Those looking for a short, unsettling stroll can find one with Happy Game. While there's a lengthy disclaimer in front of the game, an option to turn those effects down would have been a better way to go. Even though I'm not an epileptic myself, I found the effects to be a bit much. The problem is that many of them have flashing white and red lights, which can be an epileptic nightmare. The puzzles themselves are creative, though it can be easy to get stuck and sit in front of one for minutes at a time. Once the puzzles are solved, there's a brief reprieve from the terror until reaching the next sequence. The ominous atmosphere on this and other sections are enhanced greatly through the game's sound design. Every time a new toy gets put back together, there's either a flash of red light or there's a twisted image that briefly injects fear down the player's spine. For example, one puzzle has players in a room filled with broken toys and they must reassemble them, one at a time. The puzzles that players face often involve terrifying images of strange monsters, mundane objects with horrifying faces, and red lighting as far as the eye can see. The main idea of Happy Game is that it looks like a happy-go-lucky experience on the surface, but that facade is quickly erased and replaced with something far more horrifying. They're not overly difficult with the main trick being to iron out what's even at work. First, they have to figure out what the puzzle even is and then how to solve them. Puzzles are entirely up to the player to figure out, in more ways than one. There's no explanation of what to do and there's only a fleeting glimpse of the game's controls. In sticking with the spirit of the Amanita Design aesthetic, there's no HUD at any point. This leads into the game's various puzzles. The boy soon finds himself in a dream state, where his innocent mind is fixated on either finding a ball or a toy. However, he's quickly plagued by nightmarish images and creatures. The game centers around a young boy drifting off to what's supposed to be a peaceful sleep. Don't close your eyesĪs noted, most Amanita Design stories are left to the player's imagination and Happy Game is no different. Happy Game is more of the Amanita Design style, but one that's going to prove to be much more of an acquired taste. Those who have followed the indie gaming scene for the last ten years is likely familiar with their distinct art style, their minimalistic presentation, and their unique worlds where the stories are mainly left to the player's imagination. However, if you were expecting tough point and click puzzles, you should instead give this one a pass.The team at Amanita Design has specialized in a certain kind of game for the past decade. As I am exactly the right target audience, this is my favorite Amanita Design game since Machinarium. Happy Game is a delight for psychedelic horror lovers: its tactile feel brings this creepy-cute nightmare to life, enhanced by an eerie soundscape. Overall, the game takes from 1 to 2.5 hours to complete, so you should wait for a sale if length is an issue for you. The third act had a weak start which hindered the pacing (the stones & forest sequences) and never quite reached the peak horror and intensity of the first two acts. The second act was quite original, with small spherical worlds in which you need to lay down traps in the right positions or suffer death at the hand and teeth of a huge bunny. Sometimes it’s about finding out where to click or drag to trigger the next event, sometimes it’s a playground with a bunch of toys to play with one by one. The puzzles themselves are on the easy side, and you are not likely to get stuck for a long time. The world reacts brilliantly to your actions, feeling very much alive: I loved handling the little critters as they squirm before you impale them. I played this on PC, but I suspect that it would have been even better on a touchscreen device. There is a lot of dragging and swiping with the mouse, giving a tactile feel to the interactions as you tear monsters from limb to limb. If you fall in love with the visuals of the game, make sure to get the DLC artbook as it shows a lot of scenes and monsters that did not make it to the final release, complete with the eerie DVA OST. Overall, whether somber or colorful, the graphics are stunning. The only creature that I did not find scary was the actual demon and his emoji face. ![]() The art style nails the creepy-cute style perfectly (check out Bulb Boy if you want more of this), with terrifying bunnies or toys that reveal their bloody innards. ![]() Happy Game lets you navigate the nightmares of a little boy haunted by some type of demon.
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