My Beautiful Paper Smile

About

My Beautiful Paper Smile is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Two Star Games and was released on October 14, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

In "My Beautiful Paper Smile" , you are a child trying to escape from the Joyous facility, where the Authorities are trying to force perfection upon you in the form of a giant, happy smile. Use stealth and solve puzzles to avoid the Authorities, but beware of the faceless monster lurking in the dark. Discover the twisted truth behind the Authorities' scheme while trying to free yourself from their grasp.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 220 reviews

story59 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Unique and beautiful hand-drawn art style that enhances the eerie atmosphere.
Engaging story with emotional depth and intriguing world-building.
Offers a mix of gameplay elements, including puzzles and stealth mechanics, that keep the experience interesting.

Frequent crashes and technical issues that hinder gameplay experience.
Gameplay can feel overly simplistic and linear, often resembling a walking simulator.
Some mechanics, like stealth and puzzles, are poorly implemented or too easy, reducing overall challenge.

story
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
49%
4%
The story of "My Beautiful Paper Smile" is a mixed bag, with many praising its intriguing and original narrative that explores themes of escape and freedom, enhanced by a unique art style. However, some players find the storytelling lacking depth and coherence, with criticisms aimed at its linearity and underdeveloped characters. Overall, while the atmosphere and visuals are highly regarded, opinions on the story's execution vary significantly, with some feeling it falls short of its potential.
- “The story is very good; I like how the boy just wanted to escape and be free with his friend, but soon he gets entangled into a bigger plot in freeing his people.”
- “The story, art, and the characters/world are so creepy and interesting.”
- “My beautiful paper smile's story gives you just enough information for you to be invested while keeping most details secret to keep the world mysterious and foreign.”
- “The story is a disappointment for me, and even then if I look at it for what it is.”
- “I just find it generic, boring, and a departure from the setups earlier in the story.”
- “Story-wise, very little is happening at any given time, and the player has little motivation to do anything except that they 'should' want to.”
graphics
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics of "My Beautiful Paper Smile" are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn art style, which creates a captivating and eerie atmosphere reminiscent of Tim Burton's work. While many reviewers appreciate the aesthetic and its contribution to the game's psychological horror elements, some note that the environments can feel bland and overly dark at times, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the visuals are generally considered the game's standout feature, enhancing both the story and the emotional impact.
- “Alright, let’s talk about the likes: the graphics are really good and quite beautiful. It's all hand-drawn, which gives the game its own unique charm and vibe. It sort of feels like a black and white horror version of Paper Mario with its designs, colors, or lack thereof, and scenery. It actually makes you just want to stop and stare at it all.”
- “The visuals of the game are amazing. Of course, they’re not perfect; sometimes the game is too dark for its own good, and some things don’t fit into the visual style. But all things considered, it’s a very unique-looking game that doesn’t just look great but can also instill a lot of anxiety at times with its gloomy lighting and great camera angles.”
- “My beautiful paper smile creates a tense and eerie atmosphere through its beautiful art style and its cryptic settings and dialogue.”
- “I tried downgrading the graphics and FPS and still had issues.”
- “The visuals can easily carry the gameplay; however, for having a really cool art style, the game had very bland environments and nothing that caught my eye or was necessarily cool to walk through and look at.”
- “I tried lowering all the graphic settings as well as skipping the first part to try and get into the gameplay; while I got a bit further, a minute in and it still crashes.”
gameplay
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
65%
8%
The gameplay is generally described as simplistic and linear, often resembling a walking simulator with light puzzles and minimal challenge. While some players appreciate the art style and atmosphere, many criticize the lack of depth in mechanics, with several features introduced but never fully utilized, leading to a repetitive and sometimes frustrating experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a mixed bag, offering a few enjoyable moments but ultimately falling short of engaging players for the duration of the game.
- “The gameplay is good; it's a simple point-and-click game where you gather items and use them to solve some light puzzles, nothing too complicated.”
- “The gameplay isn't too difficult, and even though I managed to die a handful of times, it was easy to grasp after a few minutes.”
- “The gameplay has both attacking and stealth elements, which are handled quite well.”
- “The gameplay itself is alright, there were some fun aspects, but nothing lasted long enough to truly get into the mechanics, which I think is likely because they were so simplistic that there wasn't much to actually engage with.”
- “Running speed is quite low and even then, in order to run you have to constantly have 'shift' pressed, which is annoying because walking is entirely useless in this game (no mechanics like 'walking is quieter', etc.) and there is no 'always run' setting, so it gets very tiresome to hold 'shift' with your pinky finger.”
- “One of the biggest problems with the gameplay, in my opinion, is that the game teaches you quite a few mechanics that are never explored again, which makes them feel redundant and like they've been added just to keep the player busy, although that can be more or less justified by the game being so short, having just around four hours of playtime.”
atmosphere
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
34%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, enhanced by unique hand-drawn art and effective sound design. Players appreciate the blend of creepy visuals and a haunting ambiance that creates a sense of tension and dread, although some note that the reliance on jump scares can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to its psychological horror elements and engaging storytelling.
- “The atmosphere gives me chills and the world building is done really well.”
- “The game does a fantastic job of creating an eerie atmosphere with its minimalist approach to its music and dark tones in its environment, always making you wonder what may be hiding in the shadows.”
- “I honestly love every part of this game from its unique art style to its genuinely creepy atmosphere.”
- “Walking in a straight line at an excruciatingly slow pace with an obnoxious never-ending footstep sound effect that completely destroys the atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is unrelentingly eerie, the art style is unique and well-made, and the story is a great mix of explained and ambiguous.”
- “The sound design was functional; I feel more could have been done on that front to help with the atmosphere, but to reiterate, it still definitely works.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The music in the game is characterized by a minimalist and eerie approach, effectively enhancing the unsettling atmosphere without overwhelming the player. While there are limited musical tracks, the sound design, including creepy sound effects, contributes to a sense of suspense and intrigue. Voice acting, particularly that of the king, is noted for its quality, adding depth to the game's dark themes.
- “The game does a fantastic job of creating an eerie atmosphere with its minimalist approach to its music and dark tones in its environment, always making you wonder what may be hiding in the shadows.”
- “The music kept me unsettled without being overbearing; the visuals were fun the whole way through and gave me a Tim Burton vibe but darker and more personal to the creators.”
- “Music is eerie and gloomy.”
- “There's no music at any given time, only creepy sound effects, which ends up making the game boring rather than the intended effect of suspense.”
- “The music is eerie and gloomy.”
- “The music, while unsettling, lacks variety and ultimately feels underwhelming.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its unique animation style and the powerful emotional journey of the main character, which many players found touching and intense, despite its brevity.
- “Such a unique animation style and world, and what a powerful, emotional journey from the main character.”
- “It's very touching.”
- “This was an emotional and intense journey for me, but a short one.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the collection of items that offer minimal rewards, such as vague lore instead of meaningful incentives. The overall atmosphere and horror elements are praised, but the cumbersome mechanics and lackluster combat detract from the experience, making the final boss encounter feel more like a chore than a satisfying conclusion.
- “In every chapter, there are collectibles that are tedious to collect, and if you think you get a reward for collecting everything, think again; you get a vague 'lore' cinematic.”
- “I found it tedious to have to move to a place where there were spots I wouldn't get caught, taking the equipment on and off.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Character development in the game is noted for its impressive character designs and intriguing plot, contributing to a captivating atmosphere. However, the overall storytelling and world-building are criticized for being weak, which detracts from the potential depth of the characters.
- “The scenery and character designs are great; the story is engaging and the suspense is amazing.”
- “The game itself has a good atmosphere and an intriguing plot, featuring some of the most uniquely twisted character designs ever.”
- “The game has a good atmosphere and an intriguing plot, but the character development feels shallow and unengaging.”
- “While the character designs are cool, the lack of depth in their development makes it hard to connect with them.”
- “The story is lacking, and as a result, the characters feel one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, noting a lack of error messages for troubleshooting and unhelpful community discussions. Additionally, in-game entities like 'the lost child' and various monsters frequently glitch, detracting from the overall experience.
- “There is no error message for troubleshooting whatsoever, and error discussion threads in the community page ultimately lead to nowhere.”
- “A spirit-like creature called 'the Lost Child' as well as monsters in the world become glitches in reality, with a desire to strip you of your mask.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's replayability is somewhat diminished due to the excessive walking, which can become tedious over time. While players may need to replay the game to uncover all secrets, the slow pace can detract from the overall experience, making it less appealing for multiple playthroughs.
- “There is a lot of walking, and I really mean a lot of walking. I've been playing this game on and off since 2021, which means I've amassed more than triple the total playtime of the game. The walking got really boring really quickly, and because of that, I'd say the game slightly loses out on its replay value. Even sprinting can feel quite slow at times, and trust me, you will have to replay the game at least once if you want to get all the secrets without using a guide.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's humor to be effective, particularly enjoying the blend of comedy and scares, which enhances the experience of watching friends react in fear. The ability to create memes from these moments adds to the fun.
- “It was a good game and a funny, scary one. I like it when I see my friends scared, so I make a meme of them! XD”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
While some users note that certain settings, such as lighting and repetitive sounds, could benefit from optimization, these issues do not significantly detract from the overall playability of the game.
- “Some of the settings need a bit of optimization, like lighting, and some sounds are a little too repetitive, but nothing that makes it unplayable.”
- “The game suffers from performance issues that could be resolved with better optimization.”
- “I encountered frequent frame drops and long loading times, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”