"Was there nothing I could do?" ― Correspondence from Enrique_Graves to true_faces
You Look Happy takes the player through a memory of true_faces’ days of having treatment at the Mental Assistance Department and how it affected him on each day he had at his home. Through a series of collecting hidden eyes and solving short puzzles, the player will discover more behind how true ended up in the maze beneath the Mental Assistance Department.
Overview[]
You Look Happy details the downward spiral that true_faces takes through imagery and symbolic references after seeking out treatment for his depression and grief for his lost partner Esmeralda at the Mental Assistance Department. He was experimented on through the use of Cure #49 and drained of it by the Mind Walkers as well, which made him experience a manic episode, but the withdrawal kicked in the next day and he returned to a psychological decline, however now experiencing a mental censorship of Esmeralda. The game makes the player search for 7 hidden clickable eyes in its first seven areas, which allow the player to progress to some puzzles which require the player to decode Octal text and further hidden object search in order to complete the game and understand most of the things that happened to True in greater detail.
Walkthrough[]
The player spawns in a sunny, mountainous area surrounding a house belonging to true_faces. Clicking on the door allows the player inside and they will find a living room area in the front containing a bookshelf on the left side and a TV and hat rack on the right side. A kitchen and dining room sit in the back, a microwave containing a slice of pizza and a note on the refrigerator reading “Gone to get milk, be back soon!” To the left of the front door at the back of the room is another door that leads into a hallway. Immediately to the left is a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh and to the right are photos of True with the love of his life, Esmeralda. Further down this side, another painting by Van Gogh called “Sunflowers” is hung up. There are two sets of doors on each side; the first to the left leads into true_faces’ room containing a bookshelf, a painting by Van Gogh called “Irises”, a flowerpot, a picture of the house at night, and a bed where true_faces is lying down. The first door to the right leads into the garage holding a red truck. The garage door is open, a path leading outside into a tunnel. The second door to the left is a bathroom with a working shower, bathtub, and toilet. The second door to the right is an office with two desks on each side, one holding a calendar (the date being August 13th) and the other holding a computer and monitor. To the right of the desk holding the computer is a working printer and pressing the button will print out a tax sheet. The painting hanging on the wall of this room is another Van Gogh piece, “The Red Vineyard”. At the back of the hallway is a small boiler room without a door. The journal entry in this game reads as
"I'm going in for treatment today.
I'm nervous.
Ipiprix says it's the best way to keep her
memory safe."
From the front door, the player should continue straight into the kitchen. To the far left is a refrigerator that can be opened when clicked––a black eyeball with an orange retina will be hiding inside and clicking it will collect the eye and place it into the player’s inventory. The player will then continue to the door on the right wall, walk down the hall until reaching the first door to the left. Going into the bedroom, the player will find True lying on his bed. Touching him will teleport the player to “Happy”.
Happy[]
The environment and music in this place is more upbeat with bright, colorful mountains and marshmallows and lollipops standing on the lawn. The house has also become colorful. All paintings in the house have now become either bright colors or some kind of inspirational quote. Coming into the house, the player can see a picture with the phrase “BE HAPPY” hanging on the right wall. The date on the calendar in the office room has proceeded to August 14th. The journal entry in this game reads as
"Everything feels great today.
I feel happy for the first time in...
Why am I so happy?
If I don't know
is that such a problem?"
To the right below this painting is a TV-stand. Clicking on the drawer’s beneath the television will open them up to another eye that the player must click. True stands near the counter in the kitchen at the back of the room, and touching him teleports the player to “Truth”.
Truth[]
The environment and music are now gloomy and almost grim, the world now appearing in grayscale. Inside the house, all photographs and even the rug have been replaced with an image consisting of a black background and three lined up dots, true feels like he is being watched now that he has come off the high of Cure #49. The journal entry in this game reads as
"If I can't remember
why does it still hurt so much?
I miss you so much yet I can't remember your smile"
Coming into the house, the player must take the door on the right wall down the hallway and go into the second door to the right into the office. Pressing a button on the printer will print out a picture of an eye that the player must click. The calendar in the office has once again shifted a day ahead, August 15th. Coming out of the office and going into the room across (the bathroom), the player will find True standing in front of the mirror which is flashing the following phrases: “You should have been there. You let her go by herself. You should have joined her.” Walking into the mirror teleports the player to “Judgment”.
Judgment[]
The player spawns on a bright red circle in a dark world and can immediately hear whispering voices. All pathways branching from the circle lead to stone walls except one: as the player walks down this path, eyeballs line either side and say phrases such as: “YOU DID THIS. This is all YOUR FAULT. She will NEVER COME BACK. YOU could have SAVED HER. All I see is a FAILURE. You were supposed to PROTECT HER. Without her, you are NOTHING. Your SELFISHNESS made this happen. She is gone because of YOU. You should be gone instead. She meant everything to you, yet you LET THIS HAPPEN. You’re TOO WEAK to protect her. Because of your mistakes, she is GONE. I see a PATHETIC worm, cursed to be alone. ” True stands at the end by a grave reading “HERE LIES SOMEONE YOU LOVED. ” Touching this grave teleports the player to “One”.
The player will once again spawn near True’s house, this time resembling its environment from the start of the game, just a little darker lighting-wise, with a slower version of the music from “Happy” playing. The journal entry in this game reads as
"I'm going in for treatment today.
I'm nervous.
Ipiprix says it's the best way to keep her
memory safe."
The player will immediately find the eye upon entering the front doors of the house, as it will be staring at them from atop the coat rack. Click on the eye and proceed to the boiler room to find True looking at a framed photo with him and Esmeralda in the kitchen making cookies. Touch True to proceed to “Two.” Calendar date reads August 16th.
Spawning outside the front of True’s house, the environment has got slightly darker once again, and the music has slowed slightly compared to One. Entering the house, the player must proceed to the bathroom and flush the toilet by pressing on its handle, then looking inside of the toilet bowl, the player will find an eye they must collect to progress. The photograph True was looking at in One is now resting against the wall which the rest of the photos can be seen on, which will happen to each photo after this as well. After collecting this eye, proceed to True’s bedroom to find True staring at a photo of him and Esmeralda posing for a picture in front of the entrance to the hallway. Touch True to proceed to “Three.” Calendar date reads August 17th. The journal entry in this game reads as
"Was she important?
She must have been.
I feel the hole
she left behind.
I feel the guilt at her death.
The heartache.
The sorrow."
Once again, spawning outside of the house, the atmosphere has become even darker and the music has become very slow. The player must once again enter the house and head for the bathroom, but this time they must enter the shower and press on the shower dial to have an eye sprinkle out from the faucet above. Clicking on the eye, the player must proceed to the garage, to see True once again staring at a photograph, with the photo being of True and Esmeralda having a lovely evening together outside. Touch True to finally make it to “Four.” Calendar date reads August 18th. The journal entry in this game reads as
"Who were you?
Why can't I remember?
You were important.
Did we have plans?
It's not just you.
I feel as though I've lost everything.
Given it away."
The atmosphere has reached its darkest point. The song in the background has slowed down and is now distorted with the crackling of thunder and static bits playing often throughout it. True is finally broken, unable to recall his dearest at all, but the emptiness and the fact that he knows they were dear to him eat away at his crumbling heart. Proceed forward and open up the oven door by clicking on it, inside of the oven will be the last eye the player must click on. Staring backwards towards the doors, directly to the right of the two doors, the player will see True staring at a photo of himself laying next to Esmeralda in a flowerbed peacefully. Touching True will teleport the player to the next game, Watching. Calendar date reads August 19th. The journal entry in this game reads as
"WHO WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU WHO
WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU
WHO WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU WHO WERE YOU"
Watching[]
The player will be transported to a new room entirely, with True sitting on a couch at the center of the room and holding a mask out to the player, moving to the back of the room, the player will find red text written on the wall in Octal, it reads: “The eyes are the key.” The eyes are exactly the key to progress, if the player collected the seven hidden eyes before this area, they will be able to click on seven empty pedestals on the ground next to the back wall with slots for each eye. Once all seven eyes have been placed, a secret entrance will slide down the back wall, allowing the player to find a room full of monitors displaying logs from doctor Bart Montgomery while he was treating True with Cure #49:
“August 13. After treatment, the subject appears normal, although he seems a bit… fake. Further observation required.” ~Bart Montgomery
“August 14. Subject appears unnaturally cheerful today. This may indicate that Cure #49 is a success, further observation required.” ~Bart Montgomery
“August 15. Subject has crashed. He spends hours looking into the mirror, and seems obsessed with photos of the deceased.” ~Bart Montgomery
“August 16. Things have settled down somewhat, although the subject has taken to holding a post-it-note with him at all times.” ~Bart Montgomery
“August 17. The subject’s behavior is alarming. Ipiprix tells me that this is typical of Shells and I shouldn’t worry, but I feel this is inhumane.” ~Bart Montgomery
“August 18. Subject is extremely upset. He hides photos because he can’t bear to look at them and then spends hours searching for them again.” ~Bart Montgomery
“August 19. After extended observation, it is clear to me that Cure #49 is not a success, and I recommend that it be discontinued” ~Bart Montgomery
On the days between the 13th and the 15th, True was undergoing experimentation using the Cure #49 of someone else as an antidepressant, which was unsuccessful as its effects lasted too short and the withdrawal symptoms heavily outweighed the benefits. The days after this detail True having Cure #49 drained from him, meaning his happy memories were extracted from his mind.
Masks[]
The player will spawn once again in a completely different room right next to True_Faces, with a cobblestone flooring and bookshelves atop flights of stairs which house multiple masks between them. Talking to True will unveil a string of Octal text, which when translated reads: “Which one am I?” There also exist 10 wooden pillars supporting the two opposite sides of the room, if the player goes behind them, they will find a piece of octal. Translating all of the octal then unscrambling it reveals the message: “I am myself.” And this is correct, going up to True_Faces and clicking on his face (at some angles) will open up a new passageway at one of the far ends of the room, which will close if not entered soon enough. Clicking any of the other masks does nothing. Entering the passageway takes the player to Reflection.
Players will spawn to see True staring into a mirror in front of them, a bookshelf on their right, alongside an important object in the form of a model of the SOURCE, which the player will need to take note of when they return to the Mental Assistance Department, as it details where each mask in that game must be located. The carpeted flooring is dotted with three large red eyes. Speaking to True, the player will be met with more Octal text, translating to: “What’s wrong with my reflection?” This puzzle is a simple spot the difference game, with the difference being one of the six lights above the player is flickering in the other room, the player must click on that light within the room they are currently in, which will slide a painting on the left side of the room (a couch and television are here as well) upwards revealing a secret room. Entering the room, the player will find a table with a flower pot on top of it and True to the right. Standing on the flower pot, the player will be able to obtain a hammer. If the player takes too long to retrieve the hammer, the painting will close up behind them, to escape the player must simply touch True to teleport to the room’s center. When back in the room's center, smash the mirror with the hammer and enter the back door in the mirrored room to make it to the final puzzle, Direction.
The player will spawn next to a large white box which is encasing whatever is inside of it very well. Turning and looking around the area, the player will see signs which lead to four clones of True’s house, each labelled ‘One,’ ‘Two,’ ‘Three,’ and ‘Four’ respectively. The sun will be rotating extremely fast, which makes days seem to a little more than a few seconds. Starting with the house labelled One, enter True’s garage, inside of his car the player will find a photograph of True and Esmeralda posing in front of their hallway entrance, clicking on this photo will cut down one of the layers of the central box, and clicking the hidden photos in the other three houses will completely reveal what was inside the box. Heading to the house labelled Two and entering it, the player will find this photograph hidden behind one of the chairs at the dining room table next to the kitchen, the picture is of True and Esmeralda in the kitchen making cookies together. Clicking this photo cuts down the box to its gray level. Returning to the center and heading to the house labelled Three, the player will find the photograph hidden underneath True’s bed, it is of him and Esmeralda laying in the flowerbed together. Clicking the photo cuts the box down to its last layer. Heading to the house labelled four, the photograph is hidden underneath the desk with the now blank calendar on it in True’s office. The photo is of True and Esmeralda standing out together in moonlight. Clicking the photo will destroy the box completely, revealing of course, True_Faces himself to be encased inside of it. Touching True teleports the player to the final area, True Face.
True Face[]
When teleporting to this final area, the player will be greeted with a line of text that says: ‘A few weeks ago…’ After this the player may begin to search the room in front of them. Atop the doorframe is a large block of octal text written in red, which when decoded translates to: “I'm sorry Darling, I said yes. My memories of you will be immortal, but I won't hold them with me.” Out of the grief of the loss of his wife Esmeralda, True agreed to an experiment which would have his happy memories of her extracted from his mind and allowed to live on forever. Walking into the room, the player will find it to be familiar, Ipiprix’s office from back at the Mental Assistance Department. The player will see that True had originally come to Ipiprix and M.A.D in hopes of finding a way to ease his grief after the loss of his wife, but this led to him suffering even further, forgetting Esmeralda completely and being trapped for experiments with the Mind Walkers. Behind the room on the outside, the player will find the green memory cube. Touching it will prompt the text:
You have found a Memory Cube:
Collect all 4 cubes to understand everything, and to put an end to this madness.
“Something went horribly wrong with this procedure. Was it an accident?”
Players will then be returned to the Mental Assistance Department, to proceed further and find the rest of the memories of those involved with the Department.
History[]
You Look Happy was published on March 21st, 2019. The building in this version was much more simple and the layout of the entire house was different as well. In addition to this, the eye puzzle involved the player placing each eye in the place they found it in order on a map of the house, and instead of finding picture frames after finding all eyes in the house, the player would find various items around the that True would clearly be using to commit suicide each time during this sequence.
Due to the explicit content, the game was put under review some time in May 2020. This led to the remaster (originally called Beneath The Mask) being made in March 2019 with a more elaborate building style and different puzzle mechanics, with some aspects of the gameplay staying the same (finding the eyes, clicking True’s face, using a hammer to break the mirror). Besides this, on the 25th of March, 2021, the MAD Myth Official Twitter Account had released a document showing off how close Esmeralda and Drew (true_faces’ real name confirmed by the document) were, as well as the events just before Esmeralda had left to get milk and was killed in a fatal car accident, leading True to seek out mental help for his grief and depression.
Trivia[]
- The game shown on True’s computer at the start of the game is Metroid Fusion for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance.
- The artist of the thumbnails behind You Look Happy is Flawed_Immortal. Some of the original images inside of the house in ‘Happy’ were also her creation as well.
- The two other paintings on the wall with the four paintings of Esmeralda show True driving his truck happily, and another shows True staring at his car with MAD doctor Enrique Graves next to him, which reveals that Graves was likely the one to refer True to the department.
- In most areas of the game, if the player stares at the television in the living room for long enough, they will see a short flash of a lone white comedy mask on screen.
Theories[]
- The happy memories of another cannot replace your own, and your happy memories are necessary in order to retain your humanity.
- In spite of being on the Cure #49 of another, True was still not able to shake the loss of his wife Esmeralda, and even when he had his happy memories of her completely removed, he was still left with the sad memory of her passing, but was unable to recall her name or who she even was to him. A person will always need to retain their happy memories in order to truly live, or else they will become shells longing for the things they used to have.
Gallery[]
References[]
Mental Assistance Department Official Twitter
Rover Myths’ Video on You Look Happy (Old Version)