Lovely Day For It!
When Compulsion Games started a Kickstarter campaign for We Happy Few back in 2015, prospective players were shown a promising vision of a first-person, story-driven game set in a drug-addled dystopian world. A year later, the game became available to supporters via early release. Although, most people have had to wait for the final version which released on August 10th, 2018. Those who have been keeping their eye on the game will be pleased to know that it delivers exceptional attention to detail when it comes to the world of Wellington Wells, as well as the story lines of the three playable characters. However, all is not well when it comes to the game’s repetitive combat, exploitable A.I. and numerous technical glitches.
The game is divided into three different playable characters, and their personal storylines which intersect with one another. The primary character, Arthur Hastings, is a scrawny journalist who ends up going off his Joy, the drug which fuels the oblivious and euphoric society of Wellington Wells. Not only does the drug create a false sense of happiness, it blocks painful memories as well. After spending some time off the drug, Arthur remembers some unsavory choices he made in the past and sets off to correct them by any means necessary.
You CAN Have Too Much Joy
Arthur primarily relies on stealth tactics when faced with dangerous situations. Those who are familiar with stealth mechanics such as hiding from enemy patrols, throwing empty glass bottles to create distractions and hiding unconscious bodies will have no problem guiding Arthur to success. Despite Arthur’s story beginning with a decision to not take his Joy, popping a few pills of the stuff is a necessary evil when traversing many areas throughout the game. While the introduction to this mechanic paints a scary picture of what happens when you take too much Joy, the actual consequences are fairly manageable.
Sally Boyle is the second playable character, and perhaps the most difficult to excel with. While she has a knowledge of chemistry that has made her a prominent figure in Wellington Wells, she has very little physical strength. Being successful in combat with Sally requires crafting various syringes and chemical compounds to do her dirty work. Additionally, without spoiling anything, she has certain responsibilities which require returning to her home on a regular basis. While the sum of these features is a far more stressful experience than with Arthur, it’s also arguably more rewarding. Surviving an encounter with a large group of “wastrels” feels like an accomplishment of intelligent problem solving with Sally, and her motivations carry an emotional weight and sense of urgency.
The final section of the game is seen through the eyes of Ollie Starkey. This Scottish war veteran’s demeanor is a source of both humor and sadness, the latter becoming more prevalent as his story progresses. Ollie is diabetic, and the game utilizes what is essentially the same dosage management component for his glucose as every character uses for Joy. Ollie moves more slowly than the others, but he makes up for this with raw physical power. This makes for a satisfying climactic section of the game; with the stakes so high, it feels gratifying to bludgeon through enemies standing in the way of the game’s finale.
A Beautiful Disasterpiece
The world of Wellington Wells is rendered in a stylized, artistic way that runs the gamut between exaggerated beauty and understated filth. Seeing Wellington Wells while on Joy is like walking through a fever dream of rainbows and happiness. Once the Joy wears off, the game seamlessly transitions to the cold, dark reality underneath. What was once a colorful piñata becomes the corpse of a large rat; multicolored, glowing butterflies are revealed to be flies swarming near rotten food.
The character designs are filled with personality, particularly the doctors and constables. That being said, the number of repeated character models becomes absolutely ludicrous by the end of the game. While the population is always wearing the same white mask designed to curl everyone’s lips into a smile, countless characters have the exact same face, body, clothing and accessories.
The game is filled with side-quests, some of which are unique and entertaining, although the majority of the story missions are basic fetch-quests. While this is somewhat forgivable because of the interesting story elements that can be explored along the way, the repetitive combat doesn’t do the game any favors. Playing as Arthur or Ollie in particular reveals the lack of depth in the combat system. Most situations can be solved through brute force, and the game’s A.I. is highly exploitable during these encounters. Tactics that I haven’t used in many years, such as stepping up to a ledge where the A.I. is incapable of following, become tried and true ways of progressing through the game.
A Wee Bit Unpolished
There are numerous technical issues which don’t directly affect the gameplay as well. Enemies and citizens going about their day consistently fall through objects and surfaces. This leads to some hilarious moments, but they break the game’s immersive feel. Additionally, there are a few continuity errors that create confusion. For example, in one section of the game, Sally must release a gaseous sedative into the air to incapacitate someone. During the gameplay sequence leading up to the gassing, the hostile character is wearing a gas-mask. Trusting that it would work out, I released the gas. The ensuing cutscene showed the hostile character, sans-gas-mask, passing out. One would expect this sort of detail to be worked out in final development, particularly in a high-profile game.
Overall, We Happy Few is an experience worth having. Over the course of the game’s slightly bloated 30+ hours of content, there are many twinkles of brilliance. The world of Wellington Wells is a nightmarish perversion of British culture which strikes a balance between horror and comedy throughout. The main characters each have a disturbing past leading to a compelling story about redemption, or lack thereof. While the gameplay can start to feel repetitive, the motivation to see the story progress provides sufficient incentive to see it through to the end. We Happy Few gets a joyous, albeit imperfect, 3.9 out of 5.
If you’d like to check out the game for yourself, it’s available on PC, PS4 and XBOX One. There’s a Standard and Deluxe edition that sell for $59.99 and $79.99 respectively. Each come with a Jolly Brolly weapon, while the latter comes with a season pass.
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