Kaizen Game Works’ Paradise Killer delves into the 24th Island Sequence, where you play as Lady Love Dies, a snarky British investigator tasked with finding the killers of The Syndicate. You already have a suspect, and a seemingly rock-solid alibi at the start — but that’s not how it is in Paradise.
Where everything is dealt with in blood, Paradise Killer finds not only a way to give context to this bizarre world you are in, but the mysteries that hide beneath its shores. Shinji, your foul-mouthed demon guide, appears around the island spewing cryptic sentences. Is he friend, or foe?
Paradise Killer is so much more than a murder-mystery set on an island birthed from the sacrifices of human worshippers — it brings together the hubris and humanity of both humans and gods (a couple demons too!), and plays a gorgeous synth-pop soundtrack over their lands. The Syndicate worshipped ancient gods, and each island is made in the image to be closer and closer to the perfect Sequence, and the other islands are left to rot in the presence of demons.
As I traversed the main complex with my trusty computer Starlight — I come across gorgeous, sun-kissed beaches, towering monoliths, colourful characters, and a member’s obsession with Crimson Acid — the Island’s idol. In this world, I have also come across various trinkets from previous Sequences — indications of a more sinister, mysterious past.
Hack, talk, and walk your way into a mystery that promises not just the perks of its quirky setting, but also gorgeous 3D environments reminiscent of The Witness if it were lit up with a thousand neon lights.
Lydia Day Break — my favourite, is the Island’s Ferry(wo)man — a Charon with a DeLorean. Despite being your mode of fast travel in the game, Lydia also draws in her spare time, and is a suspect on your list. Being the protagonists’ best friend, you’d look in the least obvious places, right?
Your main task is to find the killer, and present evidence to the Judge — an impartial entity fused into the Island itself. However you interpret it, whenever you interpret it — Paradise Killer puts you in the hot seat, as you use open-world exploration and uncover the many secrets that the 24th Sequence has to offer.
Be careful though. Not all secrets want to be found.
Paradise Killer is out on PC and Nintendo Switch. You can also learn more about the game and the studio at their website and Twitter.
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