Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost fails to take full advantage of its gripping premise and the haunting atmosphere of its setting.

Paradise Lost is an adventure game following the life of a twelve-year-old boy experiencing the aftermath of World War II in Nazi Germany. Is this experience one worth going on? Find out in this Rapid Review.

The main factor of Paradise Lost is walking. The term "walking simulator" is now an established term in the video game world. These are adventure games based on gradual exploration and observation with a minimum amount of action. Therefore, this aspect should work a treat. But the speed that little Szymon is able to develop is severely inadequate, and his only function is an incredible level of frustration. I've played many similarly styled games focused solely on wandering around the map, but the walking factor has never been this limited anywhere. It saddens me that such good potential is devastated by such a trivial yet important factor. Paradise Lost can be purchased on Steam for €12,49 - in my opinion the price is inadequate, the title is full of flaws and the only thing that can be highlighted is the graphic design with a well captured gloomy atmosphere.

Paradise Lost is a simple and short game, strengthened by a hauntingly beautiful environment, and weakened by its underdeveloped story. Despite the atrocious animation and movement speed, I enjoyed my time with the game. It would have benefited from a cleaner story, additional bug testing, and the trimming of some game mechanics, but it bodes well for the developers behind the game. Environmental design is crucial to walking simulators, and they clearly know how to create a fascinating environment. I look forward to playing their future games.

Paradise Lost offers a unique take on the after-effects of World War II, with its atmospheric journey proving intriguing throughout. I found it fascinating to explore the Nazi bunker and uncover its many secrets, whilst the moments of interactivity and choice-making made it easier to immerse myself in the walking simulator-style gameplay. It really looks the part too – who said derelict bunkers had to be ugly?! It does have a few misfires along the way thanks to the painfully slow walking speed, some frame rate drops, and the occasionally flat voice acting, but Paradise Lost’s gripping mystery ensure that it is certainly an adventure that’s worth embarking on.

Paradise Lost offers a captivating post-war setting but falls short in execution. Its intimate story is predictable, though the exploration of an alternate Warsaw remains engaging.

The pace of the game is slow, there isn’t a whole lot of depth to be found anywhere in Paradise Lost, and it’s not without its frame rate drops and bugs either. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly some diamonds to be found in the rough here, but they’re few and far between. What Paradise Lost does deliver on is a minimally interactive experience as more of a walking simulator than an alternate history first-player adventure game. And it does look and sound exactly as you’d expect if you were to find yourself as a 12-year-old boy, trapped in a desolate Nazi bunker. Overall there’s just a lot of potential left untapped and that’s really its biggest problem.

Paradise Lost is a slow-paced adventure where you have to watch and listen carefully most of the time instead of actually playing it. Whether that's good or bad depends on what you seek in a game.

Paradise Lost is a well-made adventure game with a well-thought-out world, where the theme of retro futurism is used to the last bit. The story suffers from a worse pace and optimization is not the best, but it is definitely a good and an interesting game.

Paradise Lost takes place in a compelling setting and has a lot of beautiful locations to explore. But sadly it never feels like more than a sightseeing tour at a painfully slow pace with a story you’ve probably seen before.