Publisher: Fellow Traveller
What I Paid: $7.50
Verdict: Not Shovelware.
What I Say:
I’ve played a lot of quite ordinary games lately, so it was a great relief when I found Paradise Killer to be a fantastic whodunit.
Your remit is to solve the mystery of a mass murder of the leaders of a rather dauntingly large open world. You do this by finding clues, questioning suspects and then formulating what you think is the truth behind the killings.
Finding clues and progressing the story is quite painstaking but never to the point of tedium. The open world structure means there is always somewhere new to explore. The relatively few characters you interact with are interesting and don’t always tell you the truth.
There are a few minor flaws despite the overall quality of this game:
- Fast travel costs money (in the form of crystals), which you have precious little of when you start up.
- Travel between locations can therefore be quite lengthy as you trudge both around the island and upwards and downwards. There are a lot of high-rise structures and high structures which can take some time to get to.
- You eventually get used to them, but character names are quite disorienting at first.
- There is no “true ending” per se. There are many suspects and many ways of determining the “truth” of the murders. I would have liked to have seen one optimum ending.
What They Say:
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?
PARADISE HAS BEEN KILLED… AGAIN
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 and an all-new HUDless mode. A free update for all players, available March 16, 2022.
FACT AND TRUTH ARE NOT THE SAME
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?
EXPLORE AN ISLAND FULL OF SECRETS
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.
FIND YOUR PARADISE
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.
GATHER EVIDENCE
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.
UNLOCK HIDDEN AREAS
Solve hieroglyph puzzles on ancient nightmare computers to discover new areas of the island, find concealed evidence and reveal terrifying secrets.
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