Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory Reviews
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Black Shamrock and Bigben Interactive launched their humorous CRPG Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory roughly a month ago without much fanfare. But even so, at this point we can check out a good number of reviews for the game that unfortunately don’t paint that great of a picture. Have a look:
Rock Paper Shotgun Scoreless:
The problem, I think, is that while successfully adapted pen and paper games like Dungeons & Dragons are very rules and lore heavy, the tabletop version of Paranoia relies more heavily on multiple players engaging in creativity and improvisation. I know of a player group who all spent an hour of their tabletop session unable to leave an unlocked room. A high-ranking executive took them there, painted the door handle of the exit yellow, and left. As none of the player characters had Yellow Authorisation, they happily spent ages figuring out silly possible solutions for escape without touching the doorknob.
Paranoia is geared towards this kind of playful arguments and collaborative storytelling more than it is simulation. You can’t easily replicate scenarios like the above in a video game, so to port the setting into a standard computer RPG requires… more. I do wish Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory had been a bit more daring in the attempt.
CGMagazine 3.5/10:
It is difficult to translate what makes Paranoia such a fun and unique tabletop experience because its chaotic nature will inevitably feel constrained by the boundaries video games have to impose in order to properly function. Even so, Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is a noticeably weak adaptation that has few redeeming factors that make it worth playing.
The Indie Game Website 4/10:
The concept seemed safe enough, but by making the lore so vague, the dialogue and RPG elements so weak, and the combat too clumsy, Paranoia hasn’t lived up to expectations. With a name so blunt you’d be expecting to feel chills, to be looking over your shoulder, to thrive for triumph over an oppressive system that you fundamentally disagree with. Paranoia does none of this, and instead offers up a diluted, animated version of their table-top success. There’s a joke in there somewhere regarding board games/bored games, but so powerful is the ennui I’ll let you figure that one out for yourselves.
PC Invasion 3/10:
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.
TheGamer 2/5:
Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory demands you be happy and obedient, but you're more likely to be bored and upset that you didn't play something else.
God is a Geek 7.5/10:
Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is a fun RPG set in a unique, intriguing world that constantly surprises and amuses the more you investigate and question. The “traitor” system is just excellent too, forcing you to consider your every action. The combat could be more exciting and its over-reliance on walking and talking can stray too close to boring for comfort, but it remains a challenging and rewarding experience nonetheless.
