Finding Paradise Review (zZz)
Finding Paradise is a linear, story-centric interactive RPG from the To the Moon franchise. It directly follows the story of To the Moon (plus its DLC) and A Bird Story, and precedes Impostor Factory. Overall, I highly recommend it due to its fantastic cast who is fun to be around and spend time with, its great writing and jokes, its gripping story with unseen twists, the very interesting premise that forms the core of the franchise's worldbuilding, and its absolutely amazing soundtrack.
Achievement Hunters
The game has a single achievement which is acquired when you beat the game. A normal playthrough takes around 5-6 hours depending on how much you explore the world to try and find extra conversations between the characters but, as of the writing of this review, the world record time for a speedrun of the game is 2:26:04 so you can finish it much faster if you're just in it for the achievement.
Full Review
The gameplay is fully linear while the interactive elements have a minimal amount of interaction but these suit the game just fine since the gameplay acts as an accompaniment to the story (which is the true crux of the game). The interactive elements involve walking from point to point, exploring restricted areas in order to find and collect objects required to progress, solving a number of "match 3" puzzles which have some unique twists to them, a few other unique mini-games, and optionally exploring the more open areas to find extra conversations between the characters. However, I do have two gripes with the gameplay: the characters walk around very slowly and it would be nice if they walked a little faster to shorten the travelling aspect since it doesn't add much to the game, and you are limited to three save slots which is very little in this day and age.
The graphics are very pleasing pixel art reminiscent of the later 16-bit era of games (Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean, etc). The sprites are very well animated and the character expressions are quite clear which both really add to the emotion of the game.
The music is comprised of a number of atmospheric songs, which are used more often and suit the mood of the scene that they accompany quite well, and a few beautiful piano pieces which are used for the more pivotal moments in the game. In both cases, the music is fantastic and is a joy to listen to even on its own. The credits song is also a pleasant change of pace with its inclusion of vocals.
The story is the true heart of the game and I found myself captivated by what was going to happen next at every point in the game. The post-credits scene took this a step further by making me very curious about what will happen next in the series and the world as a whole. The gripping story is supported by its very likeable and relatable cast of characters, the amazing jokes and puns (especially the funny phrases that are sometimes used in place of swearing), and the enjoyable light-hearted interactions between the characters who have been developed very well over the course of the franchise so far.
Overall, I highly recommend this game. In fact, I began to clap when the credits appeared and I'm extremely excited to play Impostor Factory so that I can see what else happens in this world. I have high hopes for this franchise and will continue to support it for as long as the developers keep putting out quality content, and I hope you do the same as this is definitely a developer worth supporting.