We Happy Few Preview

Ever since its first reveal last year I was completely fascinated by We Happy Few. It was intriguing and original and I couldn’t wait to see more. When I saw the reveal trailer, showing a dystopian alternative 1960’s where people took Joy, a psychedelic drug that kept you happy, I could see the influences of similar works all over, and as a fan of A Clockwork Orange, BioShock and The Prisoner TV series, I could clearly tell this was going to be a treat of a game.

I kept a watchful eye on any information that may arise and although admittedly I didn’t back their Kickstarter I was still very pleased to see that the developers, Compulsion Games hit their target. After this, it was time to play the waiting game, and after a while of the game being dormant, I still kept hopes that it might one day arrive, whether it be in a form of a final release or as part of Early Access. Now, finally a year later, the release is upon us. We Happy Few is available as part of Steam’s Early Access and Xbox One’s Game Preview program. I was ready to take my Joy and experience all that the Gameplay Alpha had to offer. Brimming with excitement I begin and what I have played may not be what you’re expecting.

Let me first begin by saying that I already knew what to expect in gameplay, at least I did with previous showings. Those who backed the game were able to play a very early build and this was my first look at gameplay. To say at least I and many others were disappointed, but not to the point where I’d disregard the game in its entirety as I was still deeply captivated by the style and narrative.

We Happy Few, in essence, is a survival game with procedurally generated maps and optional permadeath. It is not the linear story driven game akin to BioShock that we were first lead to believe. Could this be a cause for concern? Perhaps for some, as with any similarly designed games, there can be some frustrations, especially for those who just want to experience fascinating story within an alternative 1960’s Britain. But as this Alpha is so far purely a gameplay experience it doesn’t mean that we don’t get a taste of the story.

The introduction which was revealed at E3 2016, introduces the player to Arthur Hastings, he begins his tale at work censoring any past newspapers that are deemed unhappy, after all in this new world nobody likes a downer even in the news, so like everyone else he lives in the happy town of Wellington Wells drugged up on everyone's favourite, Joy. Things take a turn as one news piece in particular, brings back the most painful of memories, and this is where things take a turn for Arthur. Of course, taking Joy can easily just suppress those nasty thoughts, but it was this moment where Arthur couldn’t take it anymore and no longer wanted to be part of this false society. Now, the people of Wellington Wells don’t too kindly to those who don’t take their Joy and anyone who refuses will have an unfriendly altercation with the bobbies. Arthur becomes targeted by his fellow colleagues for seeing the world for what it really is and is dubbed a “downer”. Hunted by the bobbies he escapes through the sewers and it’s here where the story begins.

As introductions go, We Happy Few makes a well executed first impression and only wants you to further discover more, like taking the red pill and traveling deeper down the rabbit hole, but as it stands once you’ve escaped going back and seeing the people in blissful ignorance and under the influence of joy will take some time, so for now, when you begin playing you’ll be exploring and surviving on the outskirts and districts that make up Wellington Wells.

After escaping players begin inside a safe house, each district has one and it allows you to safely prepare yourself. It’s essentially your new home and inside you’ll find a bed along with few items to get you going. When you begin you’ll usually find a water cantina, food (likely mouldy), healing balm and scrap parts. It’s not guaranteed due to the procedural nature of the game, but after a could of new starts those were the most common items and anything else was a bonus.

For anyone who has played similar survival titles, such as Don’t Starve or Sir, You Are Being Hunted, will know that it isn’t all just exploring, gathering, crafting, and in some cases hiding, but the need to literally survive. As time goes by throughout the day, you will need to maintain yourself. Running will get you tired, so you’ll be required to reset, whether it be in your safe house or in one of the derelict houses, resting is required as the longer you go without sleep the less stamina you have - it’s the same for the food and drink. Throughout your day exploring Arthur will get thirsty and hungry, and going without, just like the real world can be fatal. Fortunately, you are reminded of your status, and the world is plentiful of edibles and drink fountains to keep yourself maintained, this includes your overall health as well, some foods can cause food poisoning and you’ll either have to take the correct medicine for it or sleep it off. With the option to craft healing items and a wide array of new schematics to learn, there is a lot of depth to it. Some may enjoy this aspect of the game, but as someone who rather experience the story than play carer, it does make the whole experience rather tedious, as you may find yourself frantically scavenging for food or water while trying to focus on engrossing yourself in the story.

When you begin your days of survival, you find yourself in the desolate outskirts of the town and here you’ll find remnants of a place once full of joy, but now is full of the disgruntled, depressed and guilty downers. Those wandering around will speak mostly gibberish, and you yourself will do the same when you interact with them. It’s very disjointed and out of place, but I believe this can be down to the nature of the Alpha build, so as it stands they could very well be placeholders. It isn’t to say that all conversations end in an incoherent manner, some do offer opportunities that can aid you, but these are few and far between, so instead you’ll have to rely on exploration and encounters. These encounters can range from searching through a house for items of use, digging up buried goods (if you can find a shovel that is) and helping someone out in need. I spend most of my time focusing on getting into Wellington Wells, it was a challenge and actually me a second playthrough to get through as you are required to complete a number of tasks, and that mostly requires of the gathering of certain objects or crafting the right attire so you don’t arouse suspicion, of course not to mention to requirement of Joy to gain entry.

Anyone can be targetted, you can if you like, pick a fight with anyone, and at times a pursuit and fight ensued as a result of me entering someone's home and stealing their stuff. Combat is adequate, it does the job, you can punch with your fists or block incoming attacks, you can also push opponents back to give yourself a brief opening to strike. From what I’ve found there is very little weaponry. Rocks can be thrown, branches, pointed sticks can be used, but I’ve not found anything like a gun and I’m not even sure they’re available in Alpha or will be included at all. There is, however, the option to craft a number of traps. Using a crafting bench in your hideout will allow you to craft claptraps, wires, and even explosives. Combat is played out as more of a last resort, you’re there to draw very little attention to yourself and stealth is your best option.

The world is both a mixture of beauty and desolation. Visually it can be an impressive showcase, but at the same time, due to the nature of the Alpha, it’s not without its problems. Graphical glitches here and there, like floating objects and such, but nothing that would severely break the immersion. Performance is fine but does require some amount of optimisation. What’s most impressive and of course, the highlight of the game’s intrigue is the world you’re in. Set in the 1960’s there a retrofuturistic feel to it, with inspiration mostly coming from the classic futuristic shows from that period. Everything feels it’s driven by the unusual TV show host of Wellington Wells, Mr. Jack. He’s the voice of the people and his bemusing nature and the show’s that he hosts. Not only draw you in, but fascinate as not only is he one of the most insane characters in the game, but the most coherent one too.

As it stands We Happy Few, starts strong and quickly become rather shallow. As the game is still in its Alpha stages it still feels too early to provide any judgement, but what has been offered is the groundwork and an experience that, like most survival games, can be addicting. There were many times where I would explore further out and challenge how long I could survive, especially amongst the delusional people of Wellington Wells. Compulsion Games could of have created a linear story, but instead chose to provide an everlasting experience with huge amount of replayability, it won’t be for everyone and it’s too early to talk about the narrative, but what’s offered and what has been promised, still intrigues and I’m still eager to learn of the story as they continue to build the world of We Happy Few.