"Dead Paper" is another WrathOfWood game in the tradition of RPG Maker 3D experimental forays. As usual, their distinctive visual style of trippy, surreal sprites and level structure of maze-like wandering simulations akin to Yume Nikki, they also combine it with a 3D plugin that is... honestly super impressive.
Kudos to the creator of the 3D plugin for MV and MZ. It truly allows us to create 3D games in RPG Maker, something I never thought would happen... ever.
You escape a burning house to follow your pet cat, and evade and/or slash at monsters scattered throughout.
The wandering, as is usual with a WrathOfWood game, is trippy and trance-like, with sprites and textures that run the line between cute and uncanny. However, in this game, the cat itself is pure cuteness. Just look at that thing in the screenshots. You want to follow it. Probably.
The wandering does seem to be the whole thing, which doesn't necessarily mean something can't be effective, but in this case I do feel like there was one thing in particular which made my experience not the most optimal - it's the feel of the RPG Maker 3D plugin itself making me get motion sickness.
I tend to have an easier time with the "above head" 3D version that this plugin has, rather than its first-person perspective, particularly when using the mouse. The combination of grid movement and mouse movement that was slow, but very precise, was quite unnerving to me all the way through. Sometimes if RPG Maker 3D games eschew the mouse movement, it becomes a more pleasant experience for me, even if you aren't able to look around with the mouse like you would most other 3D games, at least it doesn't cause motion sickness.
On top of that, the wandering and the slashing and following kitty is enough to sustain its 15-minute runtime, though I suspect that more would have been welcome. It is the same thing, and to have mini-objectives and little things throughout that you can pursue, would have been absolutely fantastic.
All in all, I still think this was a very unique game with cute graphics, a simple premise and definitely a worthy entry into WrathOfWood's eclectic and unique catalogue. I'm always interested in seeing what Wrath does next.
Thank you for making this game for us, Wrath. I appreciate it.