Thank Goodness You’re Here Review

Irrespective of the medium, comedy is the toughest factor to get proper. It’s much more of a problem to objectively evaluation. What I giggle at (farts, puns, and soiled jokes) received’t be the identical as a meme-loving fan of Skibidi Rest room, for instance. The wrestle to be humorous is much more true of video video games which, in recent times particularly, have had a tricky time constantly delivering laughs.

Once I consider comedy video games, there are a few that immediately leap to thoughts like Monkey Island, Portal, and The Stanley Parable, however even they aren’t universally agreed upon. Then there are video games like Borderlands, Bulletstorm, and Excessive On Life, which you may’t carry up with out beginning heated debates about their humour. Thank Goodness You’re Right here received’t be common both, however my god is it hilarious.

I can't even describe this but it's from Thank Goodness You're Here!

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Thank Goodness You are Right here left an enormous impression at Opening Night time Reside and going hands-on has solely made me extra excited.

Thank Goodness You’re Right here has you enjoying as a foolish little businessman with a lemon sherbert head as he’s tasked with travelling to the small English city of Barnsworth (primarily based on Barnsley in Yorkshire) for unexplained enterprise causes. Whereas ready to talk with the mayor, our lemonhead everyman bumbles across the city and ‘helps’ its quirky residents, who normally spout the titular phrase, “Thank Goodness You’re Right here”.

Bumbling Round Barnsworth

The disturbing milk scene from Thank Goodness You're Here.

That assist comes within the type of fixing primary on a regular basis duties like cleansing the gutters out, serving to a footie fan discover some milk for a cuppa, and, most English of all, chucking ciggies into the mouths of fish to make our staple delicacy – Fish and Cigs. Your go to to Barnsworth begins off extraordinary sufficient as you shake beer kegs to get the bubbles flowing, however they get fairly unusual as you watch a cow have interaction in a scorching tub ménage à trois and dive into a bit of oddly poetic meat. It’s principally Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared The Recreation and that makes me a really glad chappie.

Even when issues get bizarre, Thank Goodness You’re Right here’s gameplay is extremely easy, with its puzzles largely simply consisting of going to the precise place, leaping round a bit, and slapping every part in sight. I’ve seen some comparisons to Untitled Goose Recreation due to the English setting and shared writer, however it’s much more primary than that and is extra akin to going t’jennel simulator (that’s exploring alleyways for these not acquainted with the Yorkshire tongue).

Coal Supper’s final recreation, The Good Time Backyard, has loads of similarities to Thank Goodness You are Right here. Minus the moist nakedness, clearly.

The one factor you’ll must know at any given time is the place your little yellow man is headed to trigger havoc subsequent, which is a comparatively simple activity contemplating Barnsworth’s mannequin village vibe is completely captured with an intimate and interconnected map that all the time pushes you in a linear course round a loop. Though the dearth of correct puzzles does result in some repetition and the small map means there’s loads of backtracking, it’s all in service of the most effective issues about Thank Goodness You’re Right here – its jokes.

Pleased Slappers

A deepcut reference to JML in Thank Goodness You're Here.

From the second I booted up Thank Goodness You’re Right here and it supplied to show the subtitles on with some unintelligible Yerkshuh slang, I by no means stopped smiling. The humour ranges from absurdist moments like an owl supplying you with rhyming recommendation from a tree to cheekier patter you’d see in Viz like a person’s milk bottle bursting over his trousers whereas he utters an embarrassed “sorry”.

One joke about Reggie’s spouse needing to be taught a factor or two has been on a loop in my mind since listening to it. Sorry, everybody I discuss to.

Even past the humorous Yorkshire accents (apart from Matt Berry, who’s not even near getting the northern twang proper), Thank Goodness manages to maintain you laughing due to its glorious visible humour. The Beano-like artwork model is consistently charming however that grin turns to giggles due to graffiti that say issues like “Roger is a nonce” and “no dogging”. There are cleverer ones for anybody who doesn’t have a ten-year-old’s sense of humour, however in the event you love a unclean joke (otherwise you’re simply English) you then’ll be properly fed right here.

Surprisingly, Thank Goodness’ jokes aren’t what I cherished most about it. As an alternative, it’s the lovingly correct portrayal of small-town English life that caught with me. I’m from as far South as you will get within the UK however even with a 5 hour automobile journey between my hometown and Barnsley, Thank Goodness managed to really feel like a visit again to my ends and appears like simply as a lot of a love letter to England as a parody of it.

Honey, I am Practically House

Matt Berry's character and the protagonist of Thank Goodness You're Here.

In every single place you go in Barnsworth, there’s a reference to life in England to get all heat and nostalgic about, from the Nationwide Lottery mascot and yellow grit bins for that sooner or later of snow we get a 12 months, to JML’s neverending provide of latest merchandise and our iconic black and yellow bins dotting each road. Even when I’ve lengthy since moved away from the place I grew up, Thank Goodness managed to make me really feel like I’d by no means left.

It will have been simple for Coal Supper to stuff Barnsworth with stereotypical references to England by having everybody appear like an Eastenders further, however the quantity of care and love that’s been put into making the city really feel genuine makes it stand out as one of the best illustration of England I’ve seen in a recreation. I didn’t anticipate to resonate a lot with a recreation that allows you to slap everybody within the face (or bum), however I’m oddly grateful for my nostalgic journey dwelling.

I’m unsure how Thank Goodness You’re Right here goes to play to an American crowd, however I’d prefer to suppose it’s a minimum of an correct glimpse into the wacky world of the UK.

After all, like each journey dwelling, it doesn’t final without end. In truth Thank Goodness You’re Right here may be very transient at round three hours. I don’t thoughts a shorter expertise, even when I used to be determined for extra, however the ending does sadly really feel somewhat sudden. There’s a minimum of some replay worth in attempting to catch jokes you may need skipped the primary time, however I couldn’t assist wanting somewhat extra – extra decision a minimum of, if not simply extra of a recreation that was so nice whereas it lasted.

Even with its quick size and easy gameplay, Thank Goodness nonetheless stands as certainly one of my favorite indie video games in latest reminiscence. Thank Goodness You are Here is constantly giggle-inducing jokes and great visible humour are nice, however its surprisingly genuine and heartfelt interpretation of England is what made me reyt satisfied wi’it.