Happy Sunny Doll

A note before you begin

This is my first game. I aim to create an enjoyable text adventure (ADV) combining supernatural horror centered on unsettling rules with RPG-style exploration, character interactions and minigames woven into the story.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about this game. If some parts still need a little polish, I appreciate your understanding. Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions in Steam reviews or discussions to help me keep improving the game.

Before the rain stops, who will become the next Sunny Doll?

It was supposed to be an ordinary club field trip.

A storm cuts off the mountain roads. Communications fail. Six university students and four fellow travelers find themselves trapped in a folklore museum they cannot leave. There is no sign of the staff. The doors and windows will not open. In the atrium hangs a life-sized Sunny Doll.

Happy Sunny Doll is a supernatural horror text adventure where survival hinges on a set of unsettling rules. Play as university student Zhou Yu'an and search for a way to survive through investigation, conversations and choices. Five attributes and character traits affect some available choices and event outcomes.

Welcome to the museum. Please observe the following rules.

Beneath the Sunny Doll, a wooden sign reads:

Welcome to the museum. For everyone's safety, please observe the following rules.

1. The Sunny Doll protects this museum from all outside threats. Please do not harm the Sunny Doll.
   
2. Going outside in the rain is dangerous. Do not leave the museum on rainy days. Remain inside and rest easy.
   
3. Sunny Dolls must be replaced regularly. Each day, select one person to become a Sunny Doll.
   
4. Only the living may become Sunny Dolls. If you discover that the person chosen to become a Sunny Doll is dead, do not tell them that they are dead.
   
5. If you do not choose the next day's Sunny Doll yourself, the Sunny Doll will kindly make the choice for you.
   
6. Be mindful of the Sunny Doll's feelings. The Sunny Doll is friendly. Most of the time, he is very happy.
   
7. Only a Sunny Doll can make the rain stop.

The rain never stops.

With every passing night, one of your companions disappears from your side and becomes the next Sunny Doll.

Fewer and fewer people remain beside you.

More clues do not always bring you closer to an answer

Unexplained traces, conflicting accounts and things left unsaid gradually turn everyone's attention toward their fellow travelers.

Does hiding one thing make someone responsible for everything? With danger still unfolding, can people wait for the truth before they act?

As the main story unfolds, investigate scenes, listen to different accounts and see how relationships within the group change. Some try to take control. Others insist on asking more questions. Some simply fear losing another companion. Fear and anger shape their judgment, and your responses become part of these conflicts.

The people trapped alongside you

From familiar faces to strangers you have just met, everyone has their own personality, relationships and concerns. Faced with the same danger, they may make very different decisions.

Grow closer through the long, rainy nights

Share a meal, talk about something beyond the crisis, or keep watch together and hear what someone would normally leave unsaid.

Listening carefully or remembering a promise can change a relationship. You can pursue a romantic relationship or remain companions. Growing closer depends on your time together, your choices and the other person's own wishes.

Closeness can bring comfort, but it does not make every doubt disappear.

Can you trust the person you are falling for with your life?

Face the crisis in your own way

Physique, Luck, Communication, Will and Charm make up Zhou Yu'an's five attributes.

Distribute your attribute points at the start to shape how you approach a crisis. Some story choices require minimum attribute values. Your stats also affect check results, opportunities for conversation and changes in affinity. Will you rely on physical strength, try talking things through, or watch carefully before responding?

During free time, use the museum map to choose where to go, find companions, investigate or speak privately. Different encounters and discoveries offer different information and may open up special conversations later.

The Investigation Handbook lets you check your attributes, items, character profiles and relationship changes at any time.

The story includes branching choices and BAD ENDs. Higher attributes offer more possibilities, but do not make every danger easy to overcome.

Try a different kind of choice

Allocate attribute points, choose a trait and try different actions and responses. You can carefully plan your way through the crisis, or follow your curiosity and pick an unusual option to see what happens.

Setting an attribute to 0 triggers a unique opening scene and character reactions. A seemingly absurd idea may reveal an unexpected side of the story.

Setting an attribute to 0 leads to a special opening BAD END. Afterward, you can return to attribute allocation and try again.

Choose a trait and an optional objective

Choose a character trait at the start to access different actions and responses in parts of the story. Play as an "Ordinary Protagonist," choose "Dating Sim Master" for additional interactions with female characters, or try "Tempting Fate" for more reckless actions.

You can also choose an optional objective beyond survival: pursue romance, face an enemy or try to help your companions. Choose "No Optional Objective" to focus on the story and exploration. You can progress through the main story without pursuing romance.

Minigames woven into the story

In quieter moments, invite a companion to play Blackjack (21) or Hidden Cards and get to know each other through play.

Blackjack (21): Decide whether to hit or stand, aiming to get as close to 21 as possible without going bust.

Hidden Cards: Take turns revealing face-down cards and moving your own revealed cards, using their values to capture your opponent's cards.

When tensions turn into a direct confrontation, work with your companions to restrain someone, timing your actions and coordinating with the group.

Conversations at the card table and actions in a crisis serve different roles in the story. Depending on the event, a minigame’s outcome can affect relationships or what happens next.

Keep track of your companions and discoveries

Relationships

Talk to your companions and investigate together as your relationships change through shared experiences. Open the Investigation Handbook to check character profiles and what you have learned about them.

Items

Use your playing cards to invite companions to a game. Exploring the museum can also lead you to a Clothing Change Talisman and an outfit to use with it. Keep the items you find and use them to try new interactions when the right conditions are met.

Free demo and development progress

The standalone free demo contains the complete Prologue and Chapter 1: the opening of the story, seven rules, free exploration using the museum map, five attributes, relationships and several story minigames.

In the demo, some relationships can develop into mutual attraction or a special bond of trust. Work on later chapters and further character development is ongoing.

The game supports interface text and subtitles in 13 languages. Voice acting is available in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. The protagonist's lines are not voiced.

The footage and images shown are from a game in development.

Add the full version of Happy Sunny Doll to your wishlist for news of the demo's availability and the full release.