- Publisher: Fellow Traveller
- Release Date: Sep 4, 2020
- Also On: Switch
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Nov 16, 2020An investigative adventure that actually makes you feel like a detective, Paradise Killer blends surreal world-building, vibrant art, clever writing, and rock-solid open-world gameplay to create an experience you won’t soon forget.
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Oct 29, 2020This is by far one of the most creative, most satisfying, and most appealing games I’ve played all year, firmly sitting at the top of my GOTY 2020 list.
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Oct 13, 2020Paradise Killer offers the complexity and freedom we expect from a detective adventure.
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Oct 9, 2020Few games can offer something quite as weirdly creative as Paradise Killer. Exploring the island, talking with the suspects, piecing the mystery together, and holding the final trial is a thoroughly enjoyable ride in this open world crime mystery.
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Oct 8, 2020An extremely distinct investigation game with the rare confidence to let you actually be a detective, and a fun groove to boot.
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Oct 4, 2020There’s nothing so gauche or straightforward as a Miss Marple denouement reveal, where you discover whether or not your conclusions were correct. In Paradise Killer the truth is more complicated and, counterintuitively, all the more satisfying for it.
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Oct 2, 2020Paradise Killer is a pure, unguided detective mystery that doesn't dare hold your hand. You, and you alone, are in charge of seeking out not only the truth of this locked room murder, but the truth of the wild and cosmically corrupt world that the game takes place in. The open ended nature of the investigation can be daunting at first, and while some clunky platforming and frequent periods of downtime can sour the experience just a bit, Paradise Killer still manages to be one of the most well put together and utterly satisfying mystery games I've ever experienced.
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Sep 25, 2020Paradise Killer marries a beautifully repulsive world with a gratifyingly open-ended approach to detective work, but its real achievement is in how it ties everything you’ve learned together. After a whole game of learning the story, you’re suddenly the one writing the ending. The most important person a detective needs to prove a case to is themselves, to give them the confidence to pass those details along. Paradise Killer treats you in much the same way. By the end of its 15 hours, the only person you really need to convince is yourself: Is that the ending you want to see? OK, prove it.
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Sep 21, 2020I'm going to go so far as to say that Paradise Killer is a masterpiece. This isn't to say it's perfect. The music is top-tier, the mystery is deep and twisted, the world is exciting and interesting to explore with some lovely visuals. The characters are all well designed and compelling. What's not to like?
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Sep 18, 2020For a good while this is a quite motivating, in terms of storytelling quite tense thriller - with a rather disappointing ending.
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Sep 11, 2020Paradise Killer is a singular, exemplary experience. It's a detective game that feels like real detective work in a way few games do, and it makes its extremely complex worldbuilding feel effortless. I put off the final trial for as long as I can not only because I wanted all the evidence I could find, but because I did not want to leave the island or the game. Paradise might have been killed, but when you're deep into untangling the game's conspiracies, it feels very much alive.
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Sep 10, 2020Paradise Killer is an exceptionally enjoyable piece of entertainment. I loved the world and characters and I loved solving the mystery. Anyone who enjoys piecing things together and carefully combing over a digital world for goodies will likely be elated by what's on offer.
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Sep 8, 2020Paradise Killer's non-linear focus, cast of intriguing characters, deep investigation mechanics, and vaporwave presentation make it one of the best whodunnits in recent memory.
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Sep 3, 2020An incredible world of demons, mystery, and vaporwave, Paradise Killer sets new standards for the detective genre.
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Sep 3, 2020A bright and breezy game that unfortunately drags a little at points, Paradise Killer is nevertheless an enjoyable jaunt that does something a little different with a genre that has a reputation for being somewhat dour. Absolutely worth your time – just be prepared to dedicate a little more of it than you might expect in the early stages.
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Sep 3, 2020There are very few murder mystery games that give you as much agency as Paradise Killer does. Although it takes a little while to get into the swing of things, when you’re deep in your investigation, coming across key pieces of evidence or catching your suspects out in a lie, you feel unstoppable. And having the power to make an accusation, right or wrong, is a very nice touch too. I’d like to see the same gameplay replicated in an experience more grounded in reality, but once you get used to the fact you’re living amongst gods and immortal beings, it’s hard not to love Paradise Killer exactly how it is.
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| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Sep 9, 2020A stylish, dreamily wrought open-world detective adventure that dances masterfully on the edge of cosmic nightmare. [Eurogamer Recommended]
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Sep 9, 2020But Paradise Killer also backs the style with substance. The Syndicate’s lifestyle is supported by the mass abduction and eventual murder of normal people from our reality, who become a kind of cattle class. They’re banned from doing basically anything, placated by soft drink mascots, and give their literal blood to a cause they never benefit from.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 14
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Mixed: 0 out of 14
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Negative: 3 out of 14
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Dec 2, 2020
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Sep 29, 2020
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Jan 4, 2021