As unbelievable as it may seem, We Happy Few is almost upon us. For those that have been following this game for quite some time, your patience will soon pay off. If you are still somewhat unfamiliar then it’s time to learn, because it looks as if we are all in for a treat. It seems every time something new is shown, the game looks even better than before. And it started off looking pretty damn good.

We Happy Few takes place in 1960s England but in an alternate reality. So don’t expect to hear too many Beatles songs on the radio. Instead of all those psychedelic, wet-look clothes and aqua coloured cars, everything is an absolute mess. As a matter of fact, it looks as if the world might be ending. Everything in the fictional town of Wellington Wells is dark and grey, all the plants are dead, and there’s not a surface in sight that couldn’t do with a fresh coat of paint. But for reasons unknown, this is what England has become.

So as to the reasons why all the residents of lovely sounding Wellington Wells haven’t committed mass suicide, well the answer is so sixties, it should be of no surprise. Drugs. It’s always drugs. In this case, one particular drug by the name of Joy. It’s a magical little capsule that makes you forget about the horrible aspects of your life to force you into a state of euphoria. Even the crumbling world around you starts to look fantastic. It looks like the worlds most tame acid trip. The grass turns green, presumably you hear birds chirping, and the world looks brightly coloured and fabulous. Even the roads become rainbows which, in real life, sounds nice for walking but terrible for driving.

Joy, like all drugs, is not without its downsides. Its effects don’t last for long, so in order for people to never see the world as it really is, they have to keep taking it regularly. Thankfully the television celebrity Uncle Jack will always be there to remind you. And he seems to be all that’s on tv so you’ll never have an excuse for forgetting. Which is sad, because those on Joy always have big, creepy smiles on their faces. Oh, I’m sorry, did I say creepy? I meant fucking terrifying. Meaning you have no choice but to look like an evil clown. It doesn’t help that everyone is wearing a white mask either. And all that smiling can’t be good for your face. Speaking of which, it hasn’t been said what the long-term effects of Joy might be. It’s possible that throughout the course of the game, those that take too much Joy might have a problem they’ll have to deal with.

You play as three different characters throughout the game, all of whom are just trying to survive the best they can. But they are all rebels and don’t want to take Joy if they don’t have too. Unfortunately, at least in Wellington Wells, taking Joy is not voluntary and not taking it will give you some trouble with the authorities. This, of course, means that you have three options when it comes to getting around. You can take Joy to get through the densely populated areas, you can sneak through and hope that you’re not detected, or you can fight any of these horrifying, grinning freaks with an array of weapons.

The fighting is where things get interesting. It seems that you don’t have to kill anyone if you don’t want to, but what fun is that? Especially when some of the weapons are delightfully British. For example, if you pre-order the game, you get the Jolly Brolly weapon which is an umbrella. And in the trailer they showed off the cricket bat which it seems you can use to bat Molotov Cocktails back at you opponents, should they throw one at you. When will enemies learn that Molotov’s are not their friends?

You will also be able to obtain different skills and upgrade your weapons as the game progresses. So if you really like that cricket bat, but it’s just not doing the damage it should, you can add things like metal plates to it and turn it into a killing machine. Your characters can also acquire skills of your choice to compliment your play style. However, it is important to note that each of the three characters has their own strengths and weaknesses. It might be that each character has different skills they can actually get, or they could make it more difficult and have the skill be less or more effective, depending on the individual.  Both would be interesting.

Considering how great We Happy Few sounds, August 9th sounds like an eon away. Hopefully, it won’t feel too long.  You can pre-order either the standard or deluxe edition now to get the umbrella weapon I mentioned earlier as well.  We Happy Few will be available on Xbox One, PC, and PS4.