Set in a retro-futuristic 1960’s England, We Happy Few is an open world tale that relies heavily on strategy to get you where you need to be. With strange characters to encounter and Joy to be taken, it really is a game of ups and downs.
You begin the game as Arthur, a journalist. Whilst on the surface everything may seem perfect in Wellington Wells when your Joy wears off you will soon see this post-war town for what it really is. A resurfaced memory of a long, lost brother sparks Arthur’s need to escape Wellington Wells and uncover the truth and from there, your story begins. Although Arthur is undoubtedly the main character in this game, you also get the opportunity to play as Sally, an old acquaintance of Arthur’s and also Ollie, an old neighbour. Having Arthur as the starter character allows you to get to grips with the game quite easily. He is crafty, fairly stealthy and has an unusual skill where he can sit with a newspaper and suddenly become invisible to the world (if only that was the case in real life ay?). The introduction of two additional characters that both have different skills and needs means the game is kept interesting and that you never get too comfortable, which I personally enjoyed.
One of the main issues that I discovered quite quickly whilst playing the game was how glitchy it is, especially during combat whilst being attacked by more than one character. The game often wouldn’t respond as quickly as I’d like which, to be honest, really riled me and kind of left me wanting to turn the game off. Whilst this will probably get fixed at some point, at the time of writing this review, it was a definite problem for me.
As the game continues, the open world style of gameplay means there’s a lot of chance to get distracted from the main quests and get stuck into the strange world that this game has to offer. From crafting torn suits to concocting ‘sick-up tea’, We Happy Few really goes into depth with its features and theme. Not only that, but there is also a chance to focus more on the character’s health and wellbeing. Whether it be tiredness or hunger, you’ve got to keep an eye on how your character is holding up otherwise they will indeed die. Whilst this got frustrating at times, overall it was a nice touch to the game that meant it required a little bit more thought than usual.
The game offers a variety of difficulty settings, meaning its suitable for basically everyone (over 18 of course). Soon, the game will be getting an additional sandbox mode that means the game will become a whole lot more customisable, which, considering the game already has a lot to offer, sounds pretty great.
Overall, I really enjoyed this game and thought it was super fun to play. Admittedly, it does need some work. But, the dystopian setting, freaky characters and the chance to explore meant it was definitely a winner for me. Maybe if you take your Joy, you even won’t notice the glitching at all…
★★★★☆
Georgia Hughes
We Happy Few at CeX
