PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness Reviews
Psycho-Pass seems like a re-run of the first anime season, but that was enjoyable so it works out okay.
Psycho Pass: Mandatory Happiness will definitely appeal to fans of the anime. However with the little amount of player action and lines and lines of text, it might drive some away. However it does compensate with its replayability and engaging story line.
This mild sense of disappointment at Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness' production values can't obscure the fact that its most important component, its writing, succeeds, and largely captures what made the anime feel special. It may not exceed or even meet its source material's heights, but it does it justice, which is, considering Psycho-Pass' world, more than can be said for most cases.
Established fans of Psycho-Pass can revel in spending another few hours with their favorite characters and might even be considered a mandatory assignment for those interested in the CID.
It could be argued that Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is not, in a traditional sense, a game, but even so it’s unbelievably entertaining. Story gamers will be in heaven, and fans of the anime are sure to find it just as delightful. I’ve never even seen the anime and I definitely found my own happiness within the stories I experienced.
A deep plot and dramatic, and interesting characters, make Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness a must-have for any fans of the original series and of visual novels.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a great visual novel that is slightly diminished by its lackluster antagonist. The iteration on the rich world developed by the original anime is solid and well-paced. A fine addition to the genre on both home consoles and handhelds.
All together I thought PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness was very good. Every choice you make changes the outcome in the end so be very careful with what choices you make. And this goes without saying for veterans of visual novels, but save often! It makes multiple playthroughs a lot easier. At the end of the day, I felt like I could also start bringing justice to the world. I just have to start managing my own Hue first!
All-in-all, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a well-crafted, dark, gritty and edgy, detailed visual novel that I would happily play through a couple of times whenever I get bored of other visual novels such as Phoenix Wright or Danganronpa. The visuals are crisp and clean, voice acting (Whilst only in Japanese) is still top-notch, and the plot is tense and thrilling. My only concern is that I fear it will stumble near the end.
While mostly appealing to fans of the original series, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is able to present an immersive world and appealing narrative to newcomers - but come prepared to learn.
Even if you haven't seen the Psycho-Pass television series before, Mandatory Happiness does a good enough job of making it clear what's going on to be enjoyable. It tells an engaging and thought-provoking story that deals with some heavyweight and uncomfortable subjects, and one that poses plenty of ethical dilemmas along the way. If you can get past the borderline non-existent gameplay then the narrative will probably keep you entertained for a dozen hours or so, although it may leave you wondering if this story would have been better told over a few episodes of the anime instead.
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a decent example of game from a niche genre. Just don't expect to be doing much more than advancing through dialogue screens and you'll enjoy yourself.
In the end, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a worthy companion to the original series and one of the better Visual Novels available on consoles. It doesn’t quite have the narrative force that can hook people in like Steins;Gate or Danganronpa, but it is definitely the best possible medium for adapting the cyberpunk setting of the original series while letting fans spend more time with Akane and her team.
Commonly speaking, Visual novels are not really adored by everyone and only a few people enjoy playing them but all these aside, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a proper recommendation for those who want to enter the world of Visual novels and also for the fans. A mysterious mixture, trying to provide the player with an enjoyable time which makes it a “good” game and that’s all and it will also be a memorable experience for the fans of the series.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Despite the fluidity and adrenaline associated with the anime, 5pb’s release is pretty much a series of static images with characters slapped in the front. Movement is a luxury
PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness is a visual novel based on the anime series. I liked seeing the characters, learning more about the world, and I liked the ability to make choices that impact the story to fit how I thought the character might respond - even if it resulted in death and the end of the game. The few times the game let you see the stitching on the story was a little annoying, but it never dampened the entire experience. If you hate anime or visual novels, this game will not change your mind, but it is a well-crafted one. Fans of the show or genre should not miss it.
There’s a lot of story here for those looking to delve further into the Psycho Pass world.
If you’re a fan of the anime then Mandatory Happiness is a must-buy, especially if you want to see more of the cast and have another well-written story with twists and turns that’ll keep you guessing.
To conclude, PSYCHO-PASS Mandatory Happiness offers a really great story and amazing representation of the PSYCHO-PASS universe, letting us dive once again into this crazy world. It shows new aspects of this world, asks new questions and expands the universe, story-wise it´s pretty much what I expected. On the other hand, it suffers from a weak 2nd protagonist, a lackluster and boring presentation and some little problems within the story. It just never feels like the presentation PSYCHO-PASS needed to convey its world and their problems, resulting in a worse experience than necessary.