We Happy Few Reviews
A jog-fest with sluggish combat and inconsistent stealth, but a story that will pull you toward the end anyway.
We Happy Few's focus on story over survival is a good choice, and at its best when dropping bombshells of truth that the drugged people of Wellington Wells have tried so hard to ignore. In its Early Access, I felt like wandering between procedurally-generated islands to stay alive wasted the intriguing setting and premise of its opening act. Now, exploring segments designed to reveal We Happy Few's secrets are both fun and rewarding. Although survival and crafting are fairly manageable, running through randomly generated towns, streets, or abandoned fields unfortunately shows that We Happy Few can't hide from the ghost of its own past, no matter how much Joy you take.
An ambitious, stylish and savage takedown of British hubris, but clunky crafting, collecting and combat make for a somewhat dull game.
I'll play more polished, bigger and more bombastic blockbuster games this year, but We Happy Few will stay with me long after its quests are over.
We Happy Few delivers an intoxicating experience, rife with dark mysteries to unravel and exciting missions to complete, but some annoying mechanics and scarce resources keep it from reaching greatness
We Happy Few's borderline broken systems and unremarkable quest design make it an unentertaining slog through an intriguing world.
We Happy Few is uncomfortable, uncanny and brilliant
Much like Contrast before it, We Happy Few shows off plenty of potential with its original and engaging world from a team whose passion and heart clearly shines through.
Perhaps given another few months, We Happy Few could have been great, but as it is it's simply a missed opportunity.
While We Happy Few's story contains some genuinely wonderful twists and turns once it gets going, it's dragged down by frustrating survival systems, shoddy combat, and an empty world.
There's no doubt a ton of positive elements to We Happy Few, but it seems like a fantastic world clouded over by overzealousness on the part of Compulsion Games. While they should be lauded for their hand in crafting a world that I wanted to dissect every inch of, too much of the game feels like filler for its own good. Perhaps with a little Joy, We Happy Few could be more palatable to modern audiences.
An interesting world and basic idea that lacks polish and uses a couple of game mechanics that feel too old to still be entertaining.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you're as terrified of a dystopian society as I am but also endlessly fascinated by it, then We Happy Few is for you. Just be sure not to forget your Joy! We wouldn't want you labeled as a Downer, now would we?
We Happy Few delivers a great story, with a perfect setting in an alternate sixties Britain and some easter eggs for fans of classic sci-fi literature. Sadly, missions are too similar and there are some technical issues in combat, loading times and survival mechanics.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
We Happy Few must clash with a gameplay that doesn't fascinate too much, but plot, settings and longevity are more convincing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There's a huge amount of potential in this dystopian 1960s drug trip, but ultimately it starts to feel frustrating quite quickly. Every time We Happy Few draws you in with an interesting tidbit about the world or the character you are playing as it's scuppered by the systems fighting against you. It just becomes frustrating and makes a potentially immersive experience an irritating exercise in dealing with the game mistaking your intentions. Much like the dystopian world in which it is set, We Happy Few never feels quite right.
A joyless and confused mix of BioShock, Fallout, and Rust that wastes its intriguing setting on repetitive action and tedious survival mechanics.
We Happy Few is unique. It features gorgeous environments, great music, twisted humor, and a magnetic story. It deserves praise for those aesthetics. But the game is what matters, and it is sadly lackluster in that regard, with bad combat, mundane stealth, and endless, frivolous mechanics. By choosing the fastidious "micro-management" path, We Happy Few distracts far too much from its true potential as a dystopian gaming classic. And that's the biggest downer of all.
In its launch state, however, We Happy Few pleases the eyes and ears, but much like the fictional drug it features, the Joy is great… until it wears off.