PAX East 2017: ‘We Happy Few’ Interview with Sam Abbott

We Happy Few started out as a Kickstarter and then moved into early access on Xbox over the summer. Here’s the thing: if you are the Bioshock fan? This game is your nirvana.

The graphics are gorgeous. Honestly, the imagery in and of itself is enough to make you want to play. As discussed during the interview, the art director dug around a lot of 1930’s styled art to come up with the unique aesthetic. If you’re into the Kubrickian look? This is going to be something you want to stare at, even if you’re not into the playing.

However, it’s not just the look of the game that’s going to suck you in. Talking with Abbott, it’s really about the unique gameplay. While We Happy Few started as a survival game, it has ended up as a game with a very particular perspective. While there may be killing and survival included, the real trick to the game is that the game focuses on “hiding in plain sight.” As a fugitive, the main character needs to try to fit in so as to not be caught. However, that adds a sense of, as Abbott noted, paranoia to the gameplay because moving from one neighborhood to another means not knowing how the other people will treat you.

Even more interesting was the discussion with Abbott about using early access. In the case of We Happy Few, early access has helped steer the path of the gameplay. Instead of focusing on the original survival mode of the game, the early access has allowed the developers to match those aspects players enjoyed with the ongoing creation of the play. Moreover, Abbott noted, it’s unfortunate that many people focus on early access in terms of debugging instead of overall development.

For additional insight into this horror game with gorgeous graphics, take a look at this video from PAX East 2017.