The Opening Evening Reside trailer for ‘comedy slapformer’ Thank Goodness You are Right here! was a joyous balm in a sea of shoulder shrugs final week. Its vibrant, cartoon visuals immediately stood out towards the gray, ultra-realistic grizzle beards of every part else Geoff needed to supply in his Gamescom mega present final Tuesday, and even now I nonetheless discover myself whistling its jaunty little track round the home. However what precisely is Thank Goodness You are Right here!? Nicely, having performed by way of one in all its 15 minute missions now, I can let you know it is a bit like Untitled Goose Recreation, in that you’ve a village you’ll be able to wander about in inflicting chaos, but it surely’s additionally rather more structured than that, with particular quests and folks to assist as you information your tiny travelling salesman by way of its surreal neighbourhood. Here is what I realized.
Straight off the bat, you’ll be able to inform this can be a recreation made by British builders. With my tiny salesman one way or the other having wedged himself into the highest of a chimney, a close-by sweep declares that he is discovered a “toad within the gap”, and promptly introduces me to the enterprise finish of his stick and shunts me all the way down to the (fortunately extinguished) fire in the home beneath. The one method you’ll be able to work together with the world of Thank Goodness You are Right here! is to leap and kick, and so it is up out the open window to see what’s in retailer for us subsequent as we gamble concerning the unusual city of Barnsworth (based mostly on actual UK metropolis Barnsley, the place the builders Coal Supper originate from).
In seconds we meet a barely hapless gardener referred to as Herbert who’s having bother watering his big tomato. “Thank goodness you are right here!” he proclaims, as do many others all through our demo, and he units about telling us that this backyard hose he is been sucking (he truly does say “sucking this pipe”, I am not making that up) simply is not doing the trick and may we presumably assist him out? Kicking the backyard faucet does not yield any higher outcomes, so I adopted the remainder of the dampen a suspicious trying properly. Down and down the pipe went, alongside a winding tunnel that finally led me to a sink in an underground kitchen on the native Fish and Cigs store. It is arduous to inform if the oblivious Herbert is aware of he is unintentionally been siphoning off the store’s water provide, however after one other swift kick, the water begins flowing once more.
Now to discover a method out. There was no going again up the properly, so my solely method ahead was out the entrance of the store – although not earlier than the shopkeeper additionally breathed a sigh of ‘thank goodness you are right here’ and set me to work serving to him kind his fish from his cigs. And sure, cigs as in cigarettes right here, which burst forth in packs of three from every fish’s gob as I jumped on their frozen, ice-packed bellies. As somebody from the south of England, I am unable to say I am aware of this specific British delicacy, however issues solely received weirder as my demo went on.
Having sorted out the fish keeper’s drawback, I used to be then free to wander the city sq. for a bit, which had loads of different freaky inhabitants to satisfy (and in addition kick) as I made my method again to the gardener. With the water now flowing (albeit instantly into the gardener’s trousers, I would add – I advised you he was a bit hopeless), the subsequent step was to obtain some fertilizer, which might be discovered again within the sq. on the native grocers. Going backwards and forwards like this felt a teensy bit clumsy within the second, I will admit – particularly since my method again by way of the hedges did not appear open for a return go to, so it was again down the properly once more to get out – however the sheer nuttiness of what adopted actually went an extended approach to make up for it.
Arriving at Roger’s Veg Corridor, I am out of the blue introduced with full-on fruit warfare. Roger the grocery store’s gone berserk, and the gardener’s in entrance of me cowering behind the meals stalls, swearing blind he did not point out the grocery store’s “large head”. I bounce and sprint ahead within the gaps between vegetable hurls – my small stature coming in useful right here so I do not get clocked with a cucumber – and as I lastly make my approach to the counter, popping up in all types of bizarre locations in and across the store on the best way, I spring up in entrance of Roger by way of a steel trash can, the shiny, reflective floor of the lid providing up a mirror to his elongated noggin. Abruptly, I am watching Roger’s complete life story play out earlier than my eyes, how he was bullied as a baby for having such a unusually formed cranium, how different children would chuck popcorn at him within the cinema, and the way his first girlfriend did not thoughts it. Minimize to his girlfriend now spouse leaving him as a result of she simply cannot preserve mendacity to herself anymore, and the grocery store ageing and getting sadder and sadder as individuals regularly exclaim “It is simply too massive!”, till lastly he collapses in a heap from the push of emotional trauma.
We seize our fertilizer and go, leaving no matter’s left of Roger to take care of one other time. It is potential we’ll see him once more in a while, builders Will Todd and James Carbutt inform me, as finishing numerous ‘missions’ will culminate within the city clock transferring on one hour, and extra of the city will regularly open up over time. The locals may even transfer about to totally different areas, and every hour can have a few potential duties out there.
“It isn’t a loopy branching narrative,” they inform me, “however there are, like, relying on which factor you do first, some issues will develop into out there at totally different occasions. The world responds in a barely totally different method and issues unlock for various causes.” As such, you will not see the entire recreation on a single playthrough, and I truly cannot wait to see what different unusual issues are hiding in right here, as a result of after we get again to the backyard and our gardener buddy begins making suggestive grunts and thuds making an attempt to “get her open”. The digital camera then cuts away to his dad and mom trying on inside the home, silent, however clearly wistful and proud that their son has – to their ears, not less than – has discovered somebody to ‘love’.
After arguably too many barely awkward seconds, the sack bursts forth (by which level his dad and mom have disappeared to thud the furnishings in a fair friskier vogue), splattering onto the already bulging tomato. It ripples and rumples to horrifying proportions, birthing a monstrous pair of eyes, nostril and mouth because it utters a single phrase in a high-pitched squeak: “Daddy??” However the gardener’s having none of it. Straight away, he is gorged himself on the complete factor, his mouth slick with purple juice, and a vacant look in his eye as he stares at his knife and fork. I am undecided what I’ve simply witnessed, however the gardener is happy, and the mission display shouts “Cream Of The Crop!” at me. The city bell then rings out within the distance, signalling that one other citizen is in want of help, it appears. However earlier than I discover out who, my demo attracts to an in depth and I am left to ponder what I’ve simply seen.
Loads occurred within the area of that quarter-hour, however like Herbert, I am hungry to see the remainder of it, which shall be arriving on Steam and the Epic Games Store someday subsequent yr.
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