Recent reviews by JiiKoo

For anyone expecting a second To the Moon, you'll probably be disappointed as this game isn't that. It is, however, well worth your time and money if you enjoyed the first game.

The story is enjoyable, though some parts of it are predictable if you are paying attention. The idea of travelling through someone's memories and seeing parts of their life through their eyes is something I love, and it is executed well. The music is quality, but I didn't find it particularly memorable. Graphics and animations do their job, and there are some fairly nice little details in there that I enjoyed. The minigame for "preparing" mementos was unobtrusive and fairly simple. In a way I would have preferred having to work more for completing the puzzles, but I also appreciate the fact that this isn't a puzzle game and more difficult puzzles could feel out of place and push people away.

While this game is a stand-alone experience, it does reference the previous installments, especially in its frame story, and this additional context might enhance your experience. As such, I would recommend playing To the Moon and the minisodes before Finding Paradise. I haven't played A Bird Story myself, but I'd assume going through it wouldn't hurt, either. Having said that, I can't help but wonder if playing Finding Paradise before playing To the Moon would make this game stand out more.

Now then, the reasons for saying this game isn't a second To the Moon are fairly simple. However, they all come down to Finding Paradise not having as much of an impact on me.

• At least for me, the first game came more or less out of nowhere. I had no idea what to expect, and what it delivered hit much harder because of that. Finding Paradise was in a much less favourable position having to follow up after To the Moon's success. I already knew what I could possibly expect, and thus the impact was lessened.
  
• At least in part thanks to the previous point, Finding Paradise's emotional highs were not as great as To the Moon's. The predictability of a key story point also contributed to this; the characters were shocked by a revelation a good bit after I'd figured it out. It is also really difficult to compete with what To the Moon did.
  
• There isn't a piece of music that has the same effect as what a key piece in To the Moon had. That song still evokes memories and emotions.

Finding Paradise may not be To the Moon, but it shouldn't have to be.

What follows contains spoilers for both games, and is there simply to provide a bit more context and comparison between the two.
The realization of what the bunnies were about, and how River kept trying to remind her husband of what he'd forgotten is something that stuck with me. That tragedy hurt on a whole different level, as of course did the brother situation. Faye being an imaginary friend wouldn't have had nearly as big of an impact even if it weren't as predictable as it was.

The bait and switch in Finding Paradise was a clever thing, but at the same time it prevented a situation where everything just clicks as it all comes together. All the "regrets" the player kept discovering were essentially red herrings, and the fact that in the end nothing was changed (aside from Faye and Colin finally catching up again) was a bit of a letdown. It fit, and I liked it, but it definitely didn't have as much of an impact as that moment when River walks in after having been removed by Eva. Figuring out the bunnies was a moment when things just came together and clicked.