The Happy Hereafter

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 223 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
The Happy Hereafter Game Cover
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"The Happy Hereafter" is a casual hidden object game set in a whimsical afterlife. After a hot air balloon accident, help recently deceased Etta find her way to her heavenly destination while solving fun puzzles and making new afterlife friends. Explore European-inspired landscapes and enjoy charming, humorous narratives in this relaxing, stress-free adventure.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 223 reviews
graphics29 positive mentions
replayability4 negative mentions
  • Cute and charming graphics with a whimsical atmosphere.
  • Easy to pick up and play, making it suitable for casual gamers and younger audiences.
  • Offers a relaxing experience with no time constraints, allowing players to enjoy the game at their own pace.
  • Very short gameplay, typically completed in around 4-6 hours with little replay value.
  • Limited freedom in building placement and a linear quest structure can make the game feel restrictive.
  • Encountered bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as workers getting stuck or quests not functioning properly.
  • story84 mentions

    The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and poorly executed, often described as a series of basic missions that lack depth and narrative cohesion. Players note that while there are quirky characters and humorous quests, the overall plot feels non-existent or serves merely as a tutorial for resource management and town building. Many reviews highlight glitches and awkward quest wording, further detracting from any potential engagement with the story.

    • “The core of the game is managing your zombie workers to gather resources to build the town while playing along with a simple story presented as missions.”
    • “There is a story, divided up in a lot of missions, which is mainly about developing your town and getting to know the characters you come across whilst playing.”
    • “The quests are worded in a very quirky style and made me chuckle a few times!”
    • “The story is bare-bones and ends quite suddenly, while half of the map is left unused and the quirky NPCs are mostly ignored.”
    • “The story is basically a tutorial that lasts throughout the entirety of the game in the form of missions: gather this, build that, go there, and so forth.”
    • “There is no storyline beyond the intro; all the quests are grind this many bits of whatever and I'll give you something you can already get by having your 'minions' grinding those items and using the trade depot.”
  • graphics60 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as cute, colorful, and cartoonish, appealing particularly to younger audiences and casual gamers. While some users appreciate the whimsical art style and animations, others criticize the lack of customization options and low-quality visuals reminiscent of mobile apps. Overall, the graphics are seen as charming and fitting for the game's lighthearted theme, though they may not meet the expectations of more serious PC gamers.

    • “Lovely art and graphics.”
    • “The graphics are colorful and spot on.”
    • “Hooked me right away with the straightforward gameplay and beautifully stylized graphics.”
    • “There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
    • “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
    • “Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
  • gameplay40 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized as overly simplistic and repetitive, often described as just clicking with minimal depth or challenge. While some players find it relaxing and suitable for casual play, many criticize it for lacking variety, polish, and engaging mechanics, leading to a sense of boredom over time. Overall, it offers a straightforward experience that may appeal to younger audiences or those seeking a laid-back gaming session, but fails to deliver the richness and excitement found in similar titles.

    • “This is a cute little game which kept me occupied for a couple of hours of gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay itself is just as simple; you have your little spot in the afterlife where you start building homes and a livelihood for the newly dead as they arrive, with each new soul increasing your workforce by one.”
    • “Hooked me right away with the straightforward gameplay and beautifully stylized graphics.”
    • “There's no gameplay, just clicking.”
    • “After slogging through all the gameplay that this game has to offer, I can safely say that this is a boredom fest... seriously, watching grass grow or paint dry are slightly more entertaining activities.”
    • “Certain mechanics also feel too much like busywork to be fun, like resources that deplete very fast but only for a few seconds - long enough for your characters to wander aimlessly around not knowing what to do and needing to be dragged back.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and soothing qualities, effectively enhancing the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the gameplay. While some players note its repetitive nature, many appreciate the whimsical and fitting soundtrack that complements the game's visuals. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the relaxing experience, with options for volume control available.

    • “The music definitely adds to the game to give it a nice relaxing atmosphere.”
    • “The game has very soothing background music that further increases the fun factor of the simulation.”
    • “The good: it looks like a hand-painted style game with a more cartoonish flair, and it's got a very cute whimsical soundtrack to go with it.”
    • “The music can get a little annoying at times.”
    • “The music is calm and fitting, a bit eerie.”
    • “Although the music is repetitive, it sets the mood.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    Overall, the game is widely criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting that it feels linear and repetitive, offering little incentive to play again. While some players appreciate its initial fun and quirky elements, the absence of collections, achievements, or meaningful choices significantly diminishes its long-term engagement. Despite a few positive mentions of quality and engagement, the consensus is that the game does not provide enough variety or challenge to warrant multiple playthroughs.

    • “While it is short compared to most games out there, it's got a lot of replayability. The game keeps you engaged and interested, and you can tell the devs put a lot of hard work into the game, so quality is on your side!”
    • “For the dollar-twenty I paid for it, that's pretty good, but I would have preferred it had more challenge, less tutorials, and more replay value in exchange for a higher price tag.”
    • “I am glad I got this game on a deal; it is good but there are better games (longer and more replay value) in this genre.”
    • “This game is a quirky resource management and item creation game that is fun, but unfortunately lacks in replay value.”
    • “The story is short and replay value isn't that high as there are no collections or achievements.”
    • “It's very linear; you can't even choose where to build your houses, which means the replay value is very low as every playthrough will be exactly the same.”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with many users reporting various bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and progress. While some players managed to complete the game despite these issues, others experienced significant setbacks, including game-breaking glitches that required restarts. Overall, the game is described as "very buggy," which detracts from the overall experience, though some minor glitches are manageable.

    • “The interface and the game itself are pretty bug-free.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the game runs; I've experienced very few crashes.”
    • “The performance is consistently smooth, making for an enjoyable gaming experience.”
    • “Very buggy to the point it messes up your progress; I had to restart the game to somehow play it and still encountered bugs.”
    • “Deviate from this path too much and you can run into game-breaking glitches.”
    • “It would be good for the price if it wasn't so buggy.”
  • humor11 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally described as light-hearted and whimsical, appealing particularly to younger audiences with its cartoonish graphics and funny character designs. Players appreciate the amusing elements, such as humorous animations and audio, although some feel the humor could be enhanced further. Overall, the game is characterized as a fun, simple, and slightly silly city-building experience.

    • “There will be no rest for the wickedly funny as you put them to work building a village to rival paradise!”
    • “Simple, humorous, city building game with cartoonish graphics and funny character designs.”
    • “At first glance, this is a funny, slow-paced city builder game, fairly short and simple.”
  • grinding9 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of "The Happy Hereafter" to be tedious and frustrating, as it involves repetitive tasks like gathering resources and building without a compelling storyline or engaging mechanics. The lack of clarity on resource availability and regeneration adds to the monotony, making the gameplay feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience. Overall, the grinding is compared unfavorably to other casual games, leading to a diminished sense of fun and engagement.

    • “I couldn't finish the game because it's really not worth playing in that condition; it's tedious, boring and incredibly irritating.”
    • “You do not know how much resources there are left to gather per location and how fast they regenerate so as the map expands due to exploration, revealing new resource locations, this becomes increasingly tedious work.”
    • “It's like grinding through levels on a WoW character or playing a Facebook/mobile free-to-play game: build, upgrade, upgrade more, gather, build, rinse and repeat.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a relaxing ambiance enhanced by its music and visual style, reminiscent of "A Corpse Bride" and "The Book of Life." Players appreciate the pleasant graphics and a laid-back vibe similar to that of "Costume Quest," contributing to an overall soothing experience.

    • “The music definitely adds to the game, creating a nice relaxing atmosphere.”
    • “The style and atmosphere are somewhere between 'A Corpse Bride' and 'The Book of Life'.”
    • “In some respects, the atmosphere of the game reminds me of Costume Quest.”
    • “The atmosphere and lack of urgency create a relaxing experience.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization of "The Happy Hereafter" is criticized for resembling a low-effort cash grab, lacking in-app purchases or ads, which some players find tedious and detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “Some kind of a solo offline village builder with no artificial wait and no in-game purchases.”
    • “The happy hereafter looks like a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab, but doesn't appear on the app stores.”
    • “As much as that might seem like it adds some difficulty or complexity, for me it just seemed tedious and takes away from the fun of these types of games.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game offers various quality levels for optimization, allowing players to adjust settings according to their preferences. However, it lacks a dedicated worker page for tracking hunger and happiness levels until later in the game, which can hinder management early on.

    • “The game is also optimized, giving us several quality levels to choose from.”
    • “The optimization allows for smooth gameplay even on lower-end devices.”
    • “The various optimization settings help tailor the experience to individual preferences.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its unique and varied designs, ensuring that not all characters appear the same, even among deceased ones. The humorous and cartoonish style complements the simple city-building gameplay, adding a lighthearted touch to character interactions.

    • “The character designs were impressive; not every character looked the same, which added depth to the game.”
    • “This is a simple, humorous city-building game with cartoonish graphics and unique character designs that enhance the overall experience.”
    • “Character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “The progression of characters is predictable and uninspired, leaving little room for growth or surprise.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be underwhelming, as they often relied on clichés rather than meaningful development.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game is noted for its casual nature, allowing players to engage without significant emotional investment in the storyline, making it a refreshing take on worker and resource management.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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