We Happy Few was one of 2019’s more exotic video game products, especially sitting among the AAA packaged-for-retail crowd. Set in an alternate 1960s England, its story of forced conformity mixed with RPG mechanics and first-person stealth made for a disorienting experience. But at least we can’t say there wasn’t anything new out there.
How does such a game come about, anyway? Now’s your chance to find out. Compulsion Games, makers of We Happy Few, have put together a behind the scenes documentary on what was involved in bringing such an original game to life, convincing the industry to take a chance on a quirky idea, and just getting the thing finished on time and free of bugs. This doc, “The Cost Of Joy,” is forty minutes long, but worth the time spent.
And if you have another forty minutes, The Gaming Historian just put out an excellent overview of the history behind Super Mario Bros. 3. Not to pile more on your backlog; just saying.
Compulsion Games has today released The Cost of Joy: The Compulsion Games Story — a free 40 minute documentary that gives insight into We Happy Few’s development. The Cost of Joy provides a raw glimpse into the reality of video game development by following the small crew of creatives at Compulsion Games as they work to overcome challenges and the Hype Machine while bringing their vision for We Happy Few to life.
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