Thank Goodness You’re Here! Review – Tha’ll be Chuffed to Bits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! Review

The art of comedy is tough to master. It takes a combination of content, timing, and performance to captivate an audience, and translating this to video games is no easy feat. While titles like Horace and The Stanley Parable manage to perfectly infuse humor with gameplay, others such as Saints Row 3 and Leisure Suit Larry fail to evoke laughs. Thank Goodness You’re Here! aims to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued other releases by focusing on a unique blend of narrative and interactive elements. However, in such a challenging genre, will its humor successfully resonate with players?

As a businessman, you travel to the charming town of Barnsworth, inspired by the Yorkshire city of Barnsley in the north of England. With time to kill while waiting for a meeting with the mayor, you venture around the quaint region to help the strange and peculiar townsfolk. This leads to an array of memorable and hilarious segments akin to that of a classic British sketch comedy with each encounter varying wildly. From the absurd to the downright silly, Thank Goodness You’re Here! delves into all manner of comedy sub-genres to deliver an exceptional tale from start to finish.

Ey Up Love

As a Yorkshire native, it is an absolute joy hearing an authentic representation of the dialect within the game. Each character is brimming with personality due to the combination of well written dialogue, design and voice acting. A highlight is Matt Berry’s iconic delivery. Every line he bellows carries his weird and wonderful nuances heightening the humour. Coal Supper also uses colloquiums as a tool to create a delightful atmosphere as well as to enhance the comedy. While there is a risk of disaffecting the non-British audience, the sheer ridiculousness and charm that imbues the bizarre scenarios will make everyone pine over this ‘reyt good’ game.

The small town feel is faithfully captured with its interconnected world. Story beats lead you on a loop through the town as you follow the multi-strand tale. The attention to detail helps to add to the British feel. From wheelie bins located outside local stores to typical markets that sell fresh goods, every aspect is representative of the north. It’s clear to see the love and attention to detail that has gone into the overall design. While the game does lean into conventions of the region, it avoids stereotypes due to its earnest focus on characterisation.

You are given no direction and will just naturally progress on to each task. While there is an element of linearity, due to the open design, you never feel guided. Missions are simple and require you to slap something in your vicinity in order to progress the segment. Although the gameplay is quite basic, the magical moments you experience supersede this as you chuckle and grin toward the next scene. 

Weird and Wonderful

Influences of Vic and Bob are evident with the surreal segments that permeate the game. You’ll shrink in size to be poured as a pint and then milk a cow in a ludicrous scene. I applaud Coal Supper for their willingness to explore topics that could be deemed offensive. Language, actions and situations flit between juvenile antics to disturbing and odd. Due to this, it may not have a universal appeal, however, if you appreciate the many facets of comedy, there aren’t many games that are funnier than this.

The art direction follows conventions of modern cartoons such as The Amazing World of Gumball and The Rubbish World of Dave Spud. Vivid with block colours, the game looks and plays wonderfully. The animation is reminiscent of television shows which adds a delicious layer of polish. Amplifying the broadcast presentation is the music. With an endearing score and a banging song, the game provides an overall stunning experience.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! manages to deliver a comedic adventure like no other. Daring to push the envelope, the game delves into the sub-genres paying homage to the greats while carving a unique identity in the medium. Although it’s a short adventure with simplistic gameplay, the set pieces you experience are truly hilarious and will stay with you long after the runtime. So, if you’re after a proper belter, tha can’t go wrong wi’ this. Tha’ll be over the moon wi’ it!

***A PlayStation 5 code provided by the publisher for review***