Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a visual novel game in which you play two characters dealing with the actions of a mysterious enemy in a futuristic dystopia. The game takes place in the setting of the anime series Psycho-Pass. Like the show, it has elements of police procedural, starring rookie detective Nadeshiko Kugatachi and hardened enforcer Takuma Tsurugi.

What is happiness, anyway?

For a world in which all-knowing computers tell individuals how to live the happiest possible lives, the setting of Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a grim, grey, violent one. Exploring it and the strange characters who inhabit it is the most appealing thing about this game. If you've played other visual novels, you'll know that they often don't have a lot of what most gamers would recognise as gameplay, and this title definitely fits that mould. There are a limited number of choice points, meaning that most of the time the player is really just reading the story with minimal interaction. However, the choices the player does have to make are morally ambiguous and complex, in keeping with the series' noir aesthetic. Dark, moody and compelling, the story is the strongest aspect of Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness.

Dig deeper into the mystery

If you don't mind the largely linear structure of a visual novel, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness tells a compelling story, especially for fans of the original anime who will see the hidden connections.