What Happened Critic Reviews

What Happened is not the kind of game you want to jump into on a weekend for some light-hearted fun. The game takes its subject matter seriously and delivers an experience that’s not “fun” so much as it is emotionally engaging. Like watching a sad movie, you need to go into What Happened with the right mindset and expectations. If you do, there’s a wonderful journey to be found.

What Happened delivers an impactful, thought-provoking experience that exemplifies the eccentric dangers of mental illness. Despite not having a combat system, its puzzle-solving exploration requires focus and persistence, rewarding players with progress and deeper dives into Stiles’ mind. While it doesn’t achieve Hellblade’s adrenaline rush or convey as convincing of a narrative due to the less-than-average voice acting, it still satisfies the growing need for drawing attention to the perils of mental illness and is capable of multiple endings.

Travelling through Stiles’ mind is a gripping journey. It’s at times emotional, other times horrifying.

What Happens is an interesting and mostly successful addition to the growing field of games that focus on mental health issues. Most of what it sets out to do works well despite the glaring issues with polish and acting ability. There were moments which were more successful than others and it would benefit from making it clearer where alternative approaches were available. It is clear that Genius Slackers’ ambition is greater than their abilities but I applaud the attempt to use gaming for such a vital and powerful message.

What Happened won’t appeal to the masses, but the game does well to convey its message of the internal struggles that so many face on a daily basis. It’s a dark, gruesome, and treacherous trek through some incredibly difficult subject matter that is worth experiencing for those who gravitate towards games surrounding themes of mental health.

What Happened is a game about depression, high school and LSD, which at times comes across as an after-school special laced with profanity. But it can also be undeniably daring.

What Happened isn't totally bad, but the gameplay makes it a real chore to play. If you're a fan of a decent story, you might find something to like here, but if you're planning on actually enjoying the gameplay in between the story, it's not that fun.

What Happened could have been a fine psychological thriller but ultimately lost itself in its own messy loop.

What Happened gives you very little reason to even care about answering that question. The narrative is consistently flimsy as you dive into the mind of an unlikeable protagonist. There are very few moments of redemption with some well-detailed environments and clever transitions, but that is not nearly enough to keep you invested. If the motion sickness doesn’t get you to turn the game off, then the self-deprecating storyline and in-your-face symbolism will cause you to roll your eyes to sleep in no time.

What Happened is an abstract first-person acid trip through a troubled teenaged mind that is impressive both visually and aurally, but it has very little gameplay and fumbles the delivery of its narrative with barely anything new to say through the entire second half.