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- Bigben Interactive
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- Bigben Interactive
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- Bigben Interactive
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- Bigben Interactive
Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory
Released On: Oct 3, 2019
47
5.5
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
47
6% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
38% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
50% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
47
6% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
38% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
50% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
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.
Overall, Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory feels like a missed opportunity.
Paranoia offers a unique premise with a ton of potential and under which many interesting scenarios can unfold. The balance between oppressiveness and humor is executed well, giving a very unique feel to this particular dystopian setting. Unfortunately, the developers are unsuccessful in using these to flesh out the world and narrative or to create characters that feel alive. While there are some cool ideas like termination booths, treason level, and cloning, they are executed a bit too close to the letter of the source material and don’t translate to a fun experience in a CRPG. The game is an interesting experience purely for its world and general atmosphere, but ultimately it fails to come together due to the lack of depth in its mechanics, character development, and world lore.
Poor in content, form and substance, Paranoia: Happiness is mandatory involuntarily inscribes itself in the list of games that certainly do not bring the video game closer to the traditional role-playing game, but rather that underline the extreme differences and limits of the medium with respect to the characteristics of the paper versions.
The only positive thing I can say about this game is that it convinced me to research the source material. The tabletop RPG is infinitely more interesting than this adaptation because it’s designed for human interaction - hence the name “Paranoia”. When the surprises and betrayals are scripted, the core of the game is missing. Happiness may be mandatory but, thankfully, to play this game is optional.
All of these issues in design and execution are really a shame, since they mean that Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is not enjoyable for any amount of time. The dialogue is clever and witty, and I enjoyed seeing Alpha Complex come to life in videogame form, but aesthetics can only carry something so far. While I can’t recommend this iteration. there’s always the pen-and-paper version for those who need a fix.
Paranoia feels like someone got hold of the license and then either couldn’t figure out what to do with it or had a lot of nice ideas that were then horribly constrained by budget and time. Were it budget-priced or still in Early Access, it might be forgivable. But as a full, major release? It’s too short, too annoying, and too uninteresting to recommend to anyone – even the most ardent of Paranoia fans.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 23 User Ratings
5.5
43% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
17% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
39% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 23 User Ratings
5.5
43% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
17% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
39% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Summary Lead a team of four Troubleshooters of dubious loyalty, who (mostly) obey orders from Friend Computer, a paranoid and irrational artificial intelligence. Inspired by the classic games of the CRPG genre, experience the first official adaptation of the cult role-playing game.
Rated T
for Teen
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 4
Initial Release Date: Oct 3, 2019
Developer:
- Black Shamrock
Publisher: Bigben Interactive
Genres: