We Happy Few is the new survival game first person produced by Compulsion Studios. With versions for Xbox One and PC, the title is in development, but has been made available on the Xbox Store on Xbox Games Preview program and via Steam in early access. Check out how to play and know what to expect of the mysterious city of Wellington Wells:
We Happy Few presents narrative with psychological terror at E3 2016
Although there is still, in fact, a story to be told, the alpha version, which was also presented during E3 2016, is big enough to detail the survival systems and crafting, as well as the gloomy atmosphere. The map is open and restructured every new gambling, so there is no way to memorize the location of safe settlements.
As the player explores the environments, new activities are generated in real time with specific goals, how to find out the position of items, find a particular character or acquire raw materials needed to build tools and weapons. As usual, there is a limited inventory where you need to manage and filter the most important features.
Water, food, medicine and weapons are essential supplies that should not be missing in stock. Meals can be found in hiding places and other people's homes, while the canteen of water is replenished by the map. In the case of drugs, the character is able to acquire recipes to make pills for any type of disease or infection, including the so-called "happy drug", which must be one of the narrative focus.
The simplified combat system works well in the first person and revolves around fighting melee. The protagonist uses own fists to attack and block enemy advances, and collected objects to strike others. Even with limited weapons choices, it might be noted that the final version will bring a very diverse arsenal.
One aspect that draws the most attention in the trial version is artificial intelligence. Enemies react to almost everything the character does or does not do. If you stand facing a resident of Wellington Wells, for example, he will not hesitate to start a fight. You have to be cautious and act furtively to survive in the midst of so many dangers and opponents under drug effects.
Even with so many positives, We Happy Few ends up suffering with the unbalanced system of needs. This is because the character can not spend more than five minutes without having to rest in a safe location to reset the power meter, which ultimately makes the slow and dull rhythm.
We Happy Few is on track, but it is a jewel that needs to be polished with care not to fall into oblivion until its official launch in 2017. England retrofuturistic shows promise, but does not have much to offer beyond battles and shelters