HomeFeaturesParadise Killer
Paradise Killer’s OST is the sound of the summerTheir first album was way better than their first album
Their first album was way better than their first album
Image credit:Fellow Traveller/Leoful
Image credit:Fellow Traveller/Leoful
My word, doesParadise Killerooze style. As “investigation freak” Lady Love Dies, you’re thrust into an open-world murder mystery on a tropical island. And not just any island, but one dipped in a radioactive vat of vaporwave punch. This isn’t a gaudy Hawaii after a few bevvies, though, oh no - this is a colourful, crisp Hawaii best served with headphones. Or even better, a subwoofer so expansive it could double as a desk, because I cannot not stop listening to the soundtrack.
Up front, it is a weird game. Amidst the palm trees ofParadise Killerstands a large, purple statue in reverence to Silent Goat, a cosmic god. In my inventory lies a book about an ex-gangster who became a master of grilled chicken skewers. A vending machine begs me to buy a drink, then calls me after I’d paid for it in Blood Crystals.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on YouTube
I think an important part of Paradise Killer’s charm is that, despite what you just read, it isn’t trying too hard. Much like vaporwave’s mishmash of 3D-rendered busts, Japanese characters and neon sunsets somehow all compliment each other, the game’s chaotic additions to the sub-genre still work when perhaps, individually, the elements seem totally opposed. And coursing through the game is a sublime soundtrack, a wall-to-wall list of bangers which rounds off the aesthetic beautifully.
Take the track Lady Blue for instance. It has this infectious, lazy beat which instantly whisks you away to sunny shores, and it’s underscored with these irresistible licks of bass. Then - then it builds. You get a tinkle of piano, an uplifting sax bit thrown in there, and before long it’s constructed a resort in your mind where you’re just jamming and nothing else matters.
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Epoch·Lady Blue
GO!GO!STYLE has a similar effect, but makes me more inclined to lash out with a horribly awkward leg kick and smash my telly, or spin on my heel and fall over in the kitchen. Once again it has a frankly illegal bassline, but it pulsates with energy, the bustle and electric of a Japanese arcade teeming with joy seekers.
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Epoch·GO!GO!STYLE
I think the secret to a special videogame soundtrack is in songs which can standalone, exist without their original context, and adapt to how the listener feels, or wants to feel. Whether that’s on a melancholy night walk through empty streets with busy bars, or as old friends dangle legs poolside.Undertale’s offerings are often in my rotation, alongside the likes ofPersona 5, and I know for a fact Paradise Killer is joining them.
Give it a listen, I think you’ll like it.
Paradise Killer is out now onSteam,GOGandHumblefor £15.50/€16.80/$20.
