We Happy Few Preview

We happy Few looks set to be a fantastic game. Set in a retro-futuristic alternate reality during 1960's England, failure to conform to the norms of the city, will have the residents of the town hunting you down. The game is set to be released sometime during 2016 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

To give a brief overview, you play as Arthur, a public worker, in charge of getting rid of unwanted documents and erasing the past. Until suddenly, "something" happened and he stopped taking the drug that was making everyone happy. Now he has to escape before something bad happens. This is the story at its most basic level, but with the constant updates being added to the game, we can expect there to be more explanation about why the world is as it is, and more information on the back story of Arthur. The graphic style here is reminiscent of games such as Bio shock and Dishonored, and even though the game is not finished yet, the visuals look fantastic. Another thing that makes this game stand out to me is the real life actor, that broadcasts messages over the radio throughout the town. He delivers his lines brilliantly, and this is a really nice touch. His performance is certainly effective in the trailer, giving off a sinister and oppressive vibe. The trailer for We Happy Few can be found here: We Happy Few Trailer.

The core concept of We Happy Few is survival. All the citizens in the town of Wellington Wells, are taking a drug called joy, that of course keeps them happy. The character you play as refuses to take this pill unless absolutely necessary. By this, I mean that there are instances within the game where you must take the pill in order to blend in with the rest of the people, and avoid them noticing that you are a so called 'downer', someone who does not take their joy. The survival elements come in to play here as you also have to manage how much you need to eat and drink, which often means breaking in to houses and scavenging. Taking joy also rapidly increases your hunger and thirst, so you need to decide when best to take it. There is also a looting system, including collecting healing items, lock picks, outfits and a lot more. There is limited inventory space, so you will inevitably have to sacrifice some items for others at some point during the game. As you would also expect with a survival game, there is a crafting system, which will allow you to craft all sorts of things to help you last longer in this world. If all of these elements are done well, we could be provided with a great survival game.

What I really like about this game is that you are put in a world, with the sole objective of surviving. Though there are going to be certain quests to complete, this seems like a big sandbox game, that you must do your best to survive in. Another crucial part of We Happy Few is that if you do die, that's it. You do not simply respawn, you have to start the whole game over again, meaning the stakes are high here, and there is no real margin for error. Choosing whether to engage enemies in combat, sneaking around them or simply running away, could be the difference between life and death here, which should make for some really intense gameplay. Additionally, every time you restart, a new world is generated, meaning you cannot do the same thing you did before and expect to get through. This adds another layer to the gameplay, as you will constantly be making quick decisions, not just going along a path that you are already familiar with.

Of course, everything discussed above must be taken with a pinch of salt, as the game is still being developed and improved constantly. Given how impressive the content has been so far, I personally have high hopes for this game. Things like its unique setting, gameplay elements and real life actor, make this game stand out and offer something a bit different to a standard survival or First person game. I am sure they will keep making improvements to this game until the day of its release and I can not wait to see the finished product.
For a quick bit of gameplay, check out some of We Happy Few from the creators themselves: Compulsion Games : We Happy Few Gameplay.