Thank Goodness You're Here! — an indie game for the ages, offering endless quirky comedy that will have you laughing and chuckling throughout the entire demo. The team at UK-based studio Coal Supper, known for The Good Time Garden, has once again crafted another out-of-this-world masterpiece.
Coal Supper's founders, Will Todd and James Carbutt, have once again outdone themselves with their newest indie game Thank Goodness You're Here!
A trailer for the full release of Thank Goodness You’re Here!' was released on June 7, 2024, with the release date announcement of August 1, 2024, for Mac, PC, PlayStation 4 + 5, and Nintendo Switch. A demo was subsequently released as well. Let's delve into everything about the demo!
Thank Goodness You're Here! is set in the unconventionally quirky Northern English town of Barnsworth. As the player, you control a small fellow who is a traveling salesman in town for a business trip, and within the demo, you begin having humorous encounters straight from the jump.
So, we get back to the famous question… Why not? Why not try the demo for Thank Goodness You're Here!
The distinctive art style that this game brings to the table is a breath of fresh air. It feels as if you were teleported into an episode of "The Amazing World of Gumball" or even "Adventure Time." The use of bold colors and otherworldly expressive characters, alongside a simple yet playful aesthetic, can certainly be compared to such childhood shows. Where Thank Goodness You’re Here! takes it a step further is in its own unique spin and charm of how the town of Barnsworth feels to be a part of.
This brings us to the gameplay aspect of the demo. If you haven't played Coal Supper's first game, "The Good Time Garden," no need to fret because that's where the game mechanics they have implemented feel right at home. Coal Supper has kept the minimalistic controls from their previous game. The little fellow you control can only jump, move, and slap—yes, three (well, technically two) direct inputs.
Slapping in the game is what would be characterized as the foremost mechanic, as the game is being portrayed as a "slapformer" (think platformer genre, but with some slappy slaps… and poof, you get slapformer!). Your little guy whips out his right hand and you can slap just about everything in the game. Upon slapping people, you will trigger very useful dialogue, funny interactions, and even some unexpected reactions throughout the town. So get to slapping—I'm serious, slap everything just to see what happens; you'll want to, trust me.
The demo is quite short, maybe around 10 minutes or so, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do: introduce you to the town of Barnsworth and get you absolutely jazzed up about the full release coming in just over a month and some change. This game truly feels as if you were thrown into a TV show and told to mosey around just doing things, and that’s where this game thrives. The quirkiness, unexpected encounters, whimsical art style with hand-drawn animations frame by frame—listen, I could go on, but we'll see you on August 1, for the full release and a deep dive review too.
Through multiple playthroughs of the demo and research of Thank Goodness You're Here!, it's safe to say I cannot wait for the full release. If you haven't already tried the demo yourself, go ahead, ask yourself, why not?
