Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory - A Short Game Review

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is set in the same dystopian ‘world’ as the Paranoia board games created by Dan Gelber, Greg Costikyan, and Eric Goldberg. You are a citizen of Alpha Complex, a vast and sprawling facility with no access to the outside world. The complex is run by Friend Computer, an advanced AI that uses neural implants to see what you can see and uses this to record incidents that break the rules. Friend Computer has a simple set of rules for all residents: Comply with security, safety, and mandatory hygiene requirements, don’t enter any access areas above your access level. Oh, and happiness is mandatory. Failure to comply with any of these is punishable by termination, but you wouldn’t be silly enough to break any of these rules, would you?

The dialogue events impressed me at first, with witty self-awareness, and some interactions activating a multitude of options from which to choose. Over time the conversations became more event-driven, and often there was a single option to choose, acting more like a ‘continue’ button than anything else.

I didn’t complete the game, but I tried a few hours each over a couple of playthroughs. During the first playthrough, I was picking the options I thought would keep Friend Computer the happiest. While the second was a chance to try the other choices. Many of the options were either dead ends that returned to the original selection, ones that gave negative results then resulted in you choosing a more positive follow up option, or an option that results in the same outcome as the ‘optimal’ choice.

Another challenge to work around is that your inventory is cleared at the end of each mission. The secret storage at the base of your bed circumvents this, but space here is limited. You can hide a few items here that you want to carry over into other parts of the game. Basic things include some scrap metal used for crafting, extra ammo, and health items. But you could also try hiding weapons too if you wanted. The problem is that missions don’t always end when you expect them to, so you need to toss up about whether you want to follow a ‘save all’ or ‘save some’ approach. You risk having items taken from you sooner than anticipated or being caught short if you deposit useful items only to find another stage to the mission.

With respects to treasonous acts, there are areas of the complex where there is no connection to “The Cloud,” and this allows you to perform these acts (such as conspiring with fellow citizens) with a reduced likelihood of getting caught. However, it is impossible to be a completely law-abiding citizen because missions contain choices where all outcomes result in either a black mark against your name or compulsory termination. At first, these choices could seem like the game trying to corral you. Still, because of the context, we believe it is an intentional decision by the developers to create an environment where it is impossible to avoid creating problems. In a dystopian alternative reality, the choice to just toe the line might not be enough to keep you in good standing with the authorities.

The entire soundtrack is slightly over 23 minutes long (including the credits and a couple of bonus tracks), so music repeats reasonably often. Fortunately, they loop effectively without jarring the listener between transitions. The opening music heard during launch and setup is a standout piece that sets the scene well and exemplifies the other tracks in the game. It is a thrilling piece with an alarming electronic beat and a tense background of strings, brass, and beat.

Other tracks include the electronic sounds of an ominous industrial grind reminiscent of the sort used in movies when conveying the foreboding feeling of looking at some gigantic spaceship or complex. Another has a sense of urgency akin to that of trying to hack a terminal or cut a wire before the time limit expires.

At max settings on an i7-4970k, 16 GB RAM, R9 380, the game was smooth and without issue. The same settings on a laptop with i5-7200u, 8 GB RAM, MX 150, caused character movement to feel sluggish but consistent. Turning the graphics down to medium sorted this out. Although untested, the minimum system specs suggest that the integrated HD620 or similar pre-Intel-10th-gen iGPU would struggle unless the resolution was dropped low.

The graphics and sound both have the same vibe and do a good job of conveying the dystopian atmosphere of the game.