Even the smallest mistake in We Happy few results in permadeath

We Happy Few is one of the most eagerly awaited games of 2016. The game is already available on the Xbox Store and the Preview version will be released on July 26.

Thanks to various gameplay images distributed by the people who’ve backed the project, we pretty much know what to expect to see in the game.

We Happy Few is the tale of a plucky bunch of moderately terrible people trying to escape from a lifetime of cheerful denial in the city of Wellington Wells. Set in a drug-fuelled, retrofuturistic city in an alternative 1960s England, you’ll have to blend in with its other inhabitants, who don’t take kindly to people who don’t abide by their not-so-normal rules.

However, one very important feature that hasn’t really been brought to the spotlight is permadeath. Yes, We Happy Few includes permadeath, so mistakes are costly and if you die, you’re going to have to start all over again.

Through a lack of checkpoints and save points, the game’s developer wants to instill the fear of consequences in gamers so that they become aware of the danger that exists in Wellington Wells. A safety net would have simply made the game too boring. When a player dies, all progress and items will be lost forever.

We Happy Few is procedurally-generated, which means the game will create a different environment every time you start all over again. Being dropped into unfamiliar territory each time will add to the game’s tension and unpredictability.

Staying alive will not be an easy task since the inhabitants of Wellington Wells won’t hesitate to attack you if they suspect you’re not on Joy. If they find not on the drug, they’ll lynch you. At the same time, you’ve got to be very careful what quantity you consume. Too little and they’ll sense you’re trying to fool them; too much and your character will lose control.

To make things more difficult, your character needs regular sleep and needs to eat and drink as well. If he doesn’t eat when his body urges him to, he’ll collapse.

What do you think about the permadeath feature in We Happy Few? Would you rather have the possibility to resume the game from the moment you die?