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Here we are with another installment of Indie-development! This time around I want to mention a little game called We Happy Few.
Here's the pitch: you wake up just outside of a small town in post-war Britain called Wellington Wells in a universe where the Nazis invaded the island. The residents of this town turned to drugs to cope with the horrors of war and everyone must take a little pill known as "Joy" which makes them feel happy and cheery. It's like Equilibrium in reverse.
What's really drawn me to this game is its atmosphere and tone. I'm very much reminded of a tv show from the 60's called The Prisoner about a spy who was imprisoned in a quaint little village where bizarre things happened to keep him there. We Happy Few will also make use of procedural programming. If you die, you restart outside of the town again, but a different town. Things have changed, and nothing is exactly as it was before. The gameplay also seems very unique. It's like reverse-stealth where you're tasked not so much with hiding from the populace but rather with blending in and hiding in plain sight as it were. The art style is somewhat cartoony, but in some ways a little grotesque. Here, have a gander at the announcement trailer:
And here's 15 minutes of gameplay:
The game is being developed by Compulsion Games, creators of a well-received indie title known as Contrast where you run around in a 3D world, but can turn into a shadow which makes it into a 2D game. As of this writing the game is close to two-thirds of its goal with two weeks left to go. This is a title that I would really like to see cross the finish line, and in truth it seems to be pretty far along in its development as they've been showing off a very playable build. The cost of pre-ordering the title is $30, and I strongly suggest you at least give it a look.
-Jay