Paradise Killer: a beautiful and surreal mystery let down by a mediocre ending
Paradise Killer was a good game. Although the mechanics were not groundbreaking, the central mystery and setting was compelling enough that the superb aesthetic and audio design carried the day, leaving me satisfied after the five or so hours it took me to complete the game. The good: Paradise Killer ’s sound design deserves a standing ovation. First: the music. The funky jazzpunk soundtrack was excellent, leaving me bopping and swaying to its hypnotic beats and sweet solos. It was also a neat touch to make some of the game’s music diegetic; the volume of the music depends on your distance to the nearest loudspeaker that peppers the landscape. This meant that some areas were left entirely silence aside from ambient audio and your own character (and sometimes the high-pitch giggle of the resident demon), making these spaces eerie and disturbing. Combined with area-specific music, this gives each region a unique feel, making it distinctive and fun to navigate the island. The ...