Paradise Killer is rated M for Mature Audiences. It is developed by Kaizen Game Works and is available on PC and Nintendo Switch.
Paradise Killer is a gorgeous gem I stumbled upon while searching the Investigation category on Steam. This is one of those rare games where within the first 5 minutes I was overcome with a feeling of complete joy, thinking “This is exactly what I hoped it would be.” I became obsessed, binging the game over the course of 15 hours in two days.
Play as Detective Love Dies, summoned out of exile in order to investigate a brutal mass murder on Paradise 25. Gather evidence, interview suspects, and distinguish Fact from Truth. Build your case to uncover deep-running conspiracies amongst the Syndicate: the ruling elite on the island.
Interview several interesting characters such as Lydia Day Break during your investigation.
Things I love about the game:
- Investigation mechanic. Lots of evidence to uncover throughout the island which is well organized into case files. Leads listed in your case file let you know if you’re missing a piece of the puzzle.
- Open world exploration. Combining this with the investigation mechanic is the most interesting part of the game for me. Very well done!
- Art style and characters. Each character had a very distinct personality, and I had fun getting to know each of them.
- Soundtrack. This is the GROOVIEST soundtrack I’ve heard all year. The genre blends give me major Persona & Danganronpa vibes. Music & sound for Paradise Killer by Barry “Epoch” Topping.
- On starting the game it mentioned that it has several accessibility settings. I didn’t end up enabling any of them, but it seemed to have Hold vs. Toggle button control, Color Correction settings, and Auto-Walk.
Meet Shinji, your demon acquaintance. 
Accept your summon to investigate a mass murder on Paradise 25. 
Explore a huge open world map.
There were a few aspects that I felt lukewarm on. Gathering certain items required a bit of tricky platforming. I was also a bit disappointed that the choice mechanic only seemed to apply to the trials. During the investigation phase there were no interview responses that would “close” evidence paths, which is a mechanic in hardcore investigation games such as the Sherlock Holmes series.
Overall I greatly enjoyed my Paradise Killer binge. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack nonstop since I finished the game, and I have a feeling the music will be stuck in my head for a while. Looking forward to seeing what’s next for developer Kaizen Game Works and musician/composer Barry “Epoch” Topping.
Weekend Play is a weekly Monday post sharing about what I played over the weekend. Each post is a 5-minute read that covers one game. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to this blog (Home page) to receive notifications of new posts!
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