Thank Goodness You’re Here
It’s been such a long time since I reviewed a game here, but this is the first one I’ve finished in ages, and perhaps the only one that’s made me laugh this much ever.
You’re a salesman sent on a trip to Barnsworth, a weird northern town. You are supposed to meet with the mayor but he’s busy, and as soon as you step outside the office a whole surreal series of errands and events kick off.
It delicately straddles the line between surrealism, affection and satire. Living not that far from the real Barnsley myself it was really cool to see a game set in a bizarro version of the area.
Coal Supper1 made the game but interestingly enough it’s been published by Panic2 who are also responsible for the brilliant Untitled Goose Game and Firewatch3, which is one of the very few other titles I’ve reviewed on this site. They also make the lovely Playdate4 handheld console, which I have, and might review at some point if I can be arsed (short review: love it). So, without realising, I’ve ended up becoming a bit of a fan boy.
It’s a bright, cartoonish game that lives in a seedy world of chip shop grease, meat pies, ale and dodgy markets. Abandoned bottles of ‘White Shite’ litter the streets. The sense of humour lies somewhere between Vic and Bob, The League of Gentlemen, The Beano and The Mighty Boosh. There’s an intricate level of detail that reminds me of Wallace and Gromit. The comedy never quite comes from where you expect it to, everything feels familiar yet everything is a surprise.
The controls are simple - run, jump and smack stuff - and smacking everything in sight almost always pays. There are jokes around every corner, mini-stories that develop, little details that change every time you revisit the same part of the map again.
The sound design and animation really stand out, and the voiceover acting (featuring TV’s Matt Berry among others) is a huge part of what makes the game work so well.
It’s not a long game but I was laughing so much I kept having to pause, so I got a good few hours out of it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.