GameTech: Check out Paradise Killer for a heavenly adventure on a mysterious island
Paradise Killer: barging into the presence of God(s)
What does paradise mean to you? For some people, heaven is a great game – one that takes you to another place completely. One such game is Paradise Killer, one of the best games of late 2020, but which many people haven’t heard about.
Imagine that you were abducted by a god and taken to an island, resembling a tiny resort island, like a miniature Lanzarote. This island is simply known as Island 24, and it is home to a group known as the Syndicate. The Syndicate are a bit like gods themselves, but lower down the power scale. Their job is to reincarnate their masters, the Old Gods, by abducting people from the ‘real world’ who can worship the gods and fuel their return.
The Syndicate haven’t quite gotten the formula right, however. They have tried 24 times and failed, and each time they fail, they must kill of the ‘ citizens’, make a new island and abduct new citizens to worship the Old Gods. In addition, after eons of drama, their own politics have started to get in the way of success.
Paradise Killer opens with the murder of the Syndicate council, just as the ‘perfect’ Island 25 has been launched and Island 24 is about to be destroyed. The death of the council throws the future into chaos. Who killed the council, and why?
That’s where you come in. Playing as Lady Love Dies, an exiled member of the Syndicate who specialises in investigations, you must explore Island 24 and unravel the mystery of what happened. To do so, both the cast of characters and the island itself become puzzle pieces, like a giant jigsaw, which the player is left free to piece together.
Paradise Killer is a truly exceptional game, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the story and world is nothing short of tremendous. We would gladly read a novel, watch a TV series, or enjoy a film set in this universe – a rare claim for video games. More importantly, however, Paradise Killer understands video games even more than storytelling. This is not an interactive novel or walking simulator – it is a fascinating first-person open world that requires platforming skills, currency collection, and player power to succeed. It knows you love moving around in games, and rewards you for it.
Paradise Killer has nothing like the depth or size of an Elder Scrolls game, but the way you explore the world is reminiscent of that autonomy, complete with day and night cycles. However, instead of completing quests, you are gathering information, by way of exploration, conversation, and purchasing power, to come to your own conclusions. The game brilliantly categorises your gathered information for each suspect, only adding to the data as you find it, and the choice is yours as to when the trial eventually begins. The more you explore and uncover, the more likely you will find the truth.
Most of all, however, Paradise Killer is just a fascinating place to visit. Island 24 is soothing and terrifying in equal measure, a dark beach resort of the gods, set to fantastic electronic music and populated by the weirdest deities this side of the Silent Goat. Pure Heaven.
A great game can be heaven, but first a game has to get made. Sometimes, a project can get stuck in the opposite of heaven – development hell. Fears were starting to grow that Elden Ring, one of 2021’s most promising titles, was going to be cancelled. First announced at E3 2019, nearly two years ago, Elden Ring is a collaboration between From Software, creators of the legendary Dark Souls series, and George RR Martin, writer of the Game of Thrones books.
Since its announcement, nothing was heard about the game. No trailers. No screenshots. No major updates of any kind, leading gamers to worry that it would never release. However, this week, a trailer was leaked online, showing gameplay footage. Although the footage is from a year-old build of the game, it was more than enough to send fans into raptures. From what was shown, Elden Ring looks like a brighter, open-world Souls style game, with horseback combat, large landscapes to explore and – naturally – dragons. Expect the full trailer to officially release soon, so we can all get a glimpse of what’s to come.
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