Although they have released a couple in the past, and many of the games they publish do have similar elements of presenting narrative in them, Nippon Ichi Software America isn’t really known as a visual novel publisher. But taking on a heavy localisation task, the company are working on bringing the visual novel PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness to western markets from September 13th 2016 on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness takes place during the time-span of the first season of the anime, and adds backstory and world building to the overall series. This includes presenting new in-depth storylines which can be impacted based on player decisions, and the introduction of brand new characters whom will provide new perspectives regarding the larger Psycho-Pass Universe.
Acquainting potential players with PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness, NIS America have shared the above “Introduction Trailer”. Coming in at a minute and a half in length, this video sets out to introduce the new/returning characters and explain how your decisions can have an impact on the story. Granted there isn’t much one can introduce in just 1.5 minutes, especially given the complexity of PSYCHO-PASS’ narrative, it is nevertheless another look at a visual novel we can expect to see on store shelves (Digitally and Physically) in the coming months.
About PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness
In the near future, advanced technological developments have allowed one’s mental state and disposition to be quantified and profiled.
For the public’s welfare, all emotions and thoughts are documented and managed by the Sibyl System. This system measures the quality of each person’s life by what is known as the Psycho-Pass, a reading of an individual’s mind. Broken down into two main components, the Psycho-Pass is the system’s omniscient eyes of justice. One of these components is the Hue, which is a visual representation of the Psycho-Pass that conveys a person’s stress level. The other is the Crime Coefficient, which is a numerical value that represents a person’s criminal capacity. This number determines whether an individual requires enforcement by the detectives of the Public Safety Bureau. Detectives are divided into two groups: Enforcers, who are tasked with the investigation of crimes and the apprehension of criminals, and Inspectors, who are charged with managing the Enforcers.
