Where to start with a game like Paradise Killer? An open world detective game soaked in a vat of Vaporware set on an island paradise made for the Gods. Paradise Killer defies explanation, but I’m going to try! Days after I finally finished this game I’m still thinking about going back in.

Paradise Killer is about an island paradise that has been made for worship and attempt to resurrect dead alien Gods, the project is run by the Syndicate council. Beings responsible for the island are striving for perfection, yet the citizens and island become corrupted by demonic forces. When this happens the Syndicate clean house and reboot the island, each time theoretically getting closer to achieving their goal. The 25th version of the island is meant to be the one, the “Perfect 25”, the perfect paradise, only someone has murdered the council. Well it’s assumed they were murdered, no one can actually get to the crime scene to find out. Bring in Lady Love Dies, a former investigator or ‘investigation freak’ before she was exiled seemingly forever. Can she help bring justice to the island, which isn’t so easy when the suspect has a belly full of the Council members’ blood. The truth and the facts may not be the same thing as you have to uncover the conspiracy that casts a dark shadow over the dying island. Armed with your laptop computer Starlight to help with information and analysis, you’re more than equipped to hack into the Nightmare computers and file away all the important information. Not entirely sure what any of that means? I’m still not 100% sure I get it all either, but it’s hell of a ride working it out.

One of the big hooks of Paradise Killer is that it is an open world detective game. As you investigate the island in first person view searching for clues and questioning the suspects, you can freely roam around. The island is very scenic in its final hours, a sun soaked location with vaporware tunes playing in the background. While the game regularly throws cryptic information about the history of the island cycles and the Council, you can kind of piece together the lore and what’s going on. The game gives you so much information, yet at the same time it never feels like it truly reveals what’s going on. In some cases this could be frustrating, but for Paradise Killer it works. It adds to the surreal events and characters. Over the hours you’ll be talking to and finding out all the dirt on the remaining members of the Syndicate. People including your best friend from before the exile, her living bright red skeleton husband, an idol with an animal head and the doctor with robot arms. Each and every character plays their part in this story, even the less interesting ones have their secrets to uncover.

Once you’re tasked to find out who killed the Council, you’re sent on your way and given complete freedom to uncover the truth. The game doesn’t tell you how you have to do it, there is no wrong way to approach the case. I’m pretty sure the idea is that you should go around talking to the suspects early on. Instead, I took the opportunity to look for clues and poked around the island far off from everyone. Initially I got a little anxious that I was playing the “wrong” way by scouring the island for clues and aimlessly wandering around. Eventually I got around to talking to the suspects. Despite being the first conversation, I found I already had ample evidence to grill them on. Then it began sinking in, ‘I can really do this investigation however I want’, and that’s exactly what I did. One of the most freeing parts of this game is it is entirely up to you. You can interrogate, hang out, investigate, or just roam around at your own pace. The game doesn’t punish you for taking your time or talking to people in the wrong order. Hell, you could wrap up the investigation and take it to the judge without even meeting all of the characters. It would be a shame to not try and turn over every stone and poke and prod every suspect for all its worth.

Your sidekick and laptop Starlight is always on hand to help parse out all of the evidence, alibis and confessions. They are helpful enough to keep all the data filed to the relevant person so you can easily keep track of each suspect. It was neat to see the section for unsorted information slowly empty as the investigation shed light on proceedings. Over the course of the game you’ll also find Nightmare computers that require hacking to access. This comes in the form of a not-too-puzzling mini game, you’re given a picture that you need to recreate using the options you have access too. Essentially you’re matching silhouettes to images, nothing challenging, but it still feels like you’re working for the access and information these computers hold.

The open world is lovely to explore. Over the 15 hours I wrung out of the game I became very familiar with each location. Not all of the areas are super exciting, but it was still enjoyable to try and find every secret (literal and collectable) hidden away. The absence of life and the large foreboding statues adds a strange tension to the island. Everytime I pull at a thread, just maybe the whole mystery will unravel and reveal what is going on. You may not spend as long as I did playing this game, I began to push at the limits once I had exhausted every option, every findable piece of evidence and every conversation. The time I did spend on the island was time I really enjoyed. It was easy to like Paradise Killer’s island setting, the visuals feel like I’m reliving the 80s-90s vibrant neon aesthetic. I wasn’t that familiar with Vaporwave, but putting in a little research it’s clear to see that developers Kaizen Game Works captured it well. The music also reflects this style, with jazz, lounge music and other music of the time. It’s almost a shame that you have to unlock additional music tracks around the island to be able to enjoy it all, but I never grew tired of it. In fact, as I wrote this review I couldn’t help but put on the soundtrack.

Your time won’t be spent just hunting for evidence or talking to suspects and just wandering around in between. To use (and unlock) the fast travel points you require blood crystals. Blood crystals are the currency of the island for vending machines, you can even purchase secrets. Initially I was really frugal with my blood crystals, they are a finite resource and I didn’t want to wind up not being able to purchase something important. With my constant exploring between locations I had no issue keeping a steady supply of crystals to purchase anything I wanted to. I didn’t really use the fast travel until later, when I had a better idea of how limited the crystals are. You have to pay up to unlock the fast travel points. It will frustrate some, there are moments where you don’t want to run all the way back to the other side of the island to ask one question and then head all the way back.

Keeping in the spirit of the open-ended nature of the game, there is no real guidance. You might get the odd call from one of the suspects, but you can do what you want. I relished this the majority of the time, the more I discovered I did find some occasions where I could have used a hint or two. This mostly applies to unlockable abilities being hidden away in activating foot baths, the abilities are invaluable to some otherwise impossible to reach areas and make getting around more enjoyable.

Once I had spoken to everyone as much as possible and thoroughly checked out every area, it was time to take my case to the Judge. After all these hours piecing together what happened I had no idea what to actually expect. How do I present my case? Could I convict the wrong person? It wasn’t as daunting as it seemed, you’ve spent all those hours gathering evidence, testimonies and alibis. It’s satisfying to be able to present everything you’ve discovered, working out that just because you have certain evidence doesn’t mean you have to present it. The truth isn’t as clear cut as you’d hope, it’s still possible to unintentionally implicate people.

Following through with the freedom afforded to you for the rest of the game, it is the same with how it resolves. I realised I may not have gotten the best outcome once I discovered how the trial system worked. The game doesn’t punish you for who you accuse either, every decision is one you have some degree of control over. Knowing what I could’ve done better, I’m still thinking of jumping back into paradise. At the same time I still feel alright about the outcome, it has definitely given me something to think about. I will still go back to the trial and see how I can use the same evidence to produce different outcomes and what it uncovers.

Paradise Killer caught me completely unawares this year. I never expected to get so caught up in the surreal world of the Syndicate. If you enjoy adventure games, visual novels and the Ace Attorney/Phoenix Wright series, and with a freedom usually unseen in those genres. The open nature of the game can sometimes hide useful upgrades, and paying to fast travel is unnecessary when the island currency is finite. I still loved every minute I spent in this vaporware-soaked mind trip, it has raised the bar for detective games. While I would love to spend more time on the islands, interacting with the characters and experiencing more of the world, I am looking forward to what comes next from Kaizen Game Works. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to put on the soundtrack again and think about the trial.