System: Switch
Release date: August 1, 2024
Developer: Coal Supper
Publisher: Panic
It’s not very often that a video game makes me laugh. There are usually a few lines of dialogue that will elicit a smile or two, or maybe even a small chuckle if it’s especially witty. But prior to playing Thank Goodness You’re Here I couldn’t remember the last time I was genuinely amused, especially not to the point that I needed to put my console down to compose myself for a few moments at times. It’s definitely something you need to experience firsthand to appreciate, and unlike anything else I’ve played this year so far.
Thank Goodness You’re Here has a classic British comedy setup, and it pulls no punches in its delivery. It starts with a series of adverts that drag on just long enough to make you wonder how long they’re going to go on for, and caps it all off with a rousing song. In between, it throws you into a string of expertly interconnected but utterly random events that constantly keep you guessing about what on earth it’s going to have you doing next. If you’ve ever watched and enjoyed a comedy show from the 70s, or are at all familiar with the works of Monty Python (not the best comparison I can make but perhaps the most recognizable for anyone outside of the UK who won’t latch onto the presentation immediately) then you’ll be right at home.
But even if you aren’t familiar with the game’s inspirations, you’ll find plenty to love about the unique rhythm Thank Goodness You’re Here has, as it launches you into one disaster after another without missing a beat, adding in the occasional running gag for good measure. Despite the humor clearly drawing from older live action comedy, visually the game looks a great deal like more modern adult cartoons, which is all the more to its credit: the bright and bold colors lend themselves well to the simple but memorable character designs, and keep things from becoming too cluttered despite how messy and chaotic a place Barnsworth is.
Your character is a nameless salesman, dispatched to Barnsworth by his boss. Unfortunately he’s not able to get in to see the Mayor of the town and, lacking any other instructions, he decides to wander around, see the sights, and help the locals out with their increasingly bizarre series of problems. Most of which have highly unorthodox solutions, which is a word I am using very loosely to describe how these situations get resolved. The simplest answer is never the correct one and never even presented as an opportunity, and as you explore Barnsworth in an attempt to help one of its townspeople, you will inevitably be pulled into another person’s problems. Eventually you’ll wind up solving multiple issues at once and be presented with a snappy title card that loosely describes what you went through, before leaving you to get back to whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing next. It’s often puerile and overwhelmingly ridiculous, but what makes it work so well is that it puts you right in the middle of it.
Your character moves from place to place with barely a change in facial expression, shrinking in size to accommodate the situation and give you access to all manner of places, breaking things to the general delight and applause of the townsfolk. All of the characters you interact with are oozing (quite literally in some cases) with a personality and charm that makes them endearing, repulsive, and absolutely baffling all at once. It’s all exaggeratedly stereotypical, but the lack of any kind of seriousness in the game robs it of any edge or offensive quality: it is, simply put, all in good fun.
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The game describes itself as a “comedy slapformer” which is as good a descriptor as any, as your character’s means of interaction is to jump, hit, or occasionally push things. Nonetheless, there is an extremely satisfying amount of interactivity, as hitting most things will result in some kind of reaction. You’ll usually just break something, or cause a startled or angry yelp if it’s one of the townspeople you’re attacking, but this is typically what you need to do to progress through the game, and the results are often spectacular. Platforming is never too challenging to serve as a roadblock, and the small size of Barnsworth means that it’s difficult to really get lost or stuck, but there is a nice sense of freedom to explore the town if you’re of a mind to. You’ll be seeing a lot of the town more than once, and as you “fix” the problems of the townsfolk the landscape will gradually change as they move around and interact with one another, giving you the sense that you’ve accomplished something, even if it was purely by accident a lot of the time.
Admittedly there is a chance that Thank Goodness You’re Here won’t be to your taste: the jokes and accompanying visuals are often crass, some of the deliberately surrealist imagery can be more disturbing than entertaining, and like most things humor is entirely personal and highly subjective, so you may just not find it all that funny. Most people, regardless of their age or background, will find something to laugh about, but your mileage will vary. The game often feels like it was designed primarily to appeal to a younger audience, but contains enough adult humor that parents who are forced to sit down and watch it will get some enjoyment from it as well.
The Verdict
Like many of the best jokes, Thank Goodness You’re Here loses something when you’re experiencing it second hand through someone else, and I’ve been deliberately vague and non-specific when describing the humor: writing examples of what I felt to be the game’s best moments just wouldn’t do them justice. It’s something that needs to be experienced firsthand to be fully appreciated, and I would strongly recommend that you pick it up for yourself if it sounds even slightly intriguing. Whether you come away amused, disturbed, perplexed, or entirely indifferent, it’s one of the most unique video games to be released in many years, and more than worth the roughly three hours it’ll take to play through.
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