we happy few | BarrelRolled

We Happy Few – Pre-order goodies and instant $10 savings

June 27, 2018 by David Wong

We Happy Few is set to release on August 10th, 2018. After three years in the making after a Kickstarter project, the game is ready to launch.

If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a game where everyone is on drugs in 1960s England. The townsfolk have gone off their meds and a new government medication known as “Joy” keeps everyone in a fake state of happiness. The game has you playing as one of the few who rebel against the meds and therefore you need to suffer the side effects of withdrawal symptoms. Some countries have banned the game due to drug use.

If you preorder the game, you get to get your hands on some goodies. Gamers who pre-order will get the Jolly Brolly in-game weapon included as a code in the game package. If you preorder at GameStop or Best Buy you can also get a nice $10 off instant discount and the exclusive weapon.

The standard edition will run you $59.99 and is available for PS4 and Xbox One.

The deluxe edition includes the base game and the season pass, which is rumored to include three pieces of content for the game. It’ll run you a pretty $79.99 out of pocket.

And lastly, there’s the Time Capsule collector’s edition comes with something that you may expect- it doesn’t include the game itself. But it does come with collectible items including a sticker set, alarm clock, soundtrack, mask, handbook, lamp, and propaganda posters.

Sit tight for updates as the game approaches the launch date. The propaganda posters are pretty cool and the item that makes it worth it for any hardcore fan.

We Happy Few banned from release in Australia due to “drug use”

May 26, 2018 by Eugene Schmidt

Indie survival We Happy Few has reportedly been banned in Australia due to drug use.

The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts gave the game a “refused classicization” rating which means it’ll basically be illegal to distribute in Australia. The reason has to do with drug use, which is obvious if you’ve played the game. It takes place in an alternate timeline back in history and is based on the roles of denizens who take a fake drug called Joy that keeps them calm and relaxed in order to forget about WWII.

Players play as 3 different protagonists who decide to stop taking the drug and need to traverse the world as it really is rather than the illusion that Joy makes it. It’s also a part of the gameplay; if you don’t take Joy, it makes the game significantly more difficult because guards will catch you easily. Completing objectives also gets difficult as a result of that.

The game was banned because it’s possible to take Joy during the game. And thus, this is “drug use.” The report does acknowledge that drug use is optional and that there are “alternative methods to complete the game,” but it also notes that “gameplay requires the player to take Joy to progress,” which is doubly confusing. Australia has a rating classification which states that “drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted.”

Other titles that were banned include Outlast 2, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, and South Park: The Stick of Truth, which all got the ban hammer from Australia’s Classification Board. Whether or not developer Compulsion Games and publisher Gearbox will try to release a censored version of the game is still unknown, but it’ll likely be difficult given the game’s mechanics.

As for the rest of the world, We Happy Few will be rolling out in mid-2018. Players who have bought the game in Australia will likely receive a refund.

We Happy Few delayed until Summer 2018; Stopping sales until game released

January 23, 2018 by Eugene Schmidt

We Happy Few will be delayed and is offering refunds for everyone who bought it.

We Happy Few has been officially delayed until Summer 2018 based on a video about the production update straight from the devs.

If you’ve never heard of We Happy Few, it’s pretty much a survival game that’s based in a world where everyone uses drugs to conform to a single unit in society. It’s a first-person game that focuses on exploration in a whole new world as a rebel. You play as a character who refuses to abide by society and you need to discover and learn more about the people behind it. At least, that’s what I last heard about it.

It’s made by Compulsion games. The reason they’re pushing it back is that they need more time to polish it up. And they’ve noticed some complaints and player feedback about the game so they’re taking the time improve the game. They also noticed that there’s not enough content in the game to justify the current price offering, so they’ll be doing something pretty cool.

Sales for We Happy Few will be paused. You won’t be able to buy the game in Early Access anymore starting at the end of January 2018 until it’s released. And everyone who currently owns the game will get a full refund if desired irrelevant of playtime (Steam has a 2-hour window to get a refund).

You’ll have to use stealth to sneak past very dangerous situations and also blend into the surrounding by being a social chameleon. There’s also a combat system if you do get caught as well. You have to explore the dark city of England in 1960s. It’s war-torn and everyone seems happy, but that’s just because of the drugs. You need to find out why everyone is so happy. The game plays with the stories of 3 different citizens each with their own perks and they’re all on the same mission- to find out what’s going on in their super happy city of England. It’s pretty creepy and gives you that eerie feeling as you play it. It features immersive and atmospheric gameplay.

The game has been out for a while now and you can give it a try as Early Access only for $50.99 USD, but the actual game hasn’t been released yet. And it won’t be until Summer 2018. If you’re a fan, be happy for them taking the time.

Overall, there’s a huge fanbase in following this game. At least they’re not rushing it and taking the time to get it right.