Finding The Joy In We Happy Few - How The Surreal Survival Game Does And Doesn’t Work
214We Happy Few has been out for a few weeks on PC and Noa has been dosing up on Joy pills to pick over the game and tell you what does and doesn’t work. It’s a strange game with mixed reviews, but Noa thinks there’s lots to love once you’ve scratched the surface.
If you are new to We Happy Few it’s a surreal survival game set in a world where the dark history is suppressed with an enforced diet of Joy. These pills help people fade out the unhappiness in the world around them, but what good is living if you’re living a lie? When our heroes come off their meds they have to face up to the harsh realities of the world, as well as work out how not to get caught by their pill-popping neighbours.
It’s a great pitch, but We Happy Few hasn’t always been this neat: it started as more of a survival game in Early Access before being reshaped into more and more of a story-driven game as time went on. The final game has only a few survival elements, and while they don’t all work in their slightly cut down form, they do create an interesting challenge in the way you relate to Joy.
Likewise, the procedural elements don’t always make sense in a story with a fixed narrative, but they can deliver surprises and shocks along the way. All of this is explored in this We Happy Few video essay, where Noa explains what does and doesn’t work and why, ultimately, the game still appeals to her.
If you’ve played We Happy Few, why not share your thoughts in the comments. What works for you and what doesn’t? Is it a good idea badly done, or a weird idea doomed to failure? And if you enjoyed this video essay, why not subscribe to Rock Paper Shotgun? We do a mix of game previews, analysis pieces and let’s plays - always about PC games - so there should be something for everyone. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the video.
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