Paradigm

This was one of the better new point and click adventure games I've played in so long. I think in so many ways because it pays homage to all the classics, literally sometimes in little easter eggs in the games. Like a Grim Fandango tattoo. A seasoned adventure game player will find the puzzles pretty easy, and I actually feel like there are very few of them except on a couple longer streches of the game. They did a great job of world building, character building, that primarily drives the game in a puzzles abscense while still delivering an acceptable length. My negative would be having to right click to get my interactive options. That was annoying, but I didn't mind by the time I got inmersed the game. What a weird one.

Nice point and click game, funny and very well made. It's weird, even surreal at times. You can finish the game in just a few hours. Maybe expensive, but it's a fine game to add to your point-and-click library.

The brainchild of developer Jacob Janerka, Paradigm is a thoroughly fun adventure game. It will entertain you for a few hours with its weird tone, colorful visuals, cool puzzles, and its sexy protagonist who may or may not feel weirdly relatable. Taking place in a weird post-apocalyptic version of eastern Europe (or possibly regular eastern Europe), the game is nothing short of quirky when it comes to its atmosphere and worldbuilding: alcoholic mutant dogs, perverted AIs, cone-based superheroes... most things you see and interact with rank pretty high on the scale of insanity! Overall, lots of efforts were clearly put into Paradigm: the visuals are creative and detailed, and the soundtrack, sound design and voice acting are usually solid, making for a game that is refined, unique and fun in its aesthetics. Your mileage may vary on the humor: it's absurd, deadpan, and pretty dark at times - but never really feels mean-spirited or offensive. Even though some jokes fall flat or are already dated (the whole meta, fourth-wall busting aspect is very “mid-2010s”), it's hard not to giggle at some of the wackiest situations and lines here: you can tell Janerka had a great deal of fun writing it! I don't think the game has any big flaws, but it could have been improved: while its tone, visuals and story are certainly unique, gameplay-wise, Paradigm does not exactly break boundaries. It is a very standard point-and-click game which rarely feels experimental or original in the way it plays: you talk to people, find new items, use them on stuff, and you get to play a minigame from time to time. It is fun enough, and the low difficulty makes it a good choice for those unfamiliar with adventure games, but it's not particularly great. The writing remains the main selling point here. But hey, if you're looking for something in the spirit of computer games of old, or for an entry point to the genre, Paradigm is a good pick. It's well-crafted, funny, imaginative and even memorable!

The journey Paradigm takes you on is an extremely self-aware, tongue-in-cheek experience that hits all the marks which make an adventure game fun. You can tell this was a passion project & used as a kind of carte blanche by game designer Jacob Janerka to integrate lots of distinct creative concepts. It's weird and absurd, consistently witty & clever, and has an appealing modern retro visual aesthetic. Quirky, unique mechanics and minigames are stuffed in everywhere. Just when you think you've seen it all - you haven't. The sound design & music are super on point as well. If you try every single action for every single thing you can interact with, it becomes clear how much depth of content there is & how much effort went into this game. The writing & voice acting goes beyond expectation. Maybe you won't laugh at every single joke like you're some sort of malfunctioning sitcom laugh track, but everything does have a cohesive sense of humor. Some of it is of the dry, subtle type where you if you think you were supposed to obnoxiously LOL, the real joke probably flew over your head. However there are definitely some laugh out loud moments, and many more chuckle-worthy turns. Sometimes it is just silly for the sake of being silly, and nothing more. This isn't the right type of comedy for literally everyone, but those who get it will certainly be amused throughout the trip and not get butthurt if they aren't ROFLing constantly. 100% recommended for fans of OG point & clickers. Think Day of the Tentacle (which is explicitly referenced here) or Sam & Max. This game will probably be too playful, too subtle, too artsy, and too meta for people who take themselves really seriously or need a non-stop barrage of violent action or fancy 3d graphics to keep them engaged. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing what Janerka comes up with next. (Owned on Epic)

Humorous and challenging. Good inventory based strategy. Probably 4-6 hours of playtime.