UK developer Compulsion Games has confirmed that its upcoming drug-fueled, BioShock-esq action-adventure game, We Happy Few, is – roughly – a 20-hour experience.
Videos by ComicBook.com
News of the game’s length comes way of its producer Sam Abbott (via GameInformer), and is a substantial increase of the average playthrough length of the very different game that launched in Early Access back in 2016.
According to Abbott, in We Happy Few there’s a procedural generation component to the game that means some content will vary from player to player. For example, some players might encounter sidequests in one game, that might not spawn in another game.
However, this type of procedural generation when it comes to story content has been dialed back significantly since the game released into Early Access to a mixed reception. Abbott notes that the team has abandoned its “highly repeatable” one-hour game formula in favor or a more traditional, 20-hour experience. Meaning, that the the varied content from game to game is limited to much more minuscule things rather than anything major.
And this matches up with the developer’s previous sentiments that revealed it changed a ton about the game from a narrative design perspective since it hit Early Access in order to be more like the game its E3 2016 trailer alluded to, and which put it on the map.
We Happy Few is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It is scheduled to release later this week on August 10th. You can read more about the game below, and more about its Season Pass, here.
“We Happy Few is the tale of a plucky bunch of moderately terrible people trying to escape from a lifetime of cheerful denial in the city of Wellington Wells. In this alternative 1960s England, conformity is key. You’ll have to fight or blend in with the drug-addled inhabitants, most of whom don’t take kindly to people who won’t abide by their not-so-normal rules.
“Discover the retrofuturistic city’s dark history as you play through the intertwined narratives of three quietly rebellious citizens of Wellington Wells, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, as they face their pasts, prepare for the future, and engage in activities that aren’t exactly status quo in the artificially enthused society.”
