WE HAPPY FEW
Happiness is murder
How far would you go to be happy? Would you take a little light exercise? Watch an uplifting film, maybe? Or craft supplies from scraps you find in a bin, and beat a crazy tramp to death with a pipe? If the last one jumped out at you, then congratulations, you’ve come to the right game. A procedurally generated one about surviving in a world full of drug-enforced madness where not fitting in will get you killed. While PlayStation’s not exactly short of ‘survival roguelikes’, as We Happy Few likes to call itself, there are enough in the way of interesting ideas and just plain weirdness here to help make this stand out. It’s heavily steeped in British ’60’s oddness, the sort seen in everything from Dr Who to The Prisoner, and is set an alternate timeline where things went so badly after WW2 the entire country drugged itself to oblivion to forget. Which is fine if you’re okay taking your Joy, the pill of choice, and seeing everything through a hallucinogenic high, but tricky if you have other ideas.
VILLAGE DREAM
You see, this is a game about fitting in. Even if you don’t. As you explore various locations, such as sleepy English villages or swinging London streets, you’ll have to wear the right clothes to avoid standing out, or sneak past inhabitants and guards. In some situations you’ll have to actually take Joy to avoid being seen as a ‘Downer’ – effectively a criminal in this world and due an imminent beating from the nearest white-masked copper.
Like we said: weird. Especially as, free from the effects of the drugs, you can see the world for the broken, rotting shell it is. While wise fashion choices might help you move around without raising suspicion, you’ll need to rummage through bins and burgle people’s houses to find supplies and craft useful items. You’ll be able to scrounge or make lockpicks, medical supplies, and even clothes. Plus, there’ll be the challenge to manage hunger, water, and sleep while trying to avoid suspicion. It might look cartoonish, but the style hides a hardcore challenge, especially if you decide to play the permadeath mode. There’s an almost Fallout-y feel to the story – uncover more locations and opportunities to flesh out the world as you explore. And on its release in April next year, it should be a very interesting place to get lost in.
“THINGS WENT SO BADLY AFTER WW2 THE COUNTRY DRUGGED ITSELF.”