This is an absolute corker of a time it, I say! Right now in England, and just yesterday in Manchester, we've had a bunch of far-right dunces rioting like imbeciles in the name of nationalistic glory.
They'd benefit from giving Thank Goodness You're Here! a whirl. It's packed with charm, sharp absurdist humour, and... wait for it... the game pokes fun at Britishisms! Actually, better not let them anywhere near it. Precious little snowflakes would just riot again.
Anyway, not to let that get in your way of this SPLENDID little indie charmer that's so bizarre you can't help but love it (with a spot of tea).
Bake a Pie and Get Some Baked Beans for... Thank Goodness You're Here!
To ensure rioting doesn't happen amongst the braindead Daily Express readers, let's note this title is by Yorkshire-based indie developers Coal Supper (and NOT some dev over in SOME OTHER COUNTRY OH MY GAWD THERE ARE OTHER COUNTRIES!!!).
It just launched (July 2024) and is available on Steam, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Oh eh, it's easy to note the comparison to House House's Untitled Goose Game (2019), who are actually Aussie developers. But the two studios have a Steam bundle right now promoting both titles.
As with the goose one, Thank Goodness You're Here is also set in a little English village. In this instance, the fictitious location of Barnsworth (populated, as it is, by an oddball selection of eccentrics).
The plot is about a very small, yellow white collar office worker in a kind of '70s version of Yorkshire. You're tasked by your boss to speak to the local mayor in a Kafkaesque narrative where the exact purpose of everything is never revealed.
Off your trot as the unnamed yellow dude whacking anything you see to get titbits of information and the like. Oh yeah, and the guy's size (diminutive as he already is) changes in relation to his situation, so he ends up fitting into some very odd locations.
Intrigued? Well, here are the first 14 minutes in action.
The gameplay mechanics are basic—kind of like a platformer. You can run and punch stuff. That's it. So, you run around punching everything you see to get a reaction (i.e. Britishism) from him/her/it.
Along the way you'll learn the devastating life stories of some of the locals, such as a small business owner whose life is a misery due to his extra-large skull. Ostracised from society, he has nightmares of his alienation from society (such as being barred from eateries, "This is a family restaurant!").
Some of the local shops include stores like Price Shaggers and there's also one pie shop owner who's a complete lunatic. He reminds us a bit of Captain Blondebeard from The Curse of Monkey Island (1997).
We must note, this is no twee jolly jaunt. This is a game for adults, with the humour tinged with an often dark, bleak, underlying sense of dread (the story about the extra-large skull bloke being particularly unnerving).
Full credit to the writers, though, as this is a brilliant example of a video game narrative at its best. The dialogue puts your average $100 million AAA blockbuster game to shame.
Plus, all the daft humour is backed up by this kind of noisy tomfoolery.
Straight up, Thank Goodness You're Here! is very funny. At its best moments its goddamn inspired, peak Monty Python levels of brilliant.
There's a lot of slapstick and self-deprecation going on, pisstaking over British mannerisms. That includes our regular obsession with comfort foods such as baked beans and pies. We guess it's a specific type of humour and this may not be your cup of tea, but if you get it you'll get it.
It's totally absurd, but manages to nail the weirder side of being British. Such as that lingering obsession with pies. Like, why? Why are we so obsessed with pie?
Anyway, this isn't so much a game and more of an interactive cartoon.
It's met with excellent reviews from the gaming press and rightly so. This is a brilliantly creative time of it and will put a jolly spring in your step.
And it's also a timely reminder of the creative brilliance of many Brits, ready and wating to raise above the turds to deliver something glorious. Rather!
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