We are two weeks out from the release of Otomate’s sci-fi otome game, Paradigm Paradox! I know it has pretty mixed views from otome gamers, but you have to admit it has a pretty interesting premise. The heroine, Yuuki is recruited to join a magical girl superhero group and fight against monsters called Vectors. Only, her cute teammates are actually the school hotties?! Kind of a what if I could date the Sailor Stars situation.

Thanks to our friends at Aksys Games I was able to play Paradigm Paradox and there is a lot to love about the game. So, for those of you still on the fence, here are 5 reasons I think Paradigm Paradox is worth picking up on October 27th!

Be a hero or a villain

We all love a bad boy, and otome games are good about giving us a taste of the forbidden fruit every now and again. Dangerous baes like, Tomomori in Birushana, trash husbando Ron in Norn9, and let us never forget Yang in Piofiore are definite fan faves. Well, Paradigm Paradox gives us not 1, but four baddies to romance. LIs fall into one of two camps, heroes or villains, so you can actually step into the dark side and join the bad guys!

Of course, if you’re not down to be a baddie, you can still kick it on the side of justice with the hero LIs. Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight—y’all know the drill. But, regardless of which path you choose, there are plenty of secrets to uncover.

Immersive sci-fi action story

Paradigm Paradox is pretty light on the romance, especially when compared with Piofiore 1926, so if you’re expecting a mature romance—this ain’t it. But, while the romance is lacking Paradigm Paradox more than makes up for it with it’s immersive premise and worldbuilding. This is only the third sci-fi otome game localization and its a seriously underutilized premise.

Paradigm Paradox is set in a futuristic world where pollution has led to people having to live in isolated technologically advanced colonies for survival. Vectors, monsters from outside the colony attack and as a first line of defense they have the Blooms, a super secret magical girl team ready to take down any threat. It seems like a lot, but the writers do a great job of introducing us to this world and the characters and I’ll be honest I was more interested in the worldbuilding than the actual romance.

Each route explores a different aspect of the world so there is this really interesting dichotomy between right and wrong, seen through the eyes of the villains and the heroes.

Earn your happy ending

Sometimes you have to take the good with the not so good and Paradigm Paradox definitely has a few whammy moments. Not, on the level of Amnesia Memories, but trust the bad endings have a bit of a punch. None of the bad ends are completely out of left field and given the premise, death is a very real outcome.

Some folks aren’t big fans of bad endings, but I like having them because they really make you feel like you’ve earned your happily ever after. This is perfect since the romance in Paradigm Paradox is on the light side, so the darker themes and endings make the sweet moments that much more fluffy. You really cherish every cute kiss or hug, because you know the alternative is not so pleasant.

The boys are magical girls… and they kick ass!

Those of you who have been begging for more female characters in otome games, rejoice! The biggest draw for Paradigm Paradox is the fact that the love interests turn into magical girls. Cute outfits, special attacks, the whole nine, with a gender swap twist! It’s like a reverse Magical Girl Ore (which if you’ve never heard of you NEED to check out ASAP). At first you think this premise will be played for laughs—you know the usual, guys commenting on boob size or how “airy” wearing a dress is. But, I was pleasantly surprise at how little the characters talk about it. The gender swap transformations are just something that happens and not a big production, which is so refreshing! Also those outfits look like something Tomoyo in Cardcaptor Sakura would whip up.

On top of that the magical girl alter egos are treated like characters in their own right. They have their own distinct personalities and mannerisms that are different from their male counterparts. Kaori is the bright and bubbly leader of the group, while Tokio has a more reserved, aloof personality. And did I mention they have their own voice actors?!

The Blooms kick ass on the battlefield, taking down Vectors with ease. When they aren’t fighting there is a fun dynamic between Yuuki and the team that I really loved! They aren’t just allies in arms, they’re friends.

There are a LOT of Love Interests

There are a LOT of love interests in Paradigm Paradox! Most otome games have five love interests, maybe six if there is a secret character. But, this game has eight boys to romance, so you know there will be a guy that’ll appeal to you! The heroes aren’t all bastions of justice and the villains aren’t all “bad” guys. Everyone has their own reasons for choosing the side they align with and as you delve into their individual stories you get a small peek at the bigger picture of the world.

Personally, I liked the Villain stories for the ways they challenge Yuuki’s world view, while the Hero routes show how multifaceted these characters can be. The world isn’t always black or white, there are shades of grey.

---

What Are You Waiting For? Go Get Paradigm Paradox!

Paradigm Paradox is a solid otome game and there is a lot to love about it! The sci-fi action premise is really unique and the story touches on some interesting themes. The fact that you can play as a villain or a hero is really cool and I challenge everyone to free play their first time in to see where they land (I got Villain right out the gate). The gender swap, magical girl gimmick is surprisingly handled well and I found myself really loving the girls just as much as the boys (okay, maybe more, shh, don’t tell anyone).

So, I definitely recommend scooping up Paradigm Paradox when it drops on October 27th!

This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon, by using this link I get a very small commission. 

---