Surprisingly, a significant portion of famous horror games originate from Role Playing Game (RPG) Maker software. Developers can use this program to create horrors from completely different genres. However, these games are often limited by their gameplay and fail to provide a frightening experience. However, just because precedent is lackluster doesn't mean a particular style can't produce a satisfying product. Paper Lily: Chapter 1, for example, sticks to its self-proclaimed “horror RPG” style, creating a frightening experience with satisfying exploration-based gameplay.
While most RPG Maker horror games are notorious for being plagued by boring and frustrating trial-and-error mechanics, “Paper Lily” does this by focusing on exploration rather than horror or severe punishment for failure. This gameplay style is enhanced. Progressing he is rarely limited to one set path. Puzzles usually have multiple solutions, and routes can suddenly open or close, which almost always results in losing access to a new path rather than a game over. Every choice can have consequences, so players must think carefully and logically without losing their temper.
This lack of serious consequences helps the game encourage players to explore everything. Most of the time, you'll end up acquiring seemingly unnecessary items, and upon reaching the end of the game, players will inevitably have some questions about what they missed. These two elements spark a person's curiosity and motivate them to replay the game and discover new paths and events. These repeated playthroughs usually earn rewards, whether from entirely new sections or other secrets.
Even when the game punishes the player's choices with a game over, it doesn't feel cheap. The bad endings encountered during a typical playthrough always include a logical throughline that explains why things go wrong. For example, early sections of the game feature easily discovered bad endings that initially seem like the game is trying to trick the player. But the ending only happens if you ignore the details. The game doesn't hide any information as it only shows a little dialogue about what you have to do to solve the puzzles. Players just need to think a little about the situation to avoid these deadly outcomes.
However, Paper Lily's horror elements don't always have the same quality as the exploration. Every scare moment is contradicted by some silly scares, some jump scares fail to scare, and some moments take away from the scares and take an unpleasant, sudden, edgy direction. It deviates to The game also often softens the shock of sudden game overs with a screen that looks like the developer Googled various horror-related terms and downloaded the first result. It's an experience of extreme highs and lows, but thankfully the better moments far outweigh the bad in terms of quality and quantity. Additionally, these terrifying moments are some of the most bone-chilling in the entire genre due to their ability to shock without metaphors such as loud noises.
“Paper Lily” also breaks away from the typical RPG Maker format with a well-developed presentation and mechanics. Menus and text boxes are typical of RPG Maker projects, but small details such as the smoothness of character movements and short but unique movements,
The tutorial presented and the amazing variation in gameplay, which I won't spoil in this review, always show the level of time, care, and quality the developers have put into creating this game. Not all mechanics work. Using items feels horribly uncomfortable, but there aren't any disadvantageous mechanics that really detract from the presentation or experience.
Overall, I give “Paper Lily: Chapter 1” an 8/10 rating and highly recommend it, especially if you can deal with the serious topics the game deals with, especially since it's currently free. Please consider supporting the developer if possible.
