Review: Please Be Happy Is Comfy and Thoughtful

I’ve a little bit of a nasty monitor document with Studio Élan’s visible novels: each Coronary heart of the Woods and Freeway Blossoms have sat unplayed in my Steam library for years now. That form of candy however subdued Yuri VN needs to be one thing I completely adore, however in some way I’ve bounced off every of those I’ve tried. That’s till Please Be Glad, which I’m happy to report lastly managed to sink the studio’s hooks into me. And it truly is peak Élan, with a sluggish, cozy tempo and a contemplative temper, with quite a lot of literary references sprinkled in. In the event you’re searching for one thing extra epic, intense, and even comedic then this won’t be the sport for you, however if you need one thing sedate and considerate then Please Be Glad is totally value a glance.

The story follows Miho, an itinerant gumiho or fox spirit from Korea, as she travels in quest of an unknown determine from her earliest reminiscence. Arriving in Wellington, New Zealand, her preliminary plan to dwell in a literal gap within the floor and survive on purloined snacks is derailed when she is successfully taken in by Juliet, an aloof and sleek vampire, and Aspen, an area barista and aspiring author. What follows is the principally laid again, slice-of-life story of Miho integrating right into a society she had beforehand solely moved within the peripheries of, with a number of problems each romantic and supernatural.

Please Be Glad initially got here out again in 2021 for PC, however solely made it to consoles this February, 2025. Gameplay smart it’s principally linear with a number of low stakes decisions alongside the best way, later splitting right into a route for every of the two love pursuits with 2 endings every. You’ll additionally usually get the possibility to select from a number of areas to hang around in, principally to provide you a alternative of which facet tales and characters you wish to have interaction with however you can too choose empty areas for a brief little vignette of Miho on her personal, which is sweet. The accompanying artwork can be beautiful with a pleasant subdued palette with plenty of heat browns that matches the general tone excellently. A couple of of the facet characters have sprites that may look just a little tough, however the principle forged and backgrounds are nice and I particularly love Miho and Juliet’s outfit designs.

Miho herself is a reasonably clean character, however at the very least a part of that’s by design. She’s lived hand-to-mouth her entire life, surviving on intuition and her innate magic powers. A lot so, that she struggles to determine what to do along with her time now that she doesn’t should spend it consistently on the hunt for meals and shelter. As she adjusts to her new circumstances she exhibits herself to be curious and surprisingly empathetic, particularly given her lack of serious social interplay, as she warms as much as the brand new folks in her life rapidly. Maybe too rapidly, even, as I used to be form of left wishing Please Be Glad had just a little extra friction and battle as Miho struggles to unlearn the fight-or-flight intuition that has stored her protected to this point. She thinks about it a good quantity, however past the primary night time or so it doesn’t find yourself affecting issues an excessive amount of. She’s cute and eminently likable in fact, I simply really feel there was potential for some extra characterful hijinks in there to distinction with the sluggish, slice-of-life moments that make up many of the sport.

In the meantime Aspen, the primary of the 2 love pursuits, grew on me immensely in the course of the story. She might have so simply have been shy and forgettable, however that’s not her in any respect. She’s form and caring, sure, but in addition a bit patronizing and self-absorbed, which solely makes her extra plausible as a personality. And her dialogue is basically elevated by Anna Chloe Moorey’s voice efficiency, which will get throughout loads of subtlety via her intonation and inflection.

Actually loads of the voice work in Please Be Glad is fairly stellar. There’s even a number of abilities who would go on to work on a lot greater initiatives, like Shara Kirby (who’s ‘Cinder’ Carla in Armored Core 6, one other sport with implausible voice work) and Molly Zhang (who’s been in a number of HoYoVerse video games). My one gripe is that generally the recordings themselves might sound muddy, although I don’t know sufficient about sound work to counsel whether or not it’s a recording or mixing difficulty.

Lastly there’s Juliet, who takes some time to return into her personal as a personality as a result of she tends to be extra reserved and mysterious. Her design felt completely laser-targeted to my tastes, however I think about somebody much less into beautiful ladies in princely outfits won’t be as instantly as a result of she will really feel a bit absent or with out motivation till chunk of the best way into Please Be Glad. It feels a bit contrived, for instance, that she would supply somebody she barely is aware of free room and board particularly contemplating how she and Miho meet, however when you begin getting her backstory it does find yourself making sense.

She was initially going to be the primary love curiosity I pursued earlier than I used to be swayed by Aspen, and I do assume her story finally ends up working a bit higher because the second path to play. That mentioned, I couldn’t assist however want for a route the place Juliet and Aspen get collectively, with Miho as extra of a daughter determine. As a lot as I preferred every of the characters, the chemistry between Miho and the opposite two by no means fairly struck me as romantic and a few of the lovey-dovey components might generally really feel a bit unearned.

It’s nonetheless candy although, and watching Miho and the ladies bond momentarily sated my infinite thirst for Yuri, however I do admire that Please Be Glad is greater than only a automobile for the nice and cozy fuzzies. There’s some good thematic meat to it, and though it might generally be just a little on the nostril there was sufficient compelling stuff in there that my ideas would linger lengthy after I completed a play session. An enormous theme for Miho is discovering out who or what she is, and who she needs to grow to be after studying that, which I feel ought to resonate with anybody who has ties to a diaspora, whereas Juliet’s story typically faucets into the wealthy vein of pathos that’s relationships between mortals and immortals. I’d have preferred a number of extra moments of battle and pressure, however what’s current there actually added taste to the slower, slice-of-life components.

Whereas there are transient moments of intense emotion, Please Be Glad is generally a really mild story that may not fulfill these searching for an excessively cute or romantic story, as a result of that’s not what it’s. It’s a narrative about slowing down and appreciating what you could have, your self and deciding what it’s you really wish to do and be. In the event you can match its tempo, you’ll discover a satisfying story in a reasonably properly made package deal. The gorgeous anime ladies falling in love is only a bonus.

Please Be Glad is straight away accessible for PC, PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and Nintendo Change.

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