‘We Happy Few’ Launches With 6 To 12 Month Early Access Period On Xbox One, Steam

We Happy Few has officially launched in early access on both the Xbox One and Steam. The question that every has been asking since hearing Compulsion Games was finally going to be launching this version is just how long it will be in early access?

The developers have now shed light on the timeframe for when we’ll see We Happy Few in a finished state. Compulsion released a “why early access” on Steam and explained they expect this period to be fairly long.

“Since March 2015, we have been building We Happy Few openly with our community. First at PAX East, then with our Kickstarter pre-alpha players, and soon on Early Access. However, this is a fully 3D procedural world, intended to be played over and over again, with multiple playstyles, and with multiple characters. We need solid feedback to make sure that we create the best game we can, and we think Early Access is the best way to do that.”

Having said all that, Compulsion games believes they could be tweaking and improving their newest title for as long as a year. It doesn’t appear the firm believes it will be any less than six months. There is always the chance that things could go really well, and the early access period will be shorter, but you should expect at least some bugs in the recently released version for a while.

Eurogamer.net got it’s hands on the early access version of the game a bit earlier than its official release on the Xbox One. That website is saying the game is quite a bit different than what they were expecting to see. Because We Happy Few takes on a kind of alternate version of reality, there has been lots of comparisons to something like BioShock Infinite.

The game is apparently more like a survival horror game than a straight adventure. This is proven out by the fact that there is quite a bit of crafting and hiding. There has always been the ability to try and brute force the game, but almost since it was first announced, there have also been very obvious reasons not to do that.

The main character in this game is one that is running through an alternate version of London where everyone is taking “happy pills.” While this might sound like something we can all get behind, it turns out the drug has a rather odd side effect if someone’s world view is challenged.

Players take on the role of Arthur Hastings,who has decided to go off his pills. Technically referred to as a “downer,” people who go off their meds in the rather trippy world We Happy Few puts forward are often met with overwhelming force.

Set in the false English village of Wellington Wells, players will have to find a way to help Arthur blend in so he can escape his friends and neighbors. There is also an unraveling of the backstory explaining why the world is the way it is.

Compulsion Games’ title is one of two indie games launching today that have been long awaited. Oddly enough, both games are launching as console exclusives. For Sony’s Playstation 4, players are able to purchase the final and finished version of Headlander, a game put out by Double Fine and Adult Swim. That game features players as a floating head trying to find its way in a dystopian future where humans are a dying breed.

We Happy Few launched exclusively on the Xbox One and Steam on July 26. The game is currently in early access and will likely feature some changes between now and the finished product.

[Image via Compulsion Games]