We Happy Few creeps out in August
The most realistic video game simulation of England yet?
We'll be invited back into Wellington Wells, the 1960s quaint English island city where everything is lovely and wonderful as long as you take your Joy pills and horrifying if you don't, on August 10th. Developers Compulsion Games last night announced the release date for We Happy Few, their singleplayer first-person sneak-o-survival game which has had a bumpy journey through early access since 2016. But I have been keenly awaiting the actual finished game, to visit this groovy dystopia. Here, see more of its story in the new E3 trailer below. Also, meet a cute giant person-sucking hooverbot.
Almost everyone in Wellington Wells is taking Joy, see, one of those magical dystopian drugs. Here, it means people don't notice they're starving in an oppressive police state. But three people in town aren't taking their joy, three 'downers' ruining it for everyone. So along with actual stealth, the game has an element of social stealth, trying to appear sunny and gay - maybe even dabbling in Joy yourself. It'll have three protagonists with interweaving stories, though the survival side means that curiously the world is (or was? things might have changed) partially procedurally-generated.
Yes, it is a survival game too. Scavenging, crafting, eating, fighting... ah, this is off-putting to me. I'm quietly hoping they've made it more of a straightforward sneak-o-sim, as I tend to find survival--especially in singleplayer--a nagging grind.
We Happy Few first entered early access in July 2016, following a 2015 crowdfunding campaign. It was a bit bland at first but did perk up with updates. But with updates infrequent and none more planned across the entire year leading up to launch, Compulsion decided to pull the game from sale until it was finished.
Microsoft also announced during their E3 pressblast that they've bought up Compulsion Games, adding them to their menagerie of studios. Gearbox are still publishing this game, mind, and it's not becoming a Windows 10 Store exclusive.
We Happy Few is coming to Steam and GOG on August 10th.
The point is, I adore We Happy Few's hooverbogbot:
Check out our E3 2018 tag for more announcements, trailers, news, and goodness knows what else.