April 24, 2017
5pb.

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness

Psycho-Pass seems like a re-run of the first anime season, but that was enjoyable so it works out okay.

74%Game Brain Score

story, music

gameplay, graphics

74% User Score Based on 103 reviews

Critic Score 77%Based on 20 reviews

Platforms

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About

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness is a single player role playing game with anime and science fiction themes. It was developed by 5pb. and was released on April 24, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In a world where psychological states can be quantified, every choice has consequences, victims can become criminals, and the very nature of truth can warp and shift. Can detectives Nadeshiko Kugatachi and Takuma Tsurugi remain on the path of justice as they face the ugly truths of humanity?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness screenshot

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74%

Audience ScoreBased on 103 reviews

story30 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Faithful adaptation with original Japanese voice actors and well-portrayed characters from the Psycho-Pass anime.
Engaging cyberpunk visual novel story with meaningful choices that affect multiple endings and good replay value.
Strong storytelling and atmosphere that expands on the Psycho-Pass universe, suitable for fans and newcomers willing to learn.

Repetitive routes and story branches with minimal meaningful deviations make multiple playthroughs tedious.
Technical issues including unintuitive controls, broken or inconsistent skip function, and confusing save system.
Limited gameplay beyond text choices, minimal animation or interactivity, and some story elements (like antagonist and plot twists) are predictable or less compelling.

story
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
69%
6%
The story of "Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness" is generally praised for its engaging, thought-provoking narrative that fits well within the anime's universe, offering multiple perspectives and ethical dilemmas. However, it is often criticized for being predictable, repetitive across routes, and lacking deep character exploration, with some players finding the branching choices have minimal impact on the overall plot. Fans of the series appreciate the familiar setting and characters, while newcomers might struggle without prior knowledge of the anime.
- “Final verdict: Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a spectacular visual novel to fans of the series, precisely because its plot stands on its own to tell an interesting and intricate story.”
- “The story is top-notch and co-written by Gen 'The Butcher' Urobuchi; the music largely uses the top-notch instrumental pieces from the series, and the graphics, while not AAA level, are excellent for a visual novel and really do the atmosphere justice.”
- “By playing both characters, you experience the story from the perspectives of two different active participants and see the plot develop as a result of the actions you choose for the playable character. This provides plenty of replay value in going back for other routes and endings if you enjoy the story.”
- “Having completed one protagonist's side of this story, I recommend against reading this visual novel. The events are repetitive and branches play almost the exact same way despite there being a ton of choices and endings.”
- “The story is boring, the routes are repetitive, and the world doesn't get fleshed out in a satisfying way. I've finished all of the routes and am grinding out the absurd amount of minigame points you need to get the final three achievements at the time of this review - I will 100% this game, but I'm not happy about it.”
- “Not only that, but the skipping system is flawed, making me replay the same scene (or one very similar) just because it's in a different story 'branch.' This made each new playthrough a chore where I can't skip even though I'm reading the same thing over and over.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The music in the game is generally praised for its strong connection to the anime, featuring familiar voice acting and a well-crafted soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere, especially during action and investigation scenes. However, some note that much of the music is calm and ambient, with few new tracks, making it less memorable overall. The soundtrack effectively supports the mood but doesn't stand out significantly on its own.
- “The voice acting is really good as well as the music; all of the anime characters have their traits and nothing feels off or like they won't say or do, and the UI is pleasant and true to the anime.”
- “Everything from the setting, story, characters, and soundtrack were fantastic.”
- “The locations, sounds, and music feel very Psycho-Pass-y in a way that doesn't make it feel as though it were extracted from the series, but more like it's a unique blend that creates another part of the universe.”
- “Returning characters, same voice actors, soundtrack... all these little joys lost for newcomers.”
- “The story is top-notch and co-written by Gen 'the Butcher' Urobuchi, the music (albeit it is sadly a minus point since I could not detect that much new music) uses for the larger part the top-notch instrumental music of the series.”
- “The soundtrack delivers a sense of urgency during investigations, but otherwise it does not leave a strong impression.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay is minimal and largely consists of point-and-click visual novel mechanics with limited interactivity, lacking puzzles or mini-games. While it supports the narrative, it offers little in terms of engaging or varied gameplay, making it feel simplistic and somewhat repetitive.
- “The gameplay reminded me of old Commodore 64 games, with simple graphics and a point-and-click user interface.”
- “The keyboard configuration was a little strange, but it didn't affect my gameplay much since it is largely a left-mouse click visual novel.”
- “Even the game doesn’t mechanically force players to read through both perspectives, it is strongly recommended because only by doing so, one can fully understand the entire picture.”
- “I expected more gameplay (some minigames, etc.); at the moment, one just clicks 'enter' and makes a choice once every 5-10 minutes.”
- “To sum up - not a bad story (but definitely not a masterpiece, plot twists are rather expected), with very weak gameplay.”
- “You aren't actually doing any detective work; the game is a traditional visual novel that only allows interactivity through set choices rather than play mechanics or puzzle solving.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The graphics are generally considered simple and low-resolution, reminiscent of older retro games, which may disappoint some fans expecting high detail. However, for a visual novel, the artwork is viewed as adequate and effectively supports the atmosphere. Overall, graphics are not a major focus and do not significantly detract from the experience.
- “The story is top-notch and co-written by Gen 'The Butcher' Urobuchi, the music (albeit it is sadly a minus point since I could not detect that much new music) uses for the larger part the top-notch instrumental music of the series. The graphics, while not being the level of full-blown AAA productions, are excellent in comparison for a visual novel and really do the atmosphere justice.”
- “Artwork is fine, Karanomori looked a little off but it's been a while, I can't remember how she looks anyway.”
- “The gameplay reminded me of old Commodore 64 (ask your parents) games, with simple graphics and a point & click user interface.”
- “The gameplay reminded me of old Commodore 64 games, with simple graphics and a point & click user interface.”
- “Even fans of the manga could be disappointed, as the graphics are very poor - you receive few standard models of known characters and some additions, and that's all.”
- “Graphics are low-res.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The game offers strong replayability through multiple character choices, diverse endings, and achievements tied to different outcomes. Its mix of meaningful and casual decisions, along with an addictive mini-game, further enhances the incentive to replay. Overall, it provides ample value for those interested in exploring various story routes.
- “Definitely enjoyable if you've seen/read the series. Original voices, characterization is on point, a good mix of moral and seemingly meaningless choices to take, funny moments sprinkled around, à la nippon style, good replay value with two characters to choose from and several endings, plus a weirdly addictive mini-game of math-matching that would either relax or distress your entire being. Flip a coin and take your chances.”
- “Most of them are different endings, so let's just establish that this game has quite a bit of replayability, which is a huge bonus in my books.”
- “This provides plenty of replay value in going back for other routes and endings if you enjoy the story.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely regarded as tedious and repetitive, particularly the extensive minigame point collection required for achievements. While some moments are interesting, the overall experience is bogged down by monotonous routes and an underdeveloped world.
- “It just got extremely tedious extremely quickly.”
- “The story is boring, the routes are repetitive, and the world doesn't get fleshed out in a satisfying way. I've finished all of the routes and am grinding out the absurd amount of minigame points you need to get the final three achievements at the time of this review - I will 100% this game, but I'm not happy about it.”
- “It had some interesting moments but overall felt tedious.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is well-received, especially for fans familiar with the series, featuring original voices and spot-on characterization. It includes a blend of meaningful and quirky choices with funny moments typical of a Japanese style, enhancing replay value and overall enjoyment.
- “The game features original voices and spot-on characterization, with a good mix of moral and seemingly meaningless choices, and funny moments sprinkled throughout, delivering a humor style reminiscent of Nippon.”
- “Funny moments are well integrated into the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience with a uniquely Japanese style.”
- “The humor is well-balanced with the story, providing enjoyable and amusing moments that complement the character-driven narrative.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect adds depth by exploring themes like mandatory happiness, though some users feel the character's emotional journey lacks development, remaining alien and android-like rather than evolving naturally. Overall, it evokes strong feelings but could benefit from a more humanized progression.
- “Be emotionally prepared for that :')”
- “It gives another emotional layer to mandatory happiness.”
- “This might have worked really well if she'd been emotional and human-like at the start and became more alien as she recovered, but she's essentially the same alien android with some pseudo reasons behind it.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness effectively captures the high-tech world of the series through excellent visuals and the use of top-notch instrumental music from the original soundtrack. Despite not having much new music, the game's story and graphics strongly contribute to an immersive and faithful experience within the Psycho-Pass universe.
- “Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a visual novel that lives and breathes the atmosphere of Psycho-Pass's high-tech world.”
- “The story is top-notch and co-written by Gen 'The Butcher' Urobuchi. The music, while limited in new compositions, uses the top-notch instrumental music from the series. The graphics, though not on the level of AAA productions, are excellent for a visual novel and truly do the atmosphere justice.”
- “The game delivers an immersive atmosphere that captures the essence of the Psycho-Pass universe with impressive visuals and sound design.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the game's monetization leans heavily on capitalizing on the licensed cast, giving the impression of a cash grab despite decent voice acting.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences occasional stability issues, such as the cursor disappearing when reloading saves, but these glitches are minor and resolved by restarting the game.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The feedback on optimization is unclear or unrelated to performance improvements, focusing instead on voice acting or dialogue delivery rather than technical or gameplay optimization.

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77%Critics’ scoreBased on 19 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness is a role playing game with anime and science fiction themes.

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, iPhone, Windows and others.

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness was released on April 24, 2017.

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness was developed by 5pb..

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness is a single player game.

Similar games include Tokyo Dark, Gamedec, Dry Drowning, The Letter, The Expanse: A Telltale Series and others.

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness

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