Talking to Xbox Squad (thanks, VGC), the Canadian developer has reportedly doubled in size since We Happy Few, and is committed to making “unique games in little-used settings”.
“With our new game, a narrative, third-person, story game, I don’t think we need any feedback. It’s not like a roguelike where you replay it multiple times and you need data to make sure the experience is fun,” Compulsion’s Naila Hadjas said, confirming the game is now in “full development” and that the studio will avoid an Early Access release this time around.
“We Happy Few has evolved a lot, at the beginning it was a rogue-like and then we added a story because people loved the world, the characters, so we said ‘okay, we’re going to make a game with an end and a story’. The next game is a story, we know where we are going.”
A separate rumour from Resetera leaker Klobrille hints it’ll be a “dark fantasy third-person action-adventure” game which is reportedly not a We Happy Few sequel despite the similarities of genre, insists Comic Book.
Did you miss We Happy Few? Edwin wasn’t impressed when he reviewed it for us back in 2016.
“The rhythms of play are by and large familiar: seek out quest sites and resources while keeping one eye on your thirst, hunger and fatigue bars and taking care not to upset anybody you can’t put down with a cricket bat,” we wrote in our review of We Happy Few, which promised much but failed to deliver in many aspects.
“Disease is a factor, from rotten food that may give rise to dizzy spells or vomiting, to a plague that kills you slowly unless treated with special medicine. There’s certainly plenty to ponder, especially once you fetch up against the limits of your Resident Evil-style grid inventory, but it all feels disappointingly rote after the wonderfully sinister intro. The combat in particular is a chore - stupefying trigger mashing plus spikes of irritation when the weapon you’re holding shatters.”
