Plaid. We Happy Few. All we have are drugs.

Like We Happy Few this review took a while. And, as We Happy Few, this review will probable give out high hopes, but will leave you somewhat disappointed in the end. It`s not going to be outright terrible, yet you could feel that finer things that cannot be added in later are lost. So, strap in, take your Joy, and prepare for a quick rundown of my We Happy Few experience.

Clothes Make the Man

We Happy Few is a game about an alternate universe sixties Britain, namely a town of Wellington Wells that did something so terrible during WW2, that Joy, a drug that induces constant happiness, was introduced within the general populace to keep the morale high. Some people have refused it, and some people are just unable to take it, both of them are deemed Downers that roam the abandoned areas of Garden district.

Garden district.While not a very livable place the people there are nice. So long as you wear damaged clothing.

Yup, the Garden district remembers, all right.

   You play as three protagonists (one after another): Arthur Hastings, a city clerk trying to find his brother, Sally Boyle, a chemist concealing an infant, and Ollie, a deranged Scotsman, who… Come to think of it I have no idea what the last one is about since the Compulsion Games apparently took the quantity over quality approach: it took me about 12 hours to finish Arthur`s story (most side quests included), and I`m about 5 hours into Sally`s one. Hence, I believe, the price tag.

Crafting screen. Not the worst I``ve seen, really.

The game tries really hard to look like an AAA-project, even asks a price that you would pay for one, but alas it is not. Despite having a publisher and a bloated storyline, it still has a lot approximations and “eh, that`ll do”-s that give away its indie roots. It`s all mostly visuals, like bobbies bumping into each other and citizens being mindless zombies that they are just seem to spawn out of thin air and populate the streets without any sense at all. Not to mention the flying sitters, citizens that were supposed to be sitting on the bench in the street, but instead decided it`s a good idea to float around for a bit.

And he`s off!

The game does mention kinky things every now and then. For example, at some point you`d have to infiltrate a club for rubber enthusiasts.

But while above mentioned things can be patched and made look somewhat decent, the biggest culprit is procedural generation of districts. It is definitely there to fill the empty space between your interest points, effectively turning the game into a walking simulator. It can be running, but you`d either have to unlock a certain perk or get used to the fact that citizens get eerie when they see you run.

There is quite a bit of vent crawling. Dr Freeman approves.

Welcome to the Motherhood

Nonetheless, the aesthetics of the game are quite a sight. It relies heavily on mid-60 British invasion style of bright, vibrant colours. The cartoonish style with which wellies (citizens of Wellington Wells) are depicted certainly adds a bit of cynicism to the whole story.

The game doesn`t have levels. Are skill point are awarded after quests.

The writing, although relies a lot on Monty Python references, is still quirky and fun. It touches on deep topics with an interesting angle for each of the characters, who are well written and present with relatable qualities and struggles. The story itself would be redeeming to the game if it didn`t fall flat with the gameplay execution. It constantly feels like we`ve reached the point where the game is going to pick up (kinda like New Haven in first Borderlands), but time after time it proves to be a lie.

The Jubilator section in Arthur`s story. While I quite liked it, it`s short and isn`t followed by anything good. Maybe that`s why I like it.

On their own, some stages are interesting and well executed. It`s the multitude of bugs and poor design decision that ruin them. For example, the Parade feel like the real deal, large buildings, red bobbies, fancy people on the streets etc. Yet it feels like it`s the least tested area, since it`s so late into Arthur`s story. During my playthrough both Museum of Tomorrow and Doctor`s HQ glitched out, but mostly cosmetically. I could still finish those stages, but the immersion was damaged. Which isn`t to say that those are the only two stages when it happened, but those were the stages where it hurt the most.

The entering scenery of the Parade.

Motherhood. During Sally`s story you`re tacked with taking care of a baby, feeding it and changing its diapers.

We`ve come to the end of our time

I suppose we`re lucky to get a full release after the uncertainties of Kickstarter, and the purgatory of Early Access. And while it`s definitely worth a try, I wouldn`t recommend it at its full price, nor at half price. I`d say get it when it has 60% or more off. At the end, it`s not that bad of a game, but it certainly could`ve been made better. 6/10.