We Happy Few Trial Review

We Happy Few Trial Review

WTF!  That's all I can say both good and holy &#%*.  If you don't know anything about We Happy Few it takes place in a post world war 2 setting where everyone is expected to take a pill "joy" and if you don't take your joy then everyone wants to kill you because you are a downer.  Now I only got to play the trial version so take the following with a grain of salt... or joy... and definitely check out the game.

The Bad:

1) I don't like having to keep my character alive.  Now I don't mean fighting off bad guys or escaping dangerous situations.  No, I'm talking about the fact that I make sure my character has sufficient food, water, and rest to not keel over and die.  This makes it feel excessive and laborious and really detracts for the excitement of the game.

2) The story line seems to common place.  Movies and books of the sort consist of Equilibrium, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, V for Vendetta, The Matrix.  Etc.  Simply a dystopian world controlling the way their people think and act.

3) There wasn't a goal except to escape from where you currently were.  There might have been hints at more, but the trial was only for 45 minutes and I didn't want to spend the entire time reading everything that was available.  If I played the full game with no limit I would have read everything.

4)  To short of a trial.  Other games that I have done trial version of have offered the first level, or a certain number of hours to play.  Here I had 45 minutes and could not go beyond waking up in the second level.  The intro or first level consisted of introducing you to the character and the world but had very little actually game play. 

5) Sooooo much reading.  I really don't like having to read an entire book when I play a game.  I am currently working on Dragon Age Inquisition and am having the same problem.  If you want me to have a background on the character or the world tell it to me in a video, or make it a part of the game that doesn't require me to sit there for an hour reading tiny font of my tv screen.

The Good:

1) It is freakin creepy! It really works for this game. The white masks, the slight undertone of have you taken your joy (or do i have to kill you look).  The creepy guy giving people shots and the police chasing you.  Everything.  Very well done.

2) I always talk about how the graphics look and this game is no exception.  Again beautiful, but they somehow made bright and cheery 1950s esk feel, into a super creepy and hostile environment which I loved!

3) The puzzles!  This game reminded me of some of the older games I used to play like Myst or The Curse of Monkey Island, and in some ways even Prince of Persia.  It's really not a first person shooter game as it is a first person puzzle/riddle type game.  You are trapped in a room you have to search and figure a way out.  You also have to be specific with where you look.  You can't just look at a machine and pick up a power supply you have to look around the machine and find the power supply.  It adds a level of difficulty that is appreciated.  I just wish i didn't have to worry about feeding, watering, and resting.  I suppose this could add a different dimension to the overall game, I just felt like it was a nuisance.

4) The dialogue and acting was very well done.  It felt natural and the voices felt sincere and appropriate for the character.  That tends to be a rarity in games these days.  Often choppy dialogue and irritatingly low emotion in high emotion situations.

5) The sense of mystery.  You don't really know what you are supposed to do, and in the limited time I played, I felt very alone in this crazy world.  You don't see or hear of anything that could be a resistance or allies to those who are off their joy and it really heightens your sense of urgency.

I don't know if I would every buy this game.  I was extremely intrigued by it however, and I will probably rent it to see exactly how the full version of the game plays out.  Then make my choice.  It seems to have a lot of what I like in games, but also a lot of what I don't like in games as well.  What do you think?