Originally published July 29, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
Mike Mc Grath previews We Happy Few…
We Happy Few was probably the only game at Microsoft’s E3 conference I really paid attention to. Here was an indie game set in 1960’s England with a retro sci-fi feel and a grim yet whimsical art style. What’s not too like? A few things actually.
First major shock for me was that We Happy Few was not the game I was expecting from a survival horror title. The game starts off with the footage we saw from the E3 conference where our character is working for the Government as a censor. After reading an article possibly about his past Arthur refuses to take his Joy, a drug which removes people’s sadness and alters their perception of the world. Arthur is found out to not be taking his Joy, labeled a Downer and is chased down by the police. Once that sequence is finished Arthur wakes up in his underground safe house where the game then turns into a procedurally generated open world. This includes scavenging, crafting and avoiding sleep deprivation, thirst and hunger.
The starting area is a war-torn area full of crazy, identical looking civilians with none of the mask wearing people or big, brutish police anywhere to be seen. The worst thing about this is the food, thirst and sleep mechanics. The bars drain way too fast and it becomes tedious trying to balance the mechanics. I found myself not really enjoying it as it just broke the flow of gameplay for me. The stealth seems to have a mind of its own and combat reminds me of Dead Island, swing/stab and repeat until you or the enemy is dead and you will die. The option to turn off permadeath is a godsend as while those Downers look weak and scrawny they will fuck you up in a group. You’ll also learn quick that clothes are an essential craftable item as your outfit changes how the people of the world look at you. Can’t go wandering into the main city with just some rags and a loincloth on can we?
After a while you’ll eventually make it to the city where the mask wearing, Joy ingesting but still crazy population live. These guys are just as ready to beat the snot out of you if they see you’re not on your Joy. Nighttime exploration means sneaking past the big policemen while trying to dodge poisonous fog at the same time.
With some fine tuning to the survival part of the game We Happy Few could shape up to be a pretty good title but at the moment my hype has died down a little. The art style is spot on and really suits the style of game and world the devs are building, the only let downs are some small gameplay issues that need to be tweaked or improved on. Seeing as how it is still in Early Access however these all should be sorted by the time a full release comes out.
Mike Mc Grath
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
