Happy Bones Review

 *Contains Spoilers* A Delightful Surprise

Truthfully, when I started playing Happy Bones, I had no idea what to expect. It was a RPG, which is a game style I rarely play, and the artwork was adorable; Far from the dark, gore-filled horror games I’m used to. But the more I played, the more I came to love this quirky, unique horror experience.

First of all, I admire all of the love and care that went into crafting a hand-drawn game like Happy Bones. The main character, Laura, is fierce yet cute, and the creatures throughout the game were fun and imaginative. Hustler, the worm is definitely my favorite.

I also enjoy the amount of replayability the game offers. At the beginning, players have three character types they can choose from. Occult, Brave, and Holy each have different strengths and weaknesses, and for my first playthrough, I opted for the Brave class with higher HP. With this character type, I was able to break rocks and access areas that I couldn’t access otherwise, so it appears as though multiple playthroughs with the various character types may be necessary to see everything the game has to offer. 

The game has a retro feel that people who grew up with early Final Fantasy and Pokémon games will likely enjoy. Players take turns attacking and being attacked, so planning ahead and having plenty of items on hand to heal or refresh stamina is essential, as some fights are inescapable. Many of the items available to Laura for fighting, healing, and stats boosts are fun and unusual, such as ice cream cones, dolls, and guano (ew).

The sound design for the game as a whole was excellent. The soundtrack was energetic and the creature sounds were creepy. One small criticism I have is the sound effect for selecting anything in the menu, which sounds a bit like the beeping of a smoke alarm that is low on batteries. It wasn’t a problem on it’s own, but hearing it several times in succession could be distracting. 

One small aspect of the gameplay I found confusing at first was interacting with notes or examining my surroundings. I can click on item boxes and open them right away, but I had to press a different key while looking right at a note before I could read it. It would help if this were a little more clear to players, but I figured it out on my own after a bit regardless.

Overall, Happy Bones is an unexpectedly fun ride. The story, while strange, is interesting from beginning to end, the characters and creatures unique and unpredictable, and the soundtrack will keep you dancing in your chair the whole time. With three different character types to choose from, there’s so much more to unearth. If you’re searching for a not-so-scary horror game that will keep you engaged for hours on end, this may just be the one for you.

[Lady played Happy Bones on PC with a mouse and keyboard]