We Happy Few

Since Bioshock Infiinte‘s release in 2013, there has been a sore lack of dystopian alternate history games. Finally, Compulsion Games began work to fill that void with their upcoming video game, We Happy Few.  Set in a dystopian English city in 1964, We Happy Few is “the tale of a plucky bunch of moderately terrible people trying to escape from a lifetime of cheerful denial. Set in a drug-fueled, retro-futuristic city in an alternative 1960s England, you’ll have to blend in with its other inhabitants, who don’t take kindly to people who don’t abide by their not-so-normal rules.”

The concept is quite engaging. You play as a citizen of Wellington Wells, a town filled with a drugged-up populace, all hiding from “The Very Bad Thing” that happened during the war. Your character is no longer happy with escaping reality using “Joy” – the drug that keeps the citizens of Wellington Wells in perpetual happiness – and is just concerned with escaping the city. If other citizens figure out that you have not taken your Joy, they will make you take it by force or just beat you to a bloody pulp, resulting in a game over. The Kickstarter video gives a unique insight into the mindset of the average citizen of Wellington Wells:

So far, the gameplay looks unique and challenging. The game is estimated to take 3-4 hours to play through and all deaths are final. Yes, perma-death. Each time your character dies, you begin the game again, but the map will completely change – it is randomly generated at the start of each game. The game will not be as simple as just retracing your steps. You will need to learn to strategize, master stealth, and know when to engage in combat. You will also have to make sure you don’t starve.

So far there are three character options:

There may be additional characters in later patches, but for now, this off-beat bunch will have to do. Although the game is very open-world, players will be able to gain insight into these characters’ backstories and perhaps help them find redemption through the gameplay.

Did you remember to take your Joy today?

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Comulsion Games is set to release this game in 2016 for the XBox One, Windows, Mac, and Lunux. If you missed out on the original Kickstarter, there is still a chance to help back this game through their “Slacker-Backer” campaign. There are a variety of pre-order tiers from the $10 Digital Soundtrack & Digital Art Book to the $240 Collector’s Edition Box.

Check out this amazing game and support the creators as they work on this unique indie game.

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