Irreverent, crude, lewd, inappropriate, crass, and even gross, Thank Goodness You’re Here! is not for the prim and proper among us. If you are prim and proper but let your hair down when the curtains are closed and enjoy a bit of cheeky, immature humor from time to time, you have a friend here. Thank Goodness You’re Here! is a high production value rule-of-fun adventure game that had me smiling and laughing throughout the three-hour run.
A little guy who has to meet the mayor for work, you wait patiently in the reception area, but wouldn’t you know it? The big guy’s super busy. So, off you go to say hello to the citizenry while he finishes up whatever he’s doing, only to be met with all sorts of odd requests, tomfoolery, and violence. Of course, you engage in your share of violence, as the only thing you can do besides walk around is punch and jump.
Punching’s as good as talking, though, as everyone is happy to make requests and respond politely when thwacked. Jumping serves merely as a means to an end most of the time because stacked sacks of flour and chimneys don’t climb themselves. Your balled fist doesn’t require much thought, either, as most of the game simply involves getting information from folks out and about or in their homes and shops and then fetching whatever or doing the job.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! has a tidy rhythm as our tiny fella navigates three large hub areas full of buildings and interactables. Once you’re done or wish to exit the third area, you return to the first area and will likely notice a lot has changed. New people show up, people you’ve helped may be in different places going through all sorts of other issues, and the environment alters.
Now, remember all of those adjectives I used in the beginning. Are we really helping these people? And, if we are, are we doing so at another’s expense? Ah, who cares, because it’s all just so much fun to sit back and take in. One of Thank Goodness You’re Here!’s best qualities is how low-pressure everything feels. Because the game is complete nonsense and extraordinarily well-animated and voice acted, doing the usual adventure thing happens seamlessly and almost never frustrates. I typically veer away from easy games, but when an experience is this hilarious and artistically charming, I actually prefer everything to have simple access.
In atypical fashion, this game isn’t about gameplay or story. It’s about hand-crafted graphics, timing, and voice acting. A form of British slang (I assume), Thank Goodness You’re Here! has all sorts of odd terminology I’ve never heard that I somehow understood through context. Every line is delivered perfectly, including rare moments where something touching happens. Even when something serious and positive happens, expect some odd visuals and animations to accompany the scene.
We’re not quite talking Ren & Stimpy style of animation—imagine several of the characters are kinda gelatinous and can contort their expressions in a variety of ways. This enhances every line delivered and the act of walking around and enjoying how odd this place is; it also improves the few serious characters in the game, because they’re the outliers and stand out as a result of their mediocrity. I have to imagine the creators loved making this game from start to finish, because at no point did the work falter. In fact, it only got more absurd, as any good comedy should.
If you’re open-minded and don’t mind a few jokes that border on tasteless, the wealth of fantastic jokes here far outweighs the cringey moments. Honestly, not all of the jokes felt right to me, but most successful comedians will tell you that not every joke lands. I’m okay with that, because while I was surprised by a couple of the poor jokes, I could look past them and see the bigger picture.
Pacing is key in Thank Goodness You’re Here! because running around and slapping people keeps the game moving, since dozens of quests means there’s almost always something to do. Near the end, I had a couple moments of downtime when I couldn’t quite figure out what was next, and going through the motions of squeezing through pipes and getting stuffed down chimneys became a slight bore. While only momentarily stuck, those short moments can feel long in a game like this. These are slight quibbles, though.
Thank Goodness You’re Here isn’t for the faint of heart. At this point, you probably know if this game is for you or not; it really comes down to your sense of humor, and if you’re not into this sort of potty humor, then this isn’t for you. If it sounds entertaining, though, then there’s absolutely no doubt the game is worth a purchase. For sheer quality reasons alone, this is an experience worth having, and I enjoyed nearly every second of it.
