Happybirthday

***Happybirthday*** is the game accompanying CatGhost 1 Birthday. It is the full, playable version of the game that Gideon experiences during the episode before waking up.

## Gameplay

In *Happybirthday* the player controls a small pixelated sprite of Gideon with the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard.

The game is set in the Dark Forest, which in this game is seven "rooms" across, with the player starting in the middle.

The content of each room is randomly generated and they even have a chance to be empty. Each room will only ever contain one item (if any). The final rooms to the left and right however will always contain a bust to prevent the player from progressing further. Approaching a bust will cause static to fill the screen until Gideon reaches it, at which point the game will exit.

*Happybirthday* does not have a real objective. The player can interact with the environment by pressing the Space or Enter keys. Doing this near certain objects or NPCs, such as the skeletons, will prompt a response.

## Objects and NPCs

This is a list of objects and NPCs that the player can interact with. For each, the the first line of dialogue is much more likely to be said than the second two.

#### Elon's skeleton

* Trapped like a fly in a jar.
* I have taken on my new form.

Text color: Red

### Naarah's skeleton

* I have to save him, he waited for me!
* She lured me into this place.

Text color: Light blue

### Bethany's skeleton

* I soar.
* I have returned.

Text color: Blue

### Mirror

* Flesh gives way to nature.
* You will remember.

Text color: White

### Shovel

* Alone, naked, and afraid.
* This isn't the first and wont be the last.

Text color: Green

### Bone pile

* I am not made to be tempted.
* Heart. Bone. Dagger.

Text color: Dark grey

## Key

*Main article:* Key

Another object that can appear is the Megalith, Key. Pressing Enter or Space near it will open a dialog box, which allows the player to type in a question, that it will answer. These answers come from a pre-defined list, but occasionally, during a Live Session, the answers will differ. Any question with the word "murder" in it will cause a jumpscare.

With the end of *Cat Ghost* and the release of CatGhost 13 Acceptance on December 6, 2019, Key has been destroyed in *Happybirthday*. It cannot be interacted with anymore.

*See also:* Key/Standard Responses

## Appearances in Videos

The first appearance of *Happybirthday* was in CatGhost 1, where it appeared as the game inside Party Country. Gideon appeared "inside" the game and interacted with Elon's skeleton and walked past Key, before "reuniting" with a bust and waking up back outside.

*Happybirthday* appeared again inside the Party Country arcade cabinet in Void 02, where Elon's skeleton talked to Malone.

The game made another appearance, this time inside a computer screen, in CatGhost 9 Welcome Home.

## Trivia

* In the game's Properties, the game's file description, product name and copyright all read 'happybirthday.'
* The game's files contain a sound file named "snd\_eft\_dont\_sleep.wav". When reversed, it is the sound of "Skinwalker Naarah" repeatedly saying "You are nosy".
	+ Prior to the update on 27 March, 2019, this sound file contained a distorted voice reciting a poem or chant, overlaid with static.
* Also in the game files is the link that the game uses to communicate with the *Cat Ghost* Website, with the name "Bethany" in the URL.
* The update on 27 March, 2019, also changed the jumpscare sprite that can randomly appear, and will always appear if the player asks Key any questions that contain the word "murder". Prior to the update, it showed Naarah's rotting corpse, but was changed to a picture of "Skinwalker Naarah".
* The file in the game that handles Bethany's appearance and responses is named "goddess".
* Valiant Novalight, credited in CatGhost 1 under "Special Thanks", did the webiste code to add the functionality that leads to "Live Keys".
* The sprite for Key's destroyed version sometimes takes longer to load. It is possible to interact with Key normally before the sprite has loaded, but it will become non-interactive again once the graphic loads.

## Gallery

*See also:* Category:Happybirthday images

### Gameplay

Gideon in the Dark Forest.Interacting with Key.A standard response.Encountering Elon's skeleton.Encountering Naarah's skeleton.The old jumpscare, triggered by the word "murder".Gideon underneath the chair.A bust and its message to Gideon.The new jumpscare replacing Naarah's skeleton in the updated version.What remains of Key in the updated version.
### Various

The game as seen in CatGhost 1.In Void 02.In CatGhost 9.The image that leads to the game's download at the end of the episode.