Paradise: Deluxe Edition is the latest “grief” game coming to Nintendo Switch. For some reason, these types of games have been flooded in recent years. Paradise doesn’t reveal this early on, instead painting a cryptic yet optimistic picture. A “heartwarming” story? It’s like a gut-wrenching tale.
It is a composite title that is difficult to identify the genre. It looks like an RPG (made with RPG Maker), but it’s very text-heavy and plays like a visual novel for a long time. Add in the puzzles and you could say that Rakuen is an indeterminate genre, unless the aforementioned “sorrow” feature is important.
You control different characters throughout the game, but the protagonist is an unnamed hospitalized boy. Joining him is his mother, who is reading his favorite picture book, the famous Paradise. The game blurs the line between a hospital setting and a fantasy world set within the pages of a book. It reminds me of Calvin & Hobbes.
You will meet characters in the hospital ward and fantasy characters in the forest. Some are underdeveloped (or forgotten), but these are generally well written and I feel like I got to know my neighbors. It was rewarding because I could feel their personality and problems in real life, and it seemed like they were helping me.
The next two paragraphs contain minor spoilers, so skip them if you’ve never played the game (it was first released six years ago) and want to be completely amazed. Most of the “grief” games I’m familiar with are balanced. It might just deal with one or two characters, add some subtle humor, and offer some better case scenarios. In the case of paradise, the sad consequences are usually one after another, lined up like falling dominoes. I felt like I didn’t have time to register my disappointment before another disappointment appeared.
Above all, he was dishonestly drawing hope until the end. But by that point, we saw the final scene a few miles away. . It was disappointing to see such a polished, well-made title make everything miserable.
Some people have prejudices against the RPG Maker engine, but visually Rakuen does it well. The hospital’s sober interior contrasts beautifully with the colorful forest. Character portraits depict a range of emotions and support a vast amount of story text. Lots of fine details and touches add up. This looks like a classic SNES title, and that’s a good thing.
Musically, there are quite a few mixed tracks, which makes sense given the two different game locales. The songs evoke a range of emotions, and the variety keeps moving even in the most text-heavy or backtrack-heavy sessions. Various vocal tracks.
My gaming acumen recognizes Rakuen: Deluxe Edition as a quality release that checks most of the right boxes. At the same time, it’s a title I never want to play again and long to forget. The way people grieve differs from person to person, but many people will merge with this finished product. But I keep saying it’s a good game that’s not for me. It’s too bitter, not sweet enough to offset it.
