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Old School Done (mostly) Right

  • kumada
  • 11/24/2011 10:30 PM
  • 1742 views
The ending is kind of a flop. I'm just going to right out and say that, because that's the critique I have to offer. Everything else is good.

For fans of mechanically crunchy, grind-everything-in-sight gameplay, Paradise Blue has something to offer. A couple of the optional bosses are extraordinarily hard, and the game gives you a hearty pat on the back for beating them. Moreover, there are no random encounters. Monsters are blipped from existence after you beat them, which adds to the feeling of accomplishment as you slowly depopulate the island of all wildlife.

Completionists will also find something here, since the log of possible sidequests is nothing short of sprawling. The main quest is short by comparison, but still the length of a quick game.

For a retro game, the plot is surprisingly robust. It doesn't fully explain itself until a (superfluous) cut scene near the end, but it has a lot of good ideas packed in, and the world took me completely by surprise in how richly developed it was.

The only thing that you need to know going into this game is that it never quite gets epic. There's plenty of talk about native religions and world serpents and a few allusions to the apocalypse, but none of it ever goes anywhere. The plot doesn't twist. It just dumps you right at the end, and then you go for a walk.

Paradise Blue is great, but most of its meat is in the middle of the game.

Posts

Pages: 1
Ocean
Resident foodmonster
11991
Sounds like a short but useful review! I do agree with you actually, I think I could have done a better job of tying up the plot points and expanding on the characters a bit for the ending instead of how I did it. I half wanted to make an expansion or sequel to PB just to fix up those issues but my projects have me a bit busy lately. Still something I do want to keep in mind.

Either way, I'm glad you had fun with it! I will take this into account and thanks again for the review! :D
author=Ocean
Sounds like a short but useful review! I do agree with you actually, I think I could have done a better job of tying up the plot points and expanding on the characters a bit for the ending instead of how I did it. I half wanted to make an expansion or sequel to PB just to fix up those issues but my projects have me a bit busy lately. Still something I do want to keep in mind.

Either way, I'm glad you had fun with it! I will take this into account and thanks again for the review! :D


When you have free time, PLEASE make a sequel. I would love to help too!
Pages: 1