Back in May, I took a little trip to the London gaming event, WASD. Whilst trying out all of the current and future Indie offerings, I found a handful of games that I liked but one that I just fell in love with – which by the title of this review you can probably guess is Thank Goodness You’re Here. So of course I needed to pick this bizarre little title the moment it was released.
Set in a quirky, hand-drawn-looking world, Thank Goodness You’re Here is an adventure game (or Slapformer as it’s been dubbed by its creators), set in the mighty North of England. Developed by Coal Supper (The Good Time Garden), the game balances a perfect blend of ridiculous comedy and point-and-click-inspired solving in a welcoming Northern landscape.
So, just why are you here?
Taking the role of a tiny yellow salesman, you are tasked with travelling to the strange town of Barnsworth because they need whatever you’re selling. Upon arrival, you have a meeting with the Mayor but it turns out they’re busy so you venture out to explore your surroundings.
From this point, you are free to walk around Barnsworth and mingle with the townsfolk. This is when you find your full arsenal of controls consists of walking, jumping and slapping – hence the game being dubbed a Slapformer. So after you walk around slapping a few bin bags, post boxes and people, you’ll begin to hear humourous one-liners before that titular phrase is spoken… “Thank Goodness You’re Here.”
You have now just become a tiny hero to the people of Barnsworth. Listening to their problems, taking on missions and solving puzzles along the way until you find a resolution. This could involve fetching dinner for a bed-redden resident, shaking up barrels down t’local, finding tools for an angry mechanic or fetching meat to make a pie. All are rather simple issues to solve at first glance, but the journey to resolution is where the fun comes from. You may find yourself swimming through a sea of beer, overstuffing a giant sausage that shoots across the town or floating through the sky on a giant spirit-level bubble.
I found the game’s humour incredibly funny but as a fan of absurdist comedies like Monty Python, The Goons and Mighty Boosh, I think it’s safe to say that I’m Coal Supper’s intended audience. Speaking of the Boosh, heading Thank Goodness You’re Here’s cast of eclectic voice talent is none other than our biggest export of British voices to the US, Matt Berry. Making up the rest of the cast are some smaller names you may know like Chris Cantrill, Davey Swatpaz or one of my favourite funny men, Jon “Log” Blyth. Next to comedy, the voice acting is probably the biggest highlight for me, although there are instances where I could notice some slight differences in audio quality.
The simplicity of the control scheme unfortunately reflects on the complexity of the game mainly revolves around navigating through a 2D isometric or side-scrolling area, finding an object and slapping it. At times this can feel like you’re playing an interactive cutscene but that may also be thanks to the cartoonish setting. However, this can be overlooked for the majority of its charm which lends itself well to an almost Cosy Game feel.
At around three hours of game time, before you roll credits, you most likely won’t find much in the way of replayability. But for me – who has this nestled away in the depths of my Steam Deck, I’ll be looking to replay a few times during my daily commute so I can do some achievement hunting and find all the hidden character interactions I’ve not yet seen.
