in DirectX 12 mode.
