A sandbox with hints of Bioshock and a splendid atmosphere: We Happy Few
Lately I've played a couple or two short games that haven't left me with much and although I've had fun they don't cross that barrier to be able to make a more transcendental commentary with them, We Happy Few I was hoping would be an exception and motivate me to talk about how authoritarian states control their populations in effective ways to suppress their rights, after all this game has been inspired by movies with a high social and political criticism like A Clockwork Orange, and its visuals and playable style have led several media to compare this game with other iconic games like Biochock. . In my case it has not been like that, if I think that We Happy Few is a game that can be entertaining in many parts and have a micro commentary criticizing the system, but the problem is that it does not go too deep and does not know where to go to stand out at all. A lot of the things it proposes it does well in both gameplay and story, but I think my hype for this game was quite a bit. I would have liked to make a more detailed analysis but I think I have it now is great to start (in time I will have to make an extended version of this analysis).
First to say that this development was launched thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that was a huge success, so much so that the initial idea of its developers changed radically with each new update and with each new goal exceeded in their donations, more time to make the game bigger, add more playable proposals and in general improve the lore and atmosphere, big transformations to what was planned at the beginning and I think it has been a strong bet, several years of development to be a solid game, with clear ideas, material to reach the top of the AAAs but lacking that step forward that would put it in the Olympus of video games.
Speaking a little of the gameplay of this game, it presents an open world in which we will have the sole objective of surviving and advancing in the story as we do, the city has been contaminated with a drug that makes everyone "violent but happy", so we have to meet some objectives with the 3 main characters of the game (which are brilliantly written) to be able to unravel what happens in each of the islands, and finally get out of there, it is a proposal that looks simple but the game with each step that opens new options and new ways to address the objectives proposed to us, something that seemed quite fresh and unusual, coming from a project that, yes, had a successful Kickstarter campaign but that was nowhere near this quality in the final product, a pleasant surprise.
Wellinton Well is a fascinating city, both in its artistic style and in its context, a corrupt society with an addiction that makes people violent and willing to give us a few blows, its three characters with their stories are also quite interesting and have an ample amount of main and side missions, which we will have to do compulsorily to advance the plot, the sense of humor and hidden messages are also present in this game, although I insist that criticism of the system always takes a secondary space in most cases.
Survival and above all stealth are an essential part of the gameplay, balancing the difficulty very well so that we can not end so easily with a wave of enemies and it is not so difficult to sneak, so if we choose the path of keeping quiet and advance hidden, the game has a tendency to reward us with more background in their stories and more depth in their approach, the title also puts a realistic emphasis on survival, having us to be in constant search of food, drink and shelter to sleep when we get tired, this particularly surprised me about the game because it adds a completely new mechanic for me, so the challenge now was not only to escape from all the inhabitants of Wellington Wells, but also to survive the most basic needs of any person, a plus for the game in this regard.
It is also remarkable everything that develops its world, each space of the story works in a way that tells us different "details" of the city and how everything that happens in the story is happening, its inhabitants, the city, who is behind all this, each mission is a bridge that helps us a lot to make sense and to create an identity to the city, something that could have done better in many cases but that achieves it, halfway.
The Jubilo (the substance that all inhabitants must consume and are controlled by) works as a commentary and criticism of authoritarian governments and dictatorships, which at some point will choose for us without even giving us a choice, and I think this is the most direct commentary that has the game, which starts from an interesting premise, It develops its mechanics and gameplay well but it doesn't give me enough data or content to keep me playing at the edge of my seat, there comes a time when the game loses substance and with it my motivation to continue with the story, but don't get me wrong, despite these failures, it is still a title worthy of my library, a fun title that plays well and with its story I think it covers several of the gaps, I'll have to analyze the story in another post. .