In the center, our protagonist, hard to lose sight of because of his yellow complexion, like a character from the series “The Simpsons.”
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good laugh playing a video game. The ridiculous appearance of the protagonist of Thank Goodness You’re Here ! (released August 1st on PC, PlayStation and Switch) immediately sets the tone for this comic title: tiny waist, red moustache, baldness and suit and tie. We follow this salesman from a small company to a town in the north of England for a meeting with the mayor. Arriving early, our hero as tall as three apples goes on a wander.
The town is only peaceful on the surface, with its inhabitants being more eccentric than each other. The fishmonger who smokes like a chimney sells fish that also have a cigarette in their mouth. The bar owner digresses on the sweetness of a pint of beer when waking up, or, in an underground passage, an earthworm laments the poor career prospects reserved for earthworms. Each new scene is the pretext for sketches full of puns and surrealist flashes of brilliance, or for embarrassing situations in the company of characters who seem to have come straight from the TV show “Groland”.
Fish not recommended for non-smokers. COAL SUPPER / PANIC
The biggest joke in the game is the only power granted to players outside of movement: the ability to slap. We only progress by hitting everyone and everything that gets in our way. Manhandling the onlooker allows us to start a conversation as well as solve the simplistic puzzles on our way, such as the one that involves hitting the barrels in the cellar of the local pub to activate the tap. The game is thus presented as an interactive cartoon of about two hours, very scripted but rich in detail. Too bad if sometimes the playful proposals seem a little repetitive and consist of hammering the “slap” button.
This results in surprising disasters, such as the irruption of a gigantic sausage into the public space or the replacement of the water in the fountain by the burning frying of the fish and chips. And despite the damage, we are never blamed. On the contrary, the locals seem to be endowed with infinite kindness towards us. The gardener will not hold it against us for having made the bag of manure explode in his face that he was struggling to open. He will rather be happy to have fertilizer on hand for his tomato which, as it ripens, acquires a face and calls him “daddy”. ” Happy that you are there “ (title translation) « thank goodness you’re here »), we are regularly rewarded by locals, whose house or shop has just been ransacked.
Read also | We tested… “Untitled Goose Game”, the lawless goose game
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Capturing a piece of the English soul
Getting milk for that boy who can’t drink his tea plain for breakfast… It’s the most British quest we’ve ever faced in a video game.
In addition to this absurd politeness, the creators of the Coal Supper studio, James Carbutt and Will Todd, manage to capture a piece of the English soul. The Yorkshire accents, the decoration of the houses, the red brick architecture or the passion for fried food anchor it in reality. A marginal choice in a video game industry that tends to erase local particularities in order to better sell its productions abroad.
James Carbutt and Will Todd have also inserted some archive footage of the town where they grew up, Barnsley, to give a more social dimension to the experience. The region they are inspired by, located between Leeds and Sheffield, is hit hard by an economic crisis whose scars are found in the game. Witness the remains of mining infrastructure that we see in the distance, the waste between which we slalom constantly or the epidemics of obesity and alcoholism that affect the residents. Their inflexible optimism seems to be their last weapon in the face of despair.
Behind the cheerful colours and design, sadness emerges with the rubbish that dots the city and its surroundings.
When the characters sing along, one can’t help but compare the scene to the musical-style finale of the film. Life of Brian (1979), by Monty Python, in which crucified men sing in chorus: “Always take the bright side of life » (« Always look on the bright side of life »). Making despair cheerful is probably an English specialty.
The Pixel Notice
We liked:
- despite the family resemblance with Untitled Goose Game, this game is unlike any other;
- humor that oscillates between social satire and surrealism;
- the attention to detail in the drawing and the dubbing, worthy of an animated series.
We liked less:
- Sometimes we go around in circles.
This is more for you if:
- you are a fan of Monty Python;
- you are a supporter of Barnsley Football Club.
This is not for you if:
- you are on a fat-free, beer-free diet;
- you don’t understand anything in English and reading the subtitles (in French) tires you;
- two and a half hours for a game is too short for you.
Pixels note:
4 tablespoons of Marmite/5 slices of fried bread.
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