You wouldn’t think a small town in North England would make a particularly interesting location for a game, but Thank Goodness You’re Here! proves you wrong. Developer Coal Supper has turned the apparently quiet town of Barnsley into a stage for an absurdist comedy adventure where smoked kippers are dead fish sucking cigarettes and grocers are engaged in fruit-based warfare with their customers.
“Surrealism is the best vehicle for delivering on one of our key ambitions, which is to surprise and delight the player,” Coal Supper developer Will Todd says. “I think there’s also an appeal in making something that feels like it could be sort of highbrow but is actually just really daft.”
Here, the daily rituals, hometown oddities, and vibrant characters usually found in small towns have been cranked up to 11. Playing as a travelling salesman and a fresh face in Barnsworth (based on the real UK town of Barnsley), you’ve got some time to kill before having an important meeting with the mayor so decide to get acquainted with the area by helping the colourful locals with their odd jobs and partaking in some cheeky antics.