I read about this game the same time I was reading about the rapid demise of Sony’s big massively-multiplayer online shooter Concord. Sony cancelled Concord after only two weeks live, despite eight years of developement and 100M+ of costs. Cancelled because noone was playing it. On PC distribution platform Steam, it showed a maximum player count at 697 - which in online terms - is dismal. Games now are huge undertakings, and the prizes for winners also huge but Concord despite its polish it arrived into a crowded market with little to set it apart. Indeed a lot of gaming is like this, you play demos and early access versions of a games that are barely different from games before them. Gone are the days in the 1980s where games had radically different mechanics and gameplay styles.
Thank Goodness You’re Here is a whimsical new narrative adventure from Coal Supper. It blends humour with a hand drawn graphic style reminiscent of the 1980s UK comics like the Beano and Dandy. Its quirky, surreal in a way that can be unexpected and is always charming. The pacing is relaxed, encouraging players to take their time and explore every nook and cranny of the town. It’s the kind of game that rewards curiosity, with small, often humorous details hidden in every corner. Voice acting, is equally charming, and in the Yorkshire accent, used to add colour to the e eccentrically drawn, and often eccentrically scaled characters.
And with triple-A titles often clocking in at 100s of hours, there should be awards for games that can be completed in just a few. So give this game not only an award for originality, but an award for brevity, being entertaining without demanding your reserves of Dopamine.