Paratopic

If you like horror games, Paratopic is a must play! I had no idea this existed which is super weird as I tend to keep a close eye on horror games, but for whatever reason, this one went completely under my radar. It was a friend who suggested it to me and when he warned me that it was pretty messed up, I knew that this was a game I simply had to play. It only lasts around an hour, but that same friend asked me if I saw a specific thing and I did not, so I certainly want to play through this again. I am going to keep this spoiler free as the less you know about this going in, the more of a trippy experience it is going to be for you.

A Story Of Three Parts

Paratopic is a horror game and the story is split into three different stories. One is about a guy hiking through the woods trying to get a picture of a rare bird. Another is about a hitman on his way to take out his target and the other is about the smuggling of some rather questionable VHS tapes. The storytelling here always has you on edge and trust me when I tell you that this is a game that keeps you on edge the whole time. It is not just a full-on blood and guts all over the place, jump scares every five minutes kind of horror. It is more of an unsettling under your skin.

Jump Cuts For The Win

One of the most unique aspects of Paratopic is the way that these three stories are presented. The game does not do the traditional thing where you play a specific bit as one protagonist and then it goes to the next or even allowing you to switch to the other characters whenever you want. The stories will change in the form of a jump cut, you can latterly be walking on the side of a high area and then BAM, you are in a car. There is no warning and it seems like there is no rhyme or reason for these jump cuts to happen. They are unsettling, but man are they so freaking cool, off the top of my head, I cannot think of another game that does something like this.

Putting It All Together

The gameplay of Paratopic is quite simple, you basically walk (or drive) through each section and do what you need to do. Chatting with people, figuring stuff out, and so on. The game only takes around an hour to playthrough, but as I said, you can see different things and there are these achievements for doing very specific things so that does lead to multiple replays if you want to. In all, I found the gameplay to be pretty damn solid and while it was the story and the general vibe of the game that kept me hooked and on edge, I do think it is easy to overlook just how well made and competent the game is.

Playing With Power

When I first saw the visuals of Paratopic, I will admit, they were a bit of a turn-off. I get the appeal of Super Nintendo and NES style visuals, but PlayStation and Nintendo 64 era games have not aged gracefully at all, there is just something about low poly games that are for the most part, really ugly these days. Anyway, this game really leads into that and what at first did nothing for me, really helped add to the creepy factor of the game. You see some pretty messed up stuff here, but if you are a horror fan like I am, I am certain that you will get a huge kick out of it. The sound design in this game is incredible by the way, the voice acting and just the sound in general are all done so very, very well.

Pros:

• Each of the three stories is twisted
• I loved the jump cuts between stories
• The game has a very unique and striking look
• The soundtrack, voice acting, and sound effects are all fantastic

Cons:

• Some parts may be a bit disturbing for others
• I get that the PS1 era look is not for everyone

Ah, don't we love a good walking simulator? There seems to be this explosive indie trend that games of this genre are super cool - to a point where they aren't actually games. You always get the feeling it's just an excuse to minimize development costs and churn out something easy to make a few bucks. There are plenty of 'games' like that out there. Surprisingly, Paratopic is not one of them.

This walking simulator stands out not because it has any genre-defining mechanics or elements. But its art style pays homage to Playstation 1 narrative-based games of the past. That alone has players' nostalgia racing to the surface and really fends off any idea that the game could potentially be a bore. Alas, we'll need to look under the engine to confirm whether this 'game' is good or not.

No, It's Not a Game

Walking simulators are just a pretty way of saying - "There is nothing interactive about this game apart from the occasional item collecting." Paratopic will have you take on the persona of three varying storylines that switch between each other in a non-linear fashion. The characters are nameless - but all have specific goals in mind. You'll follow a contract-killer preparing for a hit, an aspiring photographer exploring a forest - and a VHS tape smuggler. Giving away the story outcomes would defeat the purpose of playing it - so we'll focus on how this game stands out. Yes, all you'll do is just walk or drive around, interacting with some people or assets. You may feel confused by the sudden jumping into different scenes - but that can all be overlooked for the art style and sound design.

Paratopic tailors its experience to 1998 releases perfectly. Every detail is captured from the blocky texturing, low-poly modeling, and the motionless faces of characters. The sound design incorporates that fuzzy dialogue and poor mix that was so prominent in early cinematic gameplay. All these elements define what the game was made for, and it's hard to look past that. There's not much else offered to clock at only about an hour - but it does leave players impressed.

Written and Directed By...

Paratopic is not a game per se - it's more an interactive short film that feels like a retro take on a failed Quentin Tarantino script. We have to remember that it wasn't made for a playthrough - but for an experience. There are plenty of players that will hate that idea, where a game like this could have the potential to be more action-based.

Pros:

• Unique walking simulator in parallel to old school narrative games
• Perfectly captures the essence of a 20th-century game
• Sound design is phenomenal

Cons:

• Not really a game - minimal interactivity
• Incredibly short and will leave you wondering if it's worth the investment
• Certain scenes drag on a bit too long