Evil sloths and Glam Metal pugs? You have my attention.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a relative newcomer to the point-and-click adventure game genre. When I was younger, I almost exclusively played games such as Spyro the Dragon, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank on my family’s PlayStation 2. Because of this, I don’t have all that much nostalgia for many of the more highly-regarded point-and-click games such as The Secret of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle, even if I do still hold a level of respect for the titles.
While it may not be of a genre that I’m particularly acquainted with, my interest in quirky and offbeat humour led to me being somewhat intrigued by Paradigm; a bizarre and surreal-looking point-and-click adventure game by the Australian developer, Jacob Janerka.
Set in the post-apocalyptic Eastern European-inspired country of Krusz, Paradigm sets you in the role of the game’s titular protagonist; a mutant that was born as the result of a failure in DUPA Genetics’ — a company that specialises in biologically engineering prodigal children — growing process. While Paradign’s main aspiration is simply to become the world’s greatest electronic music artist, an unfortunate series of circumstances forces the protagonist to embark on a journey to become the world’s saviour.
Oh, and the game’s antagonist is an evil sloth. With that said, when you consider that the game also features beatboxing eggplants, as well as a pug that has formed a cult with a profound reverence for Glam Metal, the inclusion of an evil sloth doesn’t really seem all that out of place.
Well, it looks like it won’t be long now until Paradigm, which was Kickstarted back in 2014, will be on digital storefronts. According to a recent trailer that has been posted to the developer’s YouTube channel, Paradigm will be available on Steam and the Humble Store for both Windows and MacOS on April 5, with a Linux release occurring at a later (and unspecified) date.
When I checked out Paradigm at PAX Australia last year, I found myself utterly enamoured with the game’s art direction and its offbeat sense of humour. I can only hope that the finished product manages to remain just as engaging in the long-run.
