Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 77 | 12 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 79% | 74 | 90 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 70 | 3 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (50)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“Anyone who doesn't enjoy Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness clearly needs to get their Hue checked. The story is enthralling and compelling, with enough routes and flags to warrant replays. It manages to add more depth to the characters and universe, which were already well developed, and is a better accompaniment to the superb first season of the anime than the movie or second season. There have been some phenomenal Visual Novels over the years, games like Steins;Gate, Danganronpa and the Zero Escape series, so there's no higher praise than to say this is easily on par with those gems.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Visual novels have rallied hard over the last few years, not only showing up in North America but also having moved from PC exclusives to showing up on consoles more readily. Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is the latest such visual novel from NIS America and 5pb and it delivers exactly what you would hope for from the genre: stylish visuals, excellent voice acting and most importantly an engaging story.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, if you’re happy to sit down and have a good read, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is an extremely well-told story with an incredibly well-written antagonist. The lack of animation and interactivity will be off-putting for some, but if you can look past that you’re in for an engrossing experience that moulds itself around your choices.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Whether you’ve been a fan of Psycho-Pass for years, or you hadn’t even heard of the series until you saw this review, Mandatory Happiness is well worth checking out. Though you can play it as a newcomer, it’s a far more rewarding experience if you’ve watched the anime.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness won't win a GOTY prize. It's entertaining and that's all. Even though we have reviewed the game in its PS4 version, it's the perfect product for PS Vita, specially manga fans, obviously. It's hard to talk about it as a game when it's not, but it's an interesting product for Psycho-Pass fans.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness does a great job and bringing the world that fans have come to love to a visual novel and while it could have been better in areas it’s definitely an enjoyable experience. I reviewed the game on PlayStation 4 but it would feel more at home on the PlayStation Vita which, thankfully; it is also available on. I actually spent a good deal of my time with it using remote play as it’s just a much more comfortable experience when you’re having to spend a lot of your time reading. Ultimately, I feel the enjoyability of this game really comes down to how much you like reading, though there is a minigame to mix things up a little but that’s only necessary to unlock gallery items.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“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!”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a visual novel that kept me interested through its characters, world, and story, while constantly engaged by the player choices impacting on the plot. There’s a bit of information overload at times if you haven’t seen the anime, but that shouldn’t be enough to put anyone off.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“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.”
read full review ↗
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Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.