We Happy Few

 PC
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 47 out of 60
  3. Negative: 5 out of 60
  1. DualShockers
    Aug 27, 2018
    45
    Perhaps with a little Joy, We Happy Few could be more palatable to modern audiences.
  2. Edge Magazine
    Sep 13, 2018
    40
    There are plenty of games with strong visual design and atmospheric settings that don't make you jump through nearly so many hoops to get to the good stuff. [Nov 2018, p.116]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. The Escapist
    Aug 30, 2018
    40
    The difference between a great idea and a great story is subtle, but important.
  5. VideoGamer
    Aug 20, 2018
    40
    While We Happy Few's story contains some genuinely wonderful twists and turns once it gets going, it's dragged down by frustrating survival systems, shoddy combat, and an empty world.
  6. GameSpot
    Aug 10, 2018
    40
    There are just too many hurdles to overcome to enjoy We Happy Few, and not enough Joy in the world to cast them aside.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
  1. Eurogamer
    Aug 9, 2018
    An ambitious, stylish and savage takedown of British hubris, but clunky crafting, collecting and combat make for a somewhat dull game.
  2. Polygon
    Aug 9, 2018
    It is beautifully, carefully written. The words that come out of this game are better than anything I can recall in even the best narrative adventures.
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Aug 15, 2018
    I’ve not gotten an enormous way through We Happy Few, because I’ve severely disliked the hours I’ve sunk into it. I think it’s probably, really, just a mediocre game, but it’s one that’s made me feel drained and discombobulated with its incoherence and that deeply peculiar atmosphere of feeling like it should be a great game, while never actually being one.
  5. The Jimquisition
    Aug 14, 2018
    Nothing short of a mega patch will fix everything truly messed up about this game. If you can imagine a game bug, any game bug, We Happy Few probably has it.
  6. The Verge
    Aug 10, 2018
    The game just loses control over its own plot and worldbuilding as it progresses, to the point that I’m not even sure whether some strange moments were bugs, and whether some storytelling choices were intentional or not.
  7. Vice
    Aug 13, 2018
    We Happy Few doesn’t work because it doesn’t feel cohesive. It’s one game bolted onto the foundation of another, and it shows. The game world is massive because the developer doesn’t have the budget or resources to make good on the dense nature of BioShock’s detail-oriented environments. The side quests are generic, often lacking unique NPCs, because the work required to build, animate, and implement them would be too much. Even the glitches seem to fit this theme: a game bursting at the seams, unable to contain itself. We Happy Few's ambitions are large, but it's only that: ambition.

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
11
#11 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 226 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 226
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 226
  3. Negative: 78 out of 226
  1. useless_gamer
    Aug 11, 2018
    2
    The game looks good. Characters are pretty cool. The world is new. But the main problem with this game is the main point of videogames; thatThe game looks good. Characters are pretty cool. The world is new. But the main problem with this game is the main point of videogames; that is fun. Sure it looks great, but the gameplay is horrible. Fighting sequences are horrible, seems all you do is loot houses for items.
    Problem is Nothing about this game is fun. Put a little more effort into fighting, I don't really want to spend 2 hours looking for garbage with a few minutes of horrible gameplay in between. Sure its kitch, and looks good, but how about some things that make the game fun. Missions? Upgrades? Whats the point?

    I was so looking forward to this game and so disappointed.    … Full Review »
  2. nighter-3d
    Aug 12, 2018
    4
    This game is just boring. All the survival elements have been reduced to be of no consequence to the point i wonder why are still kept. TheThis game is just boring. All the survival elements have been reduced to be of no consequence to the point i wonder why are still kept. The chances to get infected or plagued or bleeding so small one can go through the game without ever being afflicted and there is no reason to eat anything rotten anyway so why?

    This game is like a Fallout knockoff. Trying to keep you with stories and such, but lacks any of the exciting game-play instead having stealth against a rather stupid AI. The bobbies are hardly a threat, The nosy old ladies are just regular npc now. Only the doctors can be a bother, but you have to actually walk into them for them to start noticing and even then just walking away gets them off your back 9/10 times. Once you peeve somebody off it becomes night impossible to get rid in a busy area as EVERY npc you encounter goes berserk even if the one you peeved off is nowhere close.

    It doesn't take long before you just end up walking from one point to the other over and over to get tiny bits of story before being sent of on the 1000th "Fetch this item for me!". The randomness of the maps has no consequence either sometimes putting kilometers between 2 objectives and being generally uninteresting... again it is just downright boring.

    It feels like a waste of time to play this game.    … Full Review »
  3. Insensible
    Aug 10, 2018
    10
    I am so surprised to see any negative or mixed reviews on here... The game is so unique, utterly bonkers, and really great to play. It suckedI am so surprised to see any negative or mixed reviews on here... The game is so unique, utterly bonkers, and really great to play. It sucked me in from the first second, and I have been playing for hours since. Hopefully people will come to realise and love the game like I and others in the future - it is really great.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »