Paranoia Remastered

Three years ago, we played Paranoia, back then under a different company name—a game that never really made it onto the international radar, like a few others from Spain, largely because it was available only in Spanish. Some of the games we played there later became available in English, but Paranoia closed, and I thought that only my old review remained.

That is, at least, what I thought—until a new version of Paranoia opened. It is, in fact, a different game, with a new story and new riddles, but it clearly retains recognizable elements from its predecessor, including those that made it such a great experience.

If I had to sum up the game’s greatest strength in one word, it would be acting. The performances by the residents of the asylum are extraordinary—at times scary, at times fun, but always engaging. There is never a dull moment, and the madness of the residents is portrayed extremely well.

In this regard, there is one caveat I need to mention, without going into spoilers, related to the acting. As stated in the game description on the website, there is physical contact; however, this term is quite vague.

I personally do not mind being touched, but certain types of physical contact may be too much for some players (certainly not for Kuba). Fran and I, in particular, weresubjected to some physical interactions that I did not expect and that might cross the line for some people. While this was nothing I haven’t encountered before in Spain and/or Greece, it was not something I recalled from the previous version of the game. That said, this occurred only during a specific moment, and most of the experience did not involve this kind of interaction.

In any case, even when the physical contact felt a bit excessive, it fit very well with the acting and never came across as gratuitous violence. Rather, it felt like something that could reasonably be expected as a result of insanity, and therefore added—let’s call it—realism to the experience. I wanted to mention this because TERPECA games tend to attract extra attention, and hopefully this serves as a fair warning for players who are sensitive to horror or physical contact (for more details, feel free to send me a private message). I am quite sure the team could slightly adapt this aspect for contact-averse players without losing the essence of the game.

Overall, this is a distinct and very well-executed horror experience, far removed from cheap jump-scare clichés. I am glad they decided to create a new and improved version and made the effort to offer it in English as well—something I am sure international players will appreciate.