Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory

The combat could be more exciting and its over-reliance on walking and talking can be a bit tiring, but Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory remains a challenging and rewarding experience nonetheless.

46%Game Brain Score

story, humor

graphics, gameplay

47% User Score Based on 38 reviews

Critic Score 52%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

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About

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is a single player tactical role playing game with a comedy theme. It was developed by Cyanide Studio and was released on December 14, 2024. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

"Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory" is a CRPG set in the futuristic Alpha Complex, where citizens live under the rule of the all-knowing Friend Computer. As a RED security clearance Troubleshooter, your mission is to seek out and eliminate any threats to Alpha Complex while being wary of potential traitors. With a focus on action and intrigue, it's a game of suspicion and survival in a society where treason is punishable by summary execution. Stay alert, trust no one, and keep your laser handy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory screenshot

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47%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

story6 positive mentions

graphics2 negative mentions

The game captures the humor and narrative style of the original Paranoia RPG, providing a fun experience for fans.
There are many unique interactions and scenarios based on dialogue choices, adding depth to the gameplay.
The aesthetic of Alpha Complex is bright and colorful, aligning well with the game's theme.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and lacks polish, making it frustrating to play and progress.
Combat is dull and lacks depth, often feeling like a tedious chore rather than an engaging experience.
The overall presentation is bland, with low-quality graphics and limited character variety, making it feel incomplete.

story
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The game's story features a mix of engaging character interactions and unique mission elements, but is marred by significant bugs and tedious backtracking that disrupts progression. While some missions offer personality and side quests tied to teammates, the overall narrative experience can feel repetitive and lacks depth, especially towards the end. Players have noted that the initial missions are reminiscent of their expectations, but technical issues detract from the enjoyment of the story.
- “That being said, I went in with low expectations and was surprised at the amount of personality and interactions your teammates are given within missions.”
- “Where bringing certain teammates can activate unique interactions and even side missions.”
- “I didn't find the two that I saw overly exciting, but it was cool that they approached me for a mission along with the members of the secret society and being part of them unlocked a unique ending.”
- “During my playthrough, I only experienced one major bug, where I was told to report to the friend computer for debriefing and when arriving, the debriefing wouldn't start and I was unable to continue the mission.”
- “One thing that did turn me off a bit was towards the end it became mostly long missions of going room to room dealing with combat after combat.”
- “What is horrible, your clone is decanted in the same place with the same non-skippable cut-scene, and you have to walk back to the mission after re-equipping.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is designed to be narrative-driven and humorous, successfully capturing the essence of RPG humor, which many players find enjoyable. However, some users feel that it paradoxically discourages comedic engagement, detracting from the overall comedic experience.
- “I feel like this game captures the humor of the RPG; I'm having fun playing it.”
- “The game is meant to be narrative-driven and humorous.”
- “It's a comedy game that actively steers you away from the funny!”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The graphics are generally considered unremarkable and lackluster, with some users noting that they detract from the overall experience. While the aesthetic is deemed appropriate, issues such as limited camera controls and frustrating gameplay mechanics may overshadow the visuals.
- “The aesthetic is right.”
- “The dialogue is the star of this show, not the unflashy graphics.”
- “Major cons: graphics stink, camera controls too limited, and the vending machine hacking will make most people quit before the end of the first mission.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The gameplay is characterized by complex mechanics and routing, but many users criticize it for lacking substance, particularly in the endgame, which is described as terrible or even non-existent.
- “That being said... this game has a lot going on under the hood in terms of mechanics and routing.”
- “The endgame, in terms of gameplay, was terrible.”
- “Gameplay is non-existent.”
- “Gameplay is non-existent.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for players, and many reviewers advise against purchasing it until these issues are resolved.
- “I don't recommend buying this in its current buggy state.”
- “It's pretty buggy and some of the bugs are really frustrating.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is widely criticized as lifeless and bland, contributing to an overall lack of engagement and enjoyment. Reviewers feel it fails to enhance the gaming experience, paralleling other shortcomings in character design and gameplay.
- “The music is lifeless.”
- “The music is very bland, the characters look cheap and have no real variety in appearance, the combat is subpar with poor AI for the player characters, and it just isn't fun at all to play.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized as a quick cash grab, with reviewers suggesting that it lacks value compared to older titles and would have been more reasonably priced at $30 three years ago.
- “In comparison to that decade-old game, this one looks to be a quick cash grab.”
- “Three years ago, this game may have been worth $30, but today it is just a cash grab.”
- “Three years ago, this game may have been worth $30, but today it is just a cash grab.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the mid-game section, particularly the Underplex, to be a tedious and repetitive dungeon crawl, contributing to a sense of grinding that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The mid-game section [spoiler]the underplex[/spoiler] was mostly just a big tedious dungeon crawl.”
- “The mid-game section [spoiler]the underplex[/spoiler] was mostly just a big tedious dungeon crawl.”

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52%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is a tactical role playing game with comedy theme.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows and others.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory was released on December 14, 2024.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory was developed by Cyanide Studio.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory has received neutral reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is a single player game.

Similar games include Edge of Eternity, Alpha Protocol, Encased, Wasteland 3, We Happy Few and others.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory

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