Paradise Lost

Apparently there is a run function button (Shift on keyboard / LT on 360 Controller). This is indicated in the ingame input settings but not anywhere else. Although not increasing the speed very much, it is in fact a little bit faster than just walking

Frankly, I enjoyed Paradise Lost. A valid criticism is that there isn't really a lot of 'active' gameplay to speak of. The riddles - traditionally the bread and butter of an adventure game - are quite trivial and always straightforward. The exploration of the world is rather limited as well, as most of the levels are perfectly linear, too. And still... it is not a bad game. The story is intruiging, the characters are actually interesting and the main attraction is how well done the environment is. The areas are actually quite varied while still remaining quite seamless. There is a great attention to detail to those who want to look at them, and anyone who does a second playthrough might notice that depending on what details you uncovered (or decided to just pass by) the dialogue lines will change to reflect this. In conclusion the main flaw is that Paradise Lost just came a few years after 'walking simulator' adventures were really popular; I hope that the team behind it will do further games in the future.

Good - Story - Visuals - Audio Bad - Character Movement - A story twist that can be seen some miles away I'm not sure if you can call this a "Game". It's more like an interactive (and very slowly paced) movie. If you accept this premise (Interactive Movie) you will find an interesting story with some very controversial topics. It helps if you are not only fluent in english but in german as well, as you will encounter a lot in this movie which is not translated. This is not necessary for completion in any way, but helps as far as immersion into the story/movie. I think knowing the polish language would be helpful in that regard as well. The visuals are lovingly handcrafted and with a lot attention to detail. The audio is imho fitting and adds to the experience. The MAJOR bad thing (and single point which prevents me from a 2nd playthrough) is the excruciating SLOW MOVEMENT! I'm certain if that would be sped up, the overall experience would be that much better. *** SPOILERS *** If you haven't played, don't read on - you have been warned. Some interesting things I noticed. First of, I think its a polish kid (not russian) and so are the voice actors. When the game starts you see a book written by John Milton. This is the author of Paradise Lost. This topic - Grief/Losing Someone - is woven into the movie. The Chapter Names are the 5 steps for dealing with loss (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance). And those five steps can be found on multiple levels. The boy Szymon goes through them, you as the player go through them (the chapters), Ewa goes through them and the concept of each step can resonates in the audio messages and letters you read on the way. This is the overall theme, aside from that the movie has some controversial topics like Human-Machine Integration/Interaktion which in and of itself would be enough food for a philosophical discussion.

When it comes to reviews, usually I would have a lot to say but by the time I finished Paradise Lost (roughly 3.5 hours); there isn't much to say The game is a Walking Simulator. If you don't enjoy them, this will do nothing to change that. I personally enjoy my linear experiences that give you a decent story to kill time. This story however moves at such a snails pace and is so predictable within the first hour that you just keep waiting for a twist that seemingly never comes. It's not bad, but not good either. The store page does a good job at laying down the basis of the story and because I'm limited with how many characters I can use in my review, I'll just let the store page do the talking in regards to the overall synopsis. The game is is stunning visually and really brings this Alt-History WW2 yet somehow 1960s vibe to life. Every area really drew me in. The layout of each chapter however really took me out of the experience at times. Make sure you search thoroughly because being able to backtrack is hit or miss. I missed a few rooms as I explored not knowing I'd be cut off when I went into certain areas. It's awful knowing that you missed some lore that you can't get back unless you start a brand new game. Also be certain with your choices because this is a game that sets up multiple endings (minor differences) and you can't simply just reload and see other results. You'll have to playthrough all over again. The UI is also so amateur looking compared to the high quality assets. There are numerous bugs. Animation glitches and one that made me gradually float higher and higher until I quit and continued are the worst of them. In an immersive game like this; it can be a real mood killer. (Note that this is done on the release version and these could be patched out by the time you read this). Overall, the game is a nice visual experience with a mediocre story to go alongside it. It's worth looking into but it's definitely not one to rush out and experience.

1 star review for a very simple reason. I played for an hour or so earlier, and the game ran fine. Checkpoints etc. saved as expected. Came back to it later to find the "continue" button doesn't work. You can click it all you want but I can't load my saved game. Since I don't want to risk losing my progress again, I don't really feel like I want to restart the game. This is made worse by the dreadfully slow movement speed in the game too. Backtracking areas I've already been through will take ages just because the game is SO SLOW. Having a run option would make it so much more playable. I like walking simulators for the most part, but the movement speed here really is a major issue. A shame. I was looking forward to playing it.