Bigben Interactive, Cyanide Studios and Irish development outfit Black Shamrock Studio have announced that Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory is set to launch on October 3rd, 2019 for PC. The game is based on the tabletop experience and was originally created by Dan Gelber, Greg Costikyan, and Eric Goldberg.
Following the release on PC, the game is also scheduled to make its way to home consoles as well. Ahead of the October release, Black Shamrock rolled out a new developer diary for the title at this year’s GamesCom in Cologne, Germany.
The four minute developer diary covers the core concept of Paranoia’s world, as well as the isometric, team-based gameplay that sits at the heart of the title. You can check out the developer diary below.
So the core concept of the tabletop adapted RPG is that you take on the role of four troubleshooters deigned with carrying out the tasks on behalf of the not-so-friendly AI supercomputer.
The game combines slapstick violence on top of dark humor, creating a whimsically terrifying experience in a world where happiness is mandatory… or else.
The gameplay itself is controlled like a team-based, isometric strategy game. You’ll engage in combat with enemies, attempt to hack your way through areas using a hacking mini-game, or acquire items and attempt to craft new supplies for your crew.
The hook for the game is that your squad isn’t entirely trustworthy.
As you progress through the game you may have to commit acts that may not align with Friend Computer’s end goal, which may result in one of your team members betraying you. Alternatively, one of your squad may strike up a conversation and commit to an idea that results in treason, hence the name Paranoia.
The idea is that one of your teammates could betray you, or you could end up on the bad side of Friend Computer, the devious AI, or you may have to step outside the designated rules in order to get the task done.
The concept sounds intriguing and at least it’s not another grayish-brown military shooter or feminist puff piece, so there’s that.
You can look for Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory to launch on PC first starting October 3rd, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions due to release some time after that.
