Review Game We Happy Few

Almost three years since it first made a splash as a Kickstarter project, We Happy Few finally has a release date: August 10, 2018.

The game takes place in a "tranquil" alternate reality 1960s England, where the townsfolk of Wellington Wells have gone off their meds, literally. A government-mandated medication known in-game as "Joy" keeps everyone in an artificial state of subdued happiness. The game picks up when people begin to rebel against the forced medication, suffering violent and bizarre withdrawal symptoms.

In addition to some retailer-specific discounts not tied in to We Happy Few specifically (outlined below), gamers who preorder from most retailers recieve the Jolly Brolly in-game weapon included as a code in the game package itself. Preorder the We Happy Few Deluxe Edition or standard edition at GameStop or Best Buy and you instantly get $10 off either version of the game, as well as the Jolly Brolly in-game item.

After being denied classification by the Australian Classification Review Board back in May – effectively banning the game for sale in the country – We Happy Few has been given an official rating and will now be released in Australia.

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No official explanation was given when We Happy Few was originally denied classification. However in today's official media release, the ACB revealed it was specifically due to We Happy Few's portrayal of drug use, writing "In the Classification Review Board’s opinion We Happy Few warrants an R18+ classification because the interactive drug use is high in impact."

Developer Compulsion Games is happy with this change of decision, stating on its official website, "We went to a great deal of effort to get this decision overturned. We are extremely pleased with the decision of the board and excited that our Australian fans and new players will be able to experience We Happy Few without modification."

We came away mostly impressed with We Happy Few after going hands-on with it at E3. After being delayed from a spring to summer release, We Happy Few will now be released on August 10 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.