The abandoned speleologist, Paradise Lost, sends you underground in an alternative story in 1980. The Nazis dropped nuclear bombs across Europe at the end of World War II, without leaving behind winners and an apocalyptic desert. This narrative exploration game follows a young man named Szymon to an old bunker that looks like a bunch of warheads and old computers until he discovers the hidden city filled with Slavic mythology beneath it. Paradise Lost has just been released today, so you can venture downstairs right now.
The new launch trailer here doesn’t reveal much about the hidden city, unfortunately, but you can take a peek up there. Underneath the dusty and austere decor of the former Nazi hideout, there is a more colorful and mysterious world of sculptures of giant trees and gardens covered with moss. It is a great contrast between the desert up there and the industrial technology of the bunker itself. The retro-future technology mixed with the aquatic world underneath also has tones of BioShock.
On his journey inside, Szymon joins a girl named Ewa that you can hear in the trailer above. The two collaborate on the bunker’s communication system to discover its secrets, including the hidden city below.
“Discover the history of the bunker, from its take over by Polish rebels to the final destination of its inhabitants. What happened to them?” say the PolyAmorous developers. Presumably, the answer has as much to do with the glowing underground gardens and monstrous trees as with the 20th century technology above them.
It seems that Paradise Lost shares similarities with other narrative exploration games about children in somewhat scary environments. You know things – your Ethan Carters and Edith Finchs and everything. Scary old stories with a little bit of enigmatic nowadays.
If that’s the kind of story you want to explore, find Paradise Lost on Steam and GOG. You have a 34% discount for £ 7.51 / € 8.24 / $ 9.89 until March 31st.