Blog Post 1 - Review of Please Be Happy
I’ve just finished one of the four possible endings of Please Be Happy—the comfy Aspen route—and all I can say is... wow. There are many games that leave you feeling awful, deeply saddened, or even horrified by their content, yet few can evoke pure, unadulterated joy through their conclusions. I’ve cried at an extremely select handful of games in my life. Nier: Automata is one of the only games that has ever brought me to tears, and that game is one of, if not my favorite, of all time. Please Be Happy, though, doesn’t just evoke a quiet sense of happiness; it made me tear up with joy. It may not reach the profound emotional depth of something like Opus: Echo of Starsong, but it has still managed to tug at my heart in a way that few games do. I suspect that had I been more tired or in a darker state of mind, I would’ve cried outright.
This is a simple yet incredibly beautiful story. There’s a quiet elegance to it that lingers long after the ending. I wholeheartedly recommend it. It resonated with me because it touches on themes I’ve enjoyed in other games, like the nature of mortality, but it never delves too deeply, sparing you from the despair that often accompanies such explorations. Instead, it offers them in a gentle, almost understated way, building character without overwhelming you. The art is stunning, and the music—paired with exceptional voice acting—elevates the experience even further. There’s also a surprising depth of content, which is a welcome treat, though most of it is presented through simple text descriptions of what occurs.
Though I often joke about being a "yuri enjoyer," the wholesome love at the heart of Please Be Happy is so pure and heartfelt that anyone can find themselves smiling in spite of themselves. It’s just that kind of game.
The protagonist, Miho—a fox girl on a quest to find the person who saved her life—finds herself in Wellington, New Zealand, where she meets Aspen, a human barista with dreams of being a successful writer, and Juliet, a vampire who seeks to spread joy in the midst of her long existence. Both characters are potential romantic interests, though I chose Aspen. Still, I imagine Juliet’s route would be equally as compelling and emotionally complex. The game revolves around Miho’s gradual journey toward friendship and intimacy with Aspen and/or Juliet, discovering the joys of "human" life—something she never had in her nomadic and solitary past. It's a tale of growth, connection, and finding comfort in simplicity, when paired with a loving partner and a caring friend.
However, while Please Be Happy is a beautiful experience, it’s not without its flaws. While the game is exceedingly good at making you emotional when it wants to, that emotionality often lacks depth due to some pacing issues. The story has some disruptive time skips, which can detract from the overall cohesiveness. These time skips also hinder the characters' growth, leaving Miho, for instance, to evolve from a frightened and somewhat feral fox into a fully-fledged "human" within the span of just an hour. The rest of the game is focused on her character growth, but there are moments of illogical interactions, albeit well-written ones. There’s a part of me that wishes the game were longer. While still quite lengthy for a visual novel, it feels like there could have been more chapters dedicated to Miho’s personal development before diving fully into the romance. As it stands, the romance feels somewhat rushed at first, almost forced, though it eventually grows into something much more heartfelt and tender.
In the end, Please Be Happy has done exactly what it set out to do: it has made me happy. It’s as simple as that. I’m not going to write a 10,000-word analysis for a game that isn’t focused on complex lore gameplay but is solely concerned with eliciting an emotional response. What matters is that I loved this game, and I feel extremely grateful for somehow finding it.
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