Paranoia: Happiness is mandatory

Subvert or support an underground dystopia.

Happiness is Mandatory is based on the tabletop RPG, and goes meta by parodying that satire. It’s witty and brimming with maddening bureaucracy and obfuscating double-speak that’s part Joseph Heller, part Aldous Huxley.

You are a clone, born into adulthood in a futuristic underground society called Alpha Complex. It’s a rigidly hierarchical place, run by an all-seeing AI called Friend Computer, and filled with subservient people wearing colour-coded jumpsuits that denote their social standing. One small step out of line, and your treason will begin to accrue.

Treason is all too easy to commit in Paranoia, and you’ll need to quickly learn how to tow the line lest your treason level reaches 100 per cent and you’re summoned for incineration by Friend Computer. Speaking out of turn, asking too many questions, or even giving the wrong answers at a confession booth designed to absolve you of your transgressions are just a few of the slip-ups you can make.

I always have time for a game that lets you play the bastard. Double-crossing double-crossers, or executing enemies after smooth-talking some intel from them feels deliciously evil. At these points, Paranoia follows the prestigious path of Disco Elysium in showing that a well-written game can be compelling with minimal combat.

True to CRPG tradition, combat is real-time with pause. You can direct squad members to get behind cover, flank enemies, and use some cooldown-based abilities, but beyond the bosses the enemy AI rarely tests you. For the most part, you can pew-pew your way through the game with laser rifles, rockets, and the occasional ability. There’s a loot system here too, but the limited range of interesting weaponry and armour along with tight and fiddly inventory space means that it’s rarely worth the hassle to go through.

It tends to feel a little pointless itself, lacking a clear incentive for you to push through the game. It captures the irreverence of its tabletop source material, but skims over too many details needed to make it a great videogame.