Victoria’s Principles
I was very disappointed in the lost potential of We Happy Few. Despite really interesting concepts, an inspired world, and some really impressive visual effects, Compulsion Games’ dystopian nightmare was suffocated by frustrating gameplay, annoying bugs, and an abundance of finicky survival mechanics that got in the way of an interesting story and genuinely creepy universe.
Undaunted, We Happy Few launches its final expansion next week, as bonus chapter “We All Fall Down” arrives on PC and console platforms. This chapter will see players don the bowler hat and riding boots of one of We Happy Few’s villains, Victoria Byng, who is now free from the somnambulistic drug “Joy” and ready to take down the establishment she once enforced.
Victoria is equipped with her own weapons and abilities, including a skull-cracking whip (which can also be used to swing between the village rooftops), and a stealthier dart gun. Ironically, the press release notes that We Happy Few’s crafting and survival elements will take a backseat in this DLC, perhaps offering players a look at what might have been.
Despite its flaws, We Happy Few remains an interesting idea still ripe for exploration. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of the IP, as I genuinely believe there is an excellent game waiting to be unearthed from the depths of Wellington Wells and its wildly-grinning populace.
We Happy Few: We All Fall Down launches November 19 on PS4, PC and Xbox One.
