My Beautiful Paper Smile

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 162 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
My Beautiful Paper Smile Game Cover
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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.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 162 reviews
story42 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and beautiful art style that enhances the eerie atmosphere and complements the story.
  • The narrative is intriguing and keeps players engaged, with many secrets and collectibles that add depth to the experience.
  • The gameplay, while simple, offers moments of tension and challenge, particularly during boss fights and stealth segments.
  • The game suffers from excessive walking and slow movement speed, which can make exploration feel tedious.
  • Some gameplay mechanics and puzzles are underdeveloped or frustrating, leading to a lack of clarity and engagement.
  • The story, while interesting, leaves many questions unanswered and can feel incomplete, especially with the game being short and episodic.
  • story93 mentions

    The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing concepts, unique art style, and emotional depth, while others criticize it for being mediocre, clichéd, and lacking in character development and world-building. Many players appreciate the atmosphere and visual presentation, but feel that the narrative is either too short or fails to fully explore its potential, leaving some plot points unresolved. Overall, while the story captivates some players, others find it disappointing and generic, suggesting a need for more depth and engagement.

    • “The monochromatic grayscale aesthetics greatly enhance the feelings of the main character, which are filled with dread and sadness, being a perfect complement to the story.”
    • “The story is amazing; you are just thrown into the game and made to figure it out on your own with little to no exposition.”
    • “Stunning visuals, compelling story, and rich atmosphere.”
    • “Took 4.6 hours to complete: largely a walking simulator with some not-so-fun puzzle/escape elements and a disappointing (story-wise) end.”
    • “Majority of the game is walking aimlessly to wherever the game arbitrarily decides you need to go to progress the story, at times literally needing to walk in circles for no reason.”
    • “I think there was a really cool world being alluded to but it loses that by chapter three and goes on a more generic story, which really hurt the feeling I got from the beginning.”
  • graphics60 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and aesthetically pleasing art style that enhances the overall atmosphere, often drawing comparisons to Tim Burton's work. While many players appreciate the hand-drawn visuals and the emotional depth they convey, some criticize the environments for lacking detail and depth, with issues like poor lighting and bland settings detracting from the experience. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong point, though they are not without their flaws, and they significantly contribute to the game's psychological horror elements.

    • “The visuals of the game are amazing; they’re not perfect, sometimes the game is too dark for its own good, but all things considered, it’s a very unique looking game that can instill a lot of anxiety at times with its gloomy lighting and great camera angles.”
    • “The monochromatic grayscale aesthetics greatly enhance the feelings of the main character, which are filled with dread and sadness, being a perfect complement to the story.”
    • “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 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 lowered the graphics, and other people have this problem as well.”
    • “The game's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness: the art style.”
  • gameplay46 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and linear, often resembling a walking simulator with underutilized mechanics. While some appreciate the atmosphere and story, others criticize the lack of depth and redundancy in gameplay elements, leading to a tedious experience. Overall, the game offers a unique aesthetic and engaging narrative, but the gameplay mechanics could benefit from more variety and exploration.

    • “In this game, there is a mechanic where you have a personal light source that you can turn on and off. If the light is on, you can find your way around, but it can fail stealth and some other interactions. If you have your light off, you will start to lose what I am calling sanity.”
    • “To my surprise, it had a few action scenes that were an interesting addition and added some variety to the gameplay.”
    • “The graphics were beautiful, the gameplay felt fresh, and this game had some genuinely scary moments.”
    • “The gameplay is also very rudimentary, to the point that it's not far off from a walking simulator.”
    • “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 a little redundant and like they’ve been added just to keep the player busy.”
    • “The main gameplay on offer here is to look for collectibles, but the areas are so unnecessarily large and your walking speed is so slow that it just makes exploring feel like a chore.”
  • atmosphere31 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique art style and immersive sound design, creating a tense and eerie environment that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of dread without relying heavily on jump scares, instead fostering a sense of unease through its visuals and minimalistic music. While some players noted minor gameplay issues, the compelling atmosphere and intriguing story remain standout features that contribute significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The art direction of this game really helps add to the creepy atmosphere, yet it also has a bit of charm that makes you feel and connect with the main protagonist of the game, in which he's just trying to find his friend so they can be free together.”
    • “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 atmosphere is unrelentingly eerie, the art style is unique and well-made, and the story is a great mix of explained and ambiguous.”
    • “Walking in a straight line at an excruciatingly slow pace with an obnoxious never-ending footstep sound effect that completely destroys the atmosphere.”
    • “A constant threat would've added to the atmosphere while at the same time taking away the somewhat cheap feeling of dying over and over to an action segment.”
    • “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.”
  • music5 mentions

    The game's music is minimal yet effective, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Its dark tones and subtle cues contribute to a sense of unease, complementing the visuals and narrative without being overwhelming. This minimalist approach successfully immerses players in a world filled with tension and mystery.

    • “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.”
    • “There are not many songs in this game, but there is no need to.”
    • “Music is eerie and gloomy.”
    • “The subtlety of how creepy things actually are is not lost on even the most basic observer; from the music to the way everyone is dressed, even to how they speak, it leads to a feeling that something just isn't quite right.”
  • character development3 mentions

    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 has a captivating atmosphere and an intriguing plot, featuring some of the most uniquely twisted character designs I've ever seen.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and unengaging, leaving me disconnected from the story.”
    • “Despite the intriguing plot, the characters lack depth and their growth is minimal throughout the game.”
    • “The game has great character designs, but the development is lacking, making it hard to care about their journeys.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    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. While the atmosphere and horror elements are praised, the grinding detracts from the overall experience, making the final boss encounter feel more laborious than satisfying.

    • “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.”
    • “Atmosphere and horror are pretty good, but combat and stealth are low points, making the final boss feel more tedious than a rewarding climax.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply touching and intense, though some note that the experience is relatively brief.

    • “It's very touching.”
    • “This was an emotional and intense journey for me, but a short one.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    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 enjoyment and motivation to revisit it.

    • “There is a lot of walking, and I really mean a lot of walking. Since I’ve been playing this game on and off since 2021, I’ve amassed more than triple the total playtime of the game. The walking got really boring really quickly, which makes me say that 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.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report significant stability issues, noting a lack of error messages for troubleshooting and unhelpful community discussions that fail to resolve problems.

    • “There is no error message for troubleshooting whatsoever, and error discussion threads in the community page ultimately lead to nowhere.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced constant lag and disconnections, which ruined my gaming experience.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its blend of comedy and horror, with players enjoying the reactions of their friends during scary moments, often leading to meme-worthy situations.

    • “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”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has room for improvement, particularly in lighting settings and the repetitiveness of certain sounds, but these issues do not significantly hinder gameplay.

    • “The game offers a variety of optimization options that allow players to tailor their experience to their hardware capabilities.”
    • “I appreciate the attention to optimization; it really enhances the overall performance and makes the gameplay smoother.”
    • “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 poor optimization, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
    • “Despite its potential, the optimization issues make it frustrating to play, especially in more demanding areas.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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