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 designers also use audial clues to point players to collectibles and clues, which was useful. At the same time, I wish that they were more consistent in distinguishing between different types of objects. A static-like whine is used for key items, clues, currency, and collectible pickups, which led to many moments of disappointment when I came face to face with another blood crystal rather than a smoking gun. Furthermore, some items stop making noise when interacted with, while others continue to do so, which makes it rather confusing the second time you come around to the same place.

The voice acting is fantastic. I especially love how the main character varies between saying “what the hell?” and “nani the hell?”, the latter of which never fails to make me laugh (‘nani’ in Japanese means what, and is often used as a shorthand to identify a character as a weeaboo). Other than that, the VAs excelled at giving each character a unique identity, with the varied accents and speech style. I only wish that NPCs would make some noise outside of conversations; a short bark when passing by them would make them feel much more alive.

The not-so-good:

The mystery was good – resolving it wasn’t always as consistently interesting or engaging. A lot of time is spent running back and forth on the island. One person would accuse another, or give a clue, or whatever else, which sends you pinging back to the other character or area across the map. I gave up talking to characters and focused on finding evidence, which revealed the truth of the mystery far too quickly. I had to then chase down each of the NPCs only for them to repeat to me things that I have already deduced or discovered. Some mysteries have approximately a bajillion pieces of evidence and clues, while others I found completely by chance (including one which I’m pretty sure can only be found by exploring, and not from any conversation!). This meant that I could spend a bunch of time being fed the same clues about the same mystery while not progressing the core investigation because of a single missed interactable item.

After collecting evidence and clues, it is finally time for the trial. I won’t be revealing any story spoilers, only discussing mechanics, but feel free to skip to the end if you want a completely pure experience.

The trial is rather disappointing, to be brutally honest. I expected an Ace Attorney style of evidence-presenting and objection-shouting, only to find that the only thing you do is to accuse a person for each crime. After accusing them, you run through each of your pieces of witness testimony and evidence without (much) input, after which the Judge will decide whether the accused is guilty or innocent. Accuse the right people and have enough proof to back it up, and the jigsaw pieces will start coming together. A little too easily, I’d say. If you successfully identify the first culprit, they essentially admit to the whole shebang not even five minutes in the so-called climax of the game, by turning around and blaming the mastermind. Because you come into the courtroom with all the evidence and the crime perfectly pieced together, the conclusion is foregone and the reveal anti-climactic. This isn’t a Phoenix Wright game where you’re on a tightrope in fog, with each step revealing more but also at risk at causing everything to plummet down. No – you either come into the courtroom entirely clueless and fail to adequately convict anyone, or you are a superstar high-powered prosecutor with approximately two-room’s worth of testimony and evidence.

The worst part is that there isn’t even a dedicated trial theme.

Beyond that, the biggest letdown was what happens afterwards. Apparently, it doesn’t matter how shoddily or skillfully you solve the case. There’s no celebration, special ending, anything. You don’t know what happens to the people who are left, or what happens if there’s no one left. The game ends ignominiously, the opposite to the adrenaline-driven dive to the island at the beginning. I know the theme is supposed to be about making your own truths – but then the game should show the consequences of those truths beyond “execute, exile, release.”

Paradise Killer is worth picking up if you believe that the journey is more important than the destination. If nothing else, being on the surreal-yet-stylish Island Sequence 24 with the amazing BGM will give you the sun-splashed holiday you’ve been missing the last few years. Just ignore the creepy sea-pyramids and you’ll have a great time!