'We Happy Few' release date news: Compulsion Games to introduce paranoia-filled game
"We Happy Few" is an upcoming game from Compulsion Games which brings players into a dystopian world where they can choose to fit in by being crazy or gain sanity and be mauled to death by everyone else in the game.
According to Gamasutra, the game takes place in Wellington Wells, and all the citizens are forced to take in a certain drug called "joy" to be happy. The prison-like village needs everyone to remain happy and content, and if the villagers catch the player being sad or acting anything less than cheerful, they'll start attacking the player with smiles on their faces.
Guillaume Provost, creative director of Compulsion, said that he wants players to explore the moral gray area of the game. With other games, there's usually a fine line between the good guys and bad guys, but with "We Happy Few," it's the player's responsibility to keep the balance between the two.
Provost stated that paranoia is the best word to describe how he wants players to feel when they play the game.
"It wasn't so much about making the player feel good or bad as it was about how you need to do certain things in order to comply with the society's rules, he said. "We might even corner you into doing things you are quite uncomfortable with. Our job is to model a simulation that provides an intelligent response and maintains your suspense of disbelief, it isn't to try to inform you on what you should or shouldn't do. If you want to do 'bad' things, you should be able to do 'bad' things."
The game will have players constantly deciding whether to take the "joy" drug or stay sane. Some players might want to stay away from using "joy," but it is sometimes a necessary evil in order to get out of trouble. Too much of it though, and players can die from an overdose.
Speaking of dying, the game also doesn't have a respawn option, so players have to tread with extreme care when going around the town of Wellington Wells.
An early preview version of "We Happy Few" is set to release Tuesday, July 26.
