#HAPPY GAME EXPLAINED SERIES#

This control system occasionally builds a more tangible connection with objects, but it also results in clumsier movement and imprecise interaction. This extends to most puzzles, as many things are fused together and must be ripped apart or pulled sideways, including levers and limbs. Rather than a traditional point-and-click system for movement and interaction, the game defaults to a click-and-drag method. Moving the boy across the screen is done by dragging him with the mouse. The shift to violent horror also means the adventure is less amusing than Amanita’s previous titles. The ‘scariest’ parts are when the game flashes abrupt and high-contrast screens like it’s trying to incite an epileptic fit, but these are just annoying. Even when the boy’s head is removed, he merely rolls forward until the rest of his body is relocated. When something big and mean gives chase, the game takes control and you just sit and watch. Part of this is because there never seems to be any danger. While this sounds gruesome, the game is rarely scary or unsettling. Even a giant smiley face will need to have its eyes plucked out. Little heart-people will explode after you take away their favorite items. Bunnies must be force-fed carrots and then cut in half. There is plenty of cartoon blood, and the tasks the boy must perform are rather sadistic.

The boy’s nightmares evoke a more violent theme than Amanita’s typical weird. Like Chuchel’s hunt for the cherry, the goal is simple and there is not much story that connects each nightmare, in what is essentially a mosaic of weird but simple puzzles. Each scene throws up an obstacle or has items/characters that hold the personal item hostage temporarily. He will pursue a ball, a rabbit toy, and a dog through random and frequently unconnected scenes. The boy (you) must then follow the stolen item across the screen and try to regain ownership. Each nightmare preys on the boy’s fear of loss, by taking away something precious. The nightmares seem to be generated by a menacing smiley face that enjoys inflicting torture.

#HAPPY GAME EXPLAINED SERIES#

Happy Game begins with a boy entering a series of nightmares.

Happy game explained