Paradise lost is an interesting walking simulator. I picked it up as a research for a design project I worked on. The brief of the project was high tech post apocalyptic tribalism aesthetic. And this game plot and setting fit quite well into that.

There is a fascination that I have with media and games that are envisioning the disturbing alternative history in which nazis would prevail. How much further could their war technology advance? What horrible crazy plan could they come up with next? Wolfesntein: The new order blew my mind in this regard because I never really taught about it that much. But while Wolfenstein envisions crazy robots and battlefields that sometimes can look like something straight from the Terminator movie, Paradise lost goes in other direction. While nazi high technology looks similar and could be straight from the Wolfenstein series, there is no action, no bullets flying around and nobody chases you. In fact there is just you, exploring the facilities as some kind of archeologist. Everything is intact, as everyone have just disappeared in a single moment, leaving all the lights on.

It is a serene experience that focuses purely on the exploration of alternative history where nazis would build a huge city underground where they could shelter and thrive. The magic lays in the uncovering of all the beautiful and horrendous details of the world that nazis built for themselves.

There is also a tribal part that I mentioned at the beginning. But I am not going to spoil you that. Uncover it yourself.