This is the final boss of the quirky earthbound inspired RPG maker games, it's funny, disturbing, cooky and jolly, dark and melancholic and finally, as the steam page says: A life ruining experience

Graphics: 9/10

Nothing much to say, it's great pixelart, honestly the only thing that kinda holds it back is the terrain itself, it's not that interesting, and this is not to say that there aren't interesting areas all around, but the fact that most of it is hidden behind the same ground texture which I guess was a deliberate decision since the story does take part in a desert-like post apocalypse. The character design is downright iconic, all the character have so much personality even though most characters barely get any characterisation. Creepyness is also a great facet of the game, the joy mutants and whatnot all look downright disgusting, god forsaken creatures. Overall loved the the visual style, even if it does repeat quite a few times

Music: 20/10

I don't write much here on any of my reviews, and the same applies here. Lot's of tracks, lot's of laughs, lot's of bangers, lot's of creepy tracks, and lot's of tear jerkers.

Gameplay: 9/10

For an RPG maker game, I think it works well. You got combo's, a really well balanced and numerous roster to use as your party, plenty of items both generic and weird, fair amount of exploration, great dialogue, and a hefty amount of choices that will affect that game. So yeah it is what it is. The only part that bumps this down to a 9 is the grinding, because this is a downright sadistic game (in the beginning). The difficulty becomes relatively trivial erhem erhem gasoline spit (didn't use it btw) , but the grinding is what makes this tedious.

Story: /

It hurts


Overall: 10/10

Loved it in every way possible, and it will stick with me for a long while. It's kinda overpriced however, and Joyful is pretty short for it's price.

Live in joy.

"You have to know this, Buddy, I was completely lost before I found you. You made me feel something again... things no one has ever made me feel. You showed me what love really is. And that's why- when I look into your eyes- it's the scariest feeling in the world. It's why I buried myself so deep into darkness. But I promise you, I tried so hard to fight it. I tried, and no matter what, I really did love you with all my heart."

"I'm so sorry I failed you, Buddy. I miss you so much."

"Goodbye."

I only liked the story