Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you, ‘Paradise Killer’. Now, this is not a new game, but it was the first time for me, and damn is it good. Sorry, let me regain my composure, but for their first game, Kaisen Game Works has done a stellar job. Even more excitingly, especially for me, is that this is a murder mystery game. I love these types of games. What is even better is that it’s an open-world, murder mystery game. Double win. No longer do you follow a linear path; you choose who to investigate, what lead you want to follow, or hell just run around and collect every clue and relic you can find. There is plenty to explore.

The story, oh boy, this story at its core is quite simple but if you sink your teeth into it, there is so much going on and so much plot to absorb. Without spoilers, you start in a pocket dimension where an immortal alien group known as the ‘Syndicate’ have been trying to create the perfect world. As they are about to wipe out their 24th world to start their 25th however, the council of the Syndicate are murdered, halting the transition. This is where you come in.

You play as the stunning syndicate detective, Lady Love Dies, banished for the past 3,000,000 days to a life of solitude after an unfortunate incident. You are called upon once more to solve this mystery as the neutral syndicate judge has reason to believe that someone among the syndicate ranks is the murderer. Currently, a citizen who is possessed by a demon is being held as all evidence points to him being the culprit, however, they are not the detective you are.

Your job is to search the island for clues, speak with the syndicate members and uncover who is responsible for the death of the council members. This is where it gets fun. You have total control of who you speak to and will have optional choices of dialogue to either press your suspect or try and coerce them to spill info by appealing to them. Moving around the island is fairly simple as you unlock fast travel points these also double as save points as it does not auto save, a good thing to remember. You will eventually unlock new abilities like double jumping, mid-air dashing, and the ability to see where all of the clues, relics, and blood crystals. Now to get these very useful abilities I think I will keep secret, but if you see a nice place to relax maybe dangle your feet in some warm water, I suggest you do it.

Nothing in this world is free, everything has its price, and the only form of currency is the blood crystals that you need for everything. Unlocking the fast travel points, getting information, getting new abilities, hell buying a soda will cost ya. Start collecting, the more you have the easier it’ll be, but do not worry because they are everywhere.

Now along with the main murder mystery, there are also little side mysteries to solve. Make sure you do them; if you see a little ghostly apparition talk to it, and help it, trust me. The most important mechanic of the game is your little robot helper who will store all of your clues, keep track of what leads you currently have, and pretty much every other piece of information you come across. As you upgrade it you can then use it to unlock doors and safes to reach new places and uncover more clues.

The true beauty of this game how it ends is 100% your decision based purely on your perspective which could be completely opposite to everyone else, and you wouldn’t be wrong. The outcome and the consequences are yours and yours alone.

The stylisation of this game is unique, the best way I can describe it is sort of like ‘Danganronpa’ meets ‘Ace Attorney’ crossed with ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures’. There are a lot of Japanese inspirations in this which does not surprise me, I mean it’s Kaisen Game Works, but it is pretty stunning. You can get lost for hours in this very pretty game, I know I did. The music in this game could have its own review, I mean it can be groovy, or have a Japanese, city pop to some sort of synth new-wave sound; it is hard to fully describe. Not going to lie though, I loved every second of it and among the thousands of other things to collect more music is one of them as you will locate new tracks to jam to.

This game exceeded any expectations. The only downside I came across was the grind, and your grind will be tested as you find more clues, the harder it is to uncover more, the fewer people will talk and it will begin to drag on. There is a simple cure though, go to court with what you have and make whatever decision you deem correct. Then start again and maybe collect evidence in a new order, perhaps don’t talk to anyone until certain evidence is found or cruise around. You may even see a different angle to your first or second or third attempt. The possibilities are endless. If you haven’t played this game, play it; the sheer size of the game and its replayability is amazing and it’s only 2.43GB, and that’s nothing compared to most games these days and it is just as entertaining.

Written by: Adam Brasher