Paradise Killer Makes a Strong Case for its Stylish Whodunit

Paradise Killer is not your typical video game, and we can all be grateful for that. Kaizen Game Works has built an elaborate fantasy where the principal gameplay involves interviewing colorful characters about outlandish acts while scouring an open world island for clues to a crime and even to the nature of this strange world.

I'm multiple hours into the game, and I'm impressed not only with how players can start to piece together the chief mystery of the game through diligent detective work, but how their dedication is rewarded with details and lore that collectively help begin to make sense of this exceedingly bizarre universe. It's a rich, outrageous tapestry.

You know you can expect a unique -- if not intimidating -- experience when the set up requires a few screens of background info. In short, the Syndicate has abducted Citizens to use their psychic powers of worship to ultimately resurrect their dead alien gods on successive islands perfected with each iteration despite corruption by demons attracted to the psychic power.

This cycle decreases demonic corruption over time but involves a slaughter of island Citizens when each island dies. Island Sequence 25 was supposed to be perfect but the murder of the ruling Council during the transition, reportedly by a Citizen possessed by demons, halted the process and brought disgraced Syndicate investigator Lady Love Dies back from exile.

To its credit, Kaizen Game Works provides a variety of options including turning screenshake and flickering lights on or off, selecting normal or open dyslexic dialog font, three kinds of color correction, and an autowalk setting. Controls themselves work well on Nintendo Switch: Movement (Left Stick), Camera (Right Stick), Interact (A), Crouch (B), Jump (R), Spring (Hold L), Torch (ZR) and AR Vision (Hold ZL).

Navigation is simple, whether in TV or Handheld mode. That's important considering so much of the game relies on exploring the world of Island Sequence 24 (not to mention other locations I've visited thus far, including a pyramid and space; and the game suggests Island Sequence 25 might be an option). That's an aspect of the game right up my alley.

I honestly didn't expect a completely free-roam game but that's essentially what you get (the only restriction I've found is a transition screen when riding a kind of Jet Ski). Walk, sprint and jump along paths, waterways, hills, beaches, buildings and other artificial structures. Players can even unlock a double jump to access more challenging areas.

The game makes such efforts not just entertaining but worthwhile. Along the way, players will discover items like Blood Crystals (Syndicate currency) to purchase drinks from vending machines, operate foot baths, make blood donations at temples, curry favors, unlock fast travel, etc.; red, blue, green and yellow crests to install at certain stations; and relics (photos, carvings, etc.) with info or lore.

Some related actions might, in turn, reveal more secrets like the location of important software upgrades, abilities like the double jump, more relics or Blood Crystals, important information, or -- in the case of fast travel unlocks -- wallpaper for your OS. Even the hidden items that don't appear to offer much value still contribute to the world's offbeat lore.

Better yet, there are clues and other details throughout the island that contribute to your case, even in areas where you might not expect to find anything of note. For gamers like me who love exploration, that adds extra incentive and satisfaction to scouring every area. And there are many areas high and low, inside and out, to investigate along the way.

To assist in this regard is a map, AR Vision and audio and visual cues. The map is only available via menus and does not show direction so is less helpful than other options like AR Vision, which is very useful for showing where, how far and how critical individuals might be at any given moment. Nearby items, conversely, will emit and show cues to alert you to their presence.

When Lady Love Dies encounters others in the Syndicate, there will be scripted exchanges that help establish not only member relationships but her involvement as well, including her role as the former head of the Paradise Psycho Unit charged with protecting the council and how the god Damned Harmony's deception resulted in her exile to the Idle Lands.

But there are also plenty of opportunities to help shape each conversation. Dialog options like Question, Doubt, Surprised, Irritated and Suspicious determine how Lady Love Dies reacts and how others respond. Such choices can prove useful whether in the initial discussion or when the player opts to address the Case Files or to Hang Out.

Case File options allow the investigator to ask each individual about elements related to the case, such as certain deaths, the nature of security or its breaches, the prime suspect, others' alibis and even each individual's suspicions, alibi or possible motives. Hang Out is structured more like an informal chat and can explore their relationship.

Even though I've been playing the game a while, it's too early to tell how impactful various dialog choices will prove later in the game, especially when making a case against a suspect. But I usually take advantage of opportunities to improve relationships and one did pay off when someone had a change of heart and shared more info than they initially were prepared to do.

Likewise I'm eager to find out how several strategic choices play out, such as placating a character with an outsized ego, acting devout for a zealot, or telling a pesky demon that pops up everywhere what I believe it wants to hear. If the example above -- and notifications that I've increased relationships -- is any indication, these choices should bear fruit down the line.

In the process of such conversations, the investigator will collect testimony, evidence and clues. Lady Love Dies can also use the Vision Engine for scene investigation, identifying and gathering key observations and items found at crime scenes or important settings. All such elements are then catalogued in her helpful Starlight OS for future reference.

The Starlight interface (+ button) includes Investigation Notes, Case Files, Inventory, Population, Timeline and Music menus. The two most helpful sources are Investigation Notes, which includes notes on potential leads and suspects, and Case Files related to each suspect (Motive, Alibi, Alibi Breakers) and crime. These offer detailed refreshers on information gathered.

The Inventory includes Key Items like a blood sample, unlock card, letter report; Upgrades to help unlock Nightmare Computer restrictions; and Relics such as photos, books, Island Sequence mementos, recordings and carvings. Population shows the Council, Syndicate and Citizens. Timeline displays History, Island Sequence 24/Current Island and Last Night.

Music deserves more attention as the upbeat electronic soundtrack -- a kind of contemporary electro pop sound -- provides an entertaining background to the grandiose goings on. Tracks (cassette tapes) are obtained from radio towers that broadcast music and are played in a loop. Options in Starlight include edit, restart, shuffle and volume.

The one exception is the jazz accompaniment for The Way of Blood Bar, a kind of hard-boiled interlude between two patrons of a cocktail bar -- in silhouette but suggestive of a man and woman -- who reflect on their current and past circumstances. It's an interesting mystery within a mystery, as it takes place in Island Sequence 25.

In the process of exploring the island and investigating the crime, Lady Love Dies will encounter puzzles along the way. These include light puzzles like finding and placing objects, operating machinery in the proper sequence, and matching puzzle pieces to decipher arcane hieroglyphics of the Nightmare Computer.

Like the puzzles, the game thus far is not necessarily challenging, though some strategy is involved in dialog choices or scaling areas for pickups. After all, Lady Love Dies -- like all Syndicate members -- is immortal. She'll land falls from any height without a scratch (helpful to reach some pickups), and resurrect at nearby spawn (save) points upon drowning in the ocean.

​Indeed, there's no combat that I've encountered yet. There's a gun that can be obtained, but it remains to be seen how it comes into play. So for some, the light challenge and dearth of combat might be a turnoff, but for me and others I imagine, it's a welcome change of pace in a medium where the former is standard fare.

And standard fare is precisely what Paradise Killer is not. The over the top characters, ridiculous setting and imaginative lore all come together for an exceptional gaming experience. It's not without issues, like small text in menus (worst in handheld mode), lots of seemingly inconsequential pickups, and repeat lines whose spirit doesn't match the dialog.

There are also minor presentation issues like glitchy lighting in handheld mode or rain inside the Council building. But the overall presentation and gameplay is simply top notch. A highly stylized, cell shaded world with distinct colorful characters and well designed layouts provide a dazzling backdrop for political/religious intrigue of the highest order.

Immersive dialog options and platforming opportunities complement the stylish setting for a rewarding experience in total that deserves players' attention not just as a quality experience but as a unique one that has few rivals in terms of its operatic fantasy elements and investigative legwork in a crime drama procedural that's literally out of this world.

(This post is based on a review key for the Nintendo Switch version of Paradise Killer, which is also available on Steam and released September 4. The game retails for $19.99 but is on sale for a limited time for $15.99.)

(Be sure to check out additional images here: Screenshots.)