Review: Thank Goodness You’re Here Is an Absurd Comedy

Thank Goodness You’re Right here is likely one of the silliest and most absurd video games I’ve ever performed. In reality, I’d virtually contemplate it extra of an interactive expertise, slightly than a correct journey sport or platformer, given how important all the things in regards to the city of Barnsworth and its residents are to it. Coal Supper is totally dedicated to the bit, making it a pleasure to expertise.

Reasonably than beginning with any form of stable rationalization as to what’s happening, Thank Goodness You’re Right here begins with a sequence of commercials for oddities like Peans (“not fairly peas, not fairly beans”) and Large Ron’s Large Pies. It pulls again to your avatar, a really tiny, very yellow man, being advised that Barnsworth wants precisely what you’ve bought to supply. After leaping out a window to land on prime of a bus to the village and driving it to the mayor’s workplace, you end up halted by his secretary. As an alternative of ready there on your flip, it’s off to discover the city to “help” the residents.

Whereas Coal Supper and Panic describe Thank Goodness You’re Right here as a “comedy slapformer,” that is an journey sport by way of and thru. You’ll wander round city, punching folks to speak with them and issues to work together with them. In so doing, you’ll make the city a greater place (possibly). For instance, one of many earliest duties is to help a person within the city sq. whose hand is trapped down a grate… as a result of he refuses to let go of a tuppence. This implies heading to a pub that wants kegs punched to get a locksmith having a morning drink to unlock entry to the butter retailer, so you may knock down and experience a slab of butter to the rising crowd surrounding the trapped man on the fountain. 

I imply, it’s all excellent. Like that is Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned cat hair mustache good. 

It’s completely ridiculous. There are such a lot of absurd conditions and hilarious moments that I don’t even wish to discuss in regards to the others exterior that preliminary instance. It could completely destroy it to know what’s coming. Particularly since these moments preserve taking place. The incidental NPC chattering is improbable, whereas nonetheless generally pointing you towards or hinting at sure conditions. The character designs are absolutely the goofiest. There a state of affairs involving asbestos, of all issues, that makes me chuckle eager about the commentary whilst I write this evaluate. 

Every thing can also be dealt with in such a means that it’s completely paced and you might sometimes must do a little bit of pondering. Coal Supper set Thank Goodness You’re Right here up in such a means that the sport is all the time sending you naturally within the route you want to go to for the subsequent goal. So when you could also be briefly walled off in an space or unable to backtrack, odds are in 10-Quarter-hour your pure momentum will take you the place you want to be. One state of affairs involving retrieving a screwdriver even took me a minute, due to the sudden further platforming and precise inputs wanted to correctly facilitate its supply.

I truthfully love loads of issues about it. Nevertheless, as a lot as I loved Thank Goodness You’re Right here, I’m unsure it is going to be a universally beloved sport. There may be some very British humor on show right here. (Coal Supper is from Yorkshire in any case, and there’s even a dialect choice within the menu.) Should you get pleasure from Monty Python’s Flying Circus or A Little bit of Fry and Laurie, you’ll completely find it irresistible. Nevertheless, I do suppose there are most likely individuals who received’t discover it as humorous as others or could take situation with how straightforward and easy it’s. It’s very a lot the kind of sport the place you mainly must hit or bounce on all the things to ultimately make issues occur. 

I’ve by no means seen so many individuals not solely asking me to make a whole mess of issues, however thanking me for doing so, in my life. However that’s precisely what Thank Goodness You’re Right here appears like it’s about, as the sport rewards you on your goofy and infrequently damaging conduct with ridiculous, hilarious, and even generally a delightfully inappropriate response. It may not find yourself being a sport for everybody, however those that do give it an opportunity and luxuriate in this sort of humor will probably be delighted.

Thank Goodness You’re Right here will come to the Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 5, and PC on August 1, 2024.