The Indie Game Magazine October 2015 | Issue 54 | Page 12

ultimately survive long enough to escape the
town, completely. In order to survive, certain
allowances must be made: Take a bit of Joy,
smile at the residents, dress as they do, avoid
suspicion. Really, it’s a bit like surviving in any
large city without being ostracized (though
Wellies take it a bit far by beating the player
to death should he/she be detected). The
searchWastrels are those who couldn’t hack it. This
ing
can be seen as a commentary on society as
through
rubble for rot- a whole, whether intentional or not.
ten food, fighting others for just a taste of Mention of Uncle Jack, at this point, is
the bliss, but unable to find it, these souls practically mandatory. He is the face of Welcan inspire sympathy even as they prepare to lington Wells, a television and radio host that
attack the player (that is, if they’re thought narrates the daily lives and interests of the
of at all).
Wellies while reminding them of their duty
The purpose of the player in We Happy Few to continue taking their Joy and blending
is to escape from the Wastrels, infiltrate Wel- in. Through a very successful Kickstarter,
lington Wells, blend in with the Wellies, and Compulsion Games was able to give Uncle

Jack quite a bit more screen time to orate in
his unsettling, cheerful manner, adding more
depth to the 1984-esque rabbit hole, and
giving players more insight into the lives of
those they wish to defeat through deception.
Players can decide for themselves how deep
they’d like to read into this dystopian tale, as
there is currently a story mode in development that may draw more parallels; it may
just as well myopically focus on the playable
characters’ experiences, pulling them further
int