About the reviewer:
I’m playing or have played close to 300 games many of which have completed. I generally don’t play games early in their development but I watch for new games and if their reviews are compelling from players whose opinion’s I respect I will play them early. Even if I don’t use a walkthrough, I’ll often skim it to get a better sense of the structure of the game to determine it I think I’ll enjoy playing it.
The Review: Lucky Paradox
Version: 0.7
Time played: 30-40 hours over the various releases
Current progress: Playing Day 145 at the moment
Mods: None
Cheats used: None
Walkthrough(s) used: None
Bugginess: - Clean game no exceptions encountered very smooth play
Observations:
There are a large number of girls who you can pursue. Stats matter and there is a bit of a grind, however you’d be hard pressed to find someone as averse to grind as I am and somehow it blends well enough into the story that it isn’t objectionable.
I generally hate sandboxes, pretty much with a passion, to the point that, of the hundreds here I only play four. Lucky Paradox is one. Sandboxes are very difficult to do well. This is one of the exceptions. The hint system, which in most sandboxes is a joke, is extremely well designed. The interface allows you to check on the next step for any LI, and more importantly tells you when you’ve reached the end of their content.
Flaws:
The flaws mentioned here are relatively minor but do have an annoyance factor.
Like all sandboxes of this type, you have the eternal tradeoff between conflicting time slots to interact with various girls. As great as this game is, that still grates on me. I also find the continual pursuit of appeal somewhat annoying.
Money early in the game can be a drag, but eventually it becomes a non-problem.
Summary:
The only time I even bother to consider playing a sandbox is when the reviews and support are overwhelmingly excellent. I drop them at the first problem navigating the UI or the game.
This is a fantastic game. Excellent in every aspect. Solid plotting and writing, cute girls with differing personalities, and a bit of mystery to work through.
Even if you despise sandboxes as I do, this one is well worth your time to play.