We Happy Few places you in a very polite dystopia — and the only way to avoid a good clubbing is to take your daily dosage of Joy. The drug doesn’t just make you happy, it also makes you forget. And right at the start of the game, you can choose to forget a long-lost memory rather than attempt to uncover the secrets of Wellington Wells. The choice isn’t exactly secret, but it took me by surprise on a subsequent playthrough of the game.
Here’s how it all works. You play as Arthur Hastings, a former journalist that now works for City Hall, censoring old newspapers that might make the current residents unhappy. Everywhere you go, you’ll find bronze reliefs with the words “Happy Is The Country With No Past” — and happy are the people with no memories. After discovering a newspaper article that reminds Arthur of his lost brother, he sets out to escape Wellington Wells and rescue his family from an unknown fate he barely remembers after years of drug-induced euphoria. So, how do you get the optional ending?
Beat The Game In Minutes With This Choice | Optional Ending Guide
After Arthur discovers the newpaper article, you’re invited to make a choice.
You can either take your Joy pill, or throw it away. Joy isn’t just a narrative device, it’s also a gameplay mechanic. Taking joy makes you harder to detect in Wellington Wells.
Everywhere you go, there are machines (and people) that are designed specifically to sniff-out citizens that choose not to partake in joy. If you’re found out, you’re either killed on sight, or send outside the city walls to wallow in post-apocalyptic despair, or catch a bad case of the plague.
- Optional Ending: To get an optional ending and complete the game before it even really starts…
- Just choose to take your Joy!
Throwing away your joy will initiate the first sequence in the story, and allow you to leave your office. If you take the joy, you’ll live in blissful ignorance and enjoy the end of the world in peace. The credits will roll after a brief statement, and you’ll get to listen to some groovy music.
