Thank goodness you are here here; A gravy-flavored palate cleanser from all the action-adventures, Souls-likes, and Metroidvanias I’ve played in the past few months.
The same company that released Panic Inc. was published by Untitled Goose Game Even if the aesthetic and tone are very different, there is a certain line of transition in the world. Presented in cartoon style between Cartoon Network and pre-school educational films, this is an aggressively English, charming northern “hatter” in which you play as an unnamed little man who arrives at city hall for a job interview. After being kidnapped by a receptionist, he has to kill time in a fictional northern England town called Barnsworth, which is definitely 80 percent Barnsley, 20 percent plausible deniability.
Thank goodness you are here is almost the opposite of the anarchy brought by Untitled Goose Game: you try to help. Despite having nothing to do with Barnsworth, our little hero—in varying degrees of subtlety—is unwittingly drawn into plumbing jobs, quests, and surreal dream sequence flesh-dealing, without asking if he can help.
Although it’s a video game, it’s more like a bunch of loosely connected set pieces and vignettes. The controls are simple: you drive the little guy around town, but you can only punch (well, punch) and jump. There are a few low-paying platformer units, but it’s not trying to be Mario. Much of the joy comes from Barnsworth himself, with head-tilting jokes, posters and boards that run the gamut of comedy from hip-slapping and visual gags to a Yorkshire accent and even a few digs at the game – ludonarrative damn it!
There’s a joke about wheelie bins (in the UK most of our bins are on wheels) that made me laugh on a Sunday evening during the hardest part of my week.
Actually, it’s all funny. The writing and voiceover help enrich this surreal little town as you explore it with Matt Berry.What we do in the shadows) title and many UK comedy talents, including The Delightful Sausage’s Chris Cantrill, now host of the BBC’s Icklewick FM, share a similarly surreal ‘northern’ kind of humour. (Cantrill was also nominated for Best Show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.)
The only drawback comes from the on-the-rails gameplay, which is woefully short. But it’s dense with jokes and nods, I’m on the second game, taking in all the details, like the wayward old couple who never had a relationship any of your tasks, but always outside; if you lie in a scene and let the characters talk (“I’m eating for two right now… Plus I’m pregnant”); lightly barbed references to economic decline in the north and shameless exaggeration of northern or working-class stereotypes, many of which would go over the heads of American (and southern English) players.
A great example is when you start the game, it will ask you a question in a heavy Yorkshire accent. Answer ‘wrong’ and the game will play with standard English text, answer correctly and all menus will be loaded with northern slang. No need to panic now, mind: you can switch between them at any time in the “t” menu.
It’s a short but rich experience. It’s worth playing for the ultimate set piece, possibly my favorite gaming moment of the year.
Thank goodness you’re here, now on your Mac, PC, PS5 and Transition.
