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Thank Goodness You're Here!

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Not to be confused with Thank God You're Here.

Thank Goodness You're Here!
Developer(s)Coal Supper
Publisher(s)Panic Inc.
Designer(s)
  • James Carbutt
  • Will Todd
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release1 August 2024
Genre(s)Adventure, comedy
Mode(s)Single-player

Thank Goodness You're Here! is an adventure video game developed by British studio Coal Supper and published by Panic. Players take the role of a travelling salesman who performs odd jobs for the residents of a bizarre town in Northern England. It is available for macOS, Nintendo Switch, Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The PC versions are sold both on Steam and the Epic Games Store. It was released on 1 August 2024.[1] It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its absurdist humour and criticism for its short length.

Plot

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The player character, a very small balding salesman, is sent by his employer to the fictional northern English town of Barnsworth for a meeting with the town's Lord Mayor. The mayor's receptionist explains that the mayor is in a meeting and won't be done for hours, so the player character explores the town and solves the eccentric residents' problems—such as helping a man get his arm unstuck from a sewer grate or delivering meat from a ham butcher's to a pie shop—in order to pass the time. As the story progresses, the residents' antics gradually become more bizarre and unhinged. At the end of the game, the player character is overwhelmed by the residents' demands for help and returns to the mayor's office, only to find out the mayor wants his help with an errand as well.

Alternatively, the player can choose to wait in the reception area for the full duration. After 15 minutes of waiting, the mayor finishes his business early and allows the player to meet with him, upon which he asks for help with the errand.

Development and release

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Thank Goodness You're Here! was developed by Coal Supper, a two-person Yorkshire-based indie studio.[2] The game's fictional setting of Barnsworth is loosely based on Barnsley,[3] the developers' hometown.[4] The duo had previously self-published The Good Time Garden, a free surreal adventure game.[5] It was made in the Unity game engine. The game was published by Panic Inc., a Portland, Oregon based software and video game publisher, whose previous projects include Firewatch (2016) and Untitled Goose Game (2019). 1 August was chosen as the release to coincide with Yorkshire Day.[1]

Reception

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Thank Goodness You're Here! received "universal acclaim" for PC and "generally favorable" for Switch and PS5 reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[6][7][8] Both Eurogamer and GameSpot praised the game's absurdist humour.[9][10] The British newspaper Metro also approved of the game's humour, but criticised the lack of interactivity and short length. The paper also praised the setting, saying that England is underrepresented, and described it as "the most Northern video game ever".[17] The Deck described the game as "A bizarre love letter to the North you won't easily forget" before rating it a nine out of ten.[20]

Awards

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Year Award Category Result Ref.
2024 Day of the Devs Official Selection Won [21]
2024 Tribeca Festival Official Selection Won [22]
2024 London Games Festival Official Selection Won [23]

Voice Actors

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The game features voices from Matt Berry, Jon Blyth, Em Humble, David Ferguson, Peter Sutton, Chris Cantrill, Jack Evans, James Carbutt, and Will Todd.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Press Kit". Thank Goodness You're Here! (Press release). Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Meet the creators of Thank Goodness You're Here!" (Press release). Panic. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  3. ^ Castle, Katharine (29 August 2023). "Thank Goodness You're Here is a bit like a Yorkshire Untitled Goose Game, but infinitely weirder". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  4. ^ "Thank Goodness You're Here! How 'the most northern game' got made". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  5. ^ "The Good Time Garden". Steam. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Thank Goodness You're Here! (PC)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Thank Goodness You're Here! (Switch)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Thank Goodness You're Here! (PS5)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b Wales, Matt (30 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here! review - a proper comedy gem". Eurogamer. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b Wakeling, Richard (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here Review - Propa Bri'ish". GameSpot. Fandom Inc. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ Marshall, Callum (5 August 2024). "Review: Thank Goodness You're Here". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  12. ^ Olney, Alex (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here! Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  13. ^ Hilhorst, Willem (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here! (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  14. ^ Tailby, Stephen (29 July 2024). "Review: Thank Goodness You're Here! (PS5) - an Utterly Ridiculous English Excursion". Push Square.
  15. ^ Denzer, TJ (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here review: Positively bonkers". Shacknews. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  16. ^ Stuart, Keith (31 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here! Review – sheer vivacity and dark charm". The Guardian.
  17. ^ a b Jenkins, David (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here! review – the most Northern video game ever". Metro. Associated Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  18. ^ Foster, George (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here Review - Reyt Good". TheGamer.
  19. ^ Moore, Ewan (29 July 2024). "Thank Goodness You're Here! Review - The funniest game I've ever played". GAMINGbible.
  20. ^ "The Bizarre New Game You Must Play That Is A Love Letter To Northern Britain - The Deck". thedeck.news. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Games". Day of the Devs. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Thank Goodness You're Here!". Tribeca Festival. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Thank Goodness You're Here!". London Games Festival. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
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