REVIEW: ‘Thank Goodness You’re Here!’ Is The Funniest Game In Years (PC)

“Thank Goodness You’re Here!” exclaims the man, his hand stuck in the sewer drain on the street, a two pence coin just out of reach. He asks for help, unable to free himself from the prison he created. Our protagonist, a tiny balding yellow man with orange tufts of leftover hair, starts to look for a solution. Others need help, and as you offer assistance, you see others trying to pull him out without any success.

In the back of a nearby store, the protagonist finds a massive glob of butter. You hop on it as it skids out of the store towards the man. He grabs it, spreads it all over his hand, eats the rest, and stands up. You may think the butter helped him slide out, but attached to his arm is the sewer drain, a chunk of the street with it. It leaves a gaping hole, one you can jump down to explore. This happens early in Thank Goodness You’re Here!, setting the ridiculous stage for what’s to follow.

Thank Goodness You’re Here!, the new title from developer Coal Supper, is one of the strangest, most hilarious, and most ridiculous games I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Its three-hour run time is packed with jokes, wild situations, and memorable characters that will have you laughing from one screen to the next. Simple in its gameplay, Thank Goodness You’re Here! is incredibly creative in its presentation and the situations it puts you in. It’s genuinely impossible to try and guess what’s behind each jump or wallop, a constant guessing game of zany mishaps as our protagonist tries to help the townsfolk around him. Hilarious, heartfelt at times, it’s and an experience unlike any other.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! kicks the window open in its first moments. Our unnamed protagonist, tiny and adorable in stature with glazed-over eyes that perfectly fit every situation, hops out of the window of an office building straight into a bus. His destination is the northern English town of Barnsworth, with an important meeting with the mayor on the docket. Upon arrival, he’s told that the mayor will be a bit and begins to explore the seemingly quiet town.

Very quickly, our protagonist gets roped into the townsfolk’s messes, each proclaiming, “Thank Goodness You’re Here!” before throwing their issues at him. It starts innocently enough. Mowing the lawn in the park? Fixing the tap in the bar? Getting the door unlocked at a shop? All of these begin with a simple premise before spiraling off into truly wild situations. Not one encounter plays out in the way you’d expect, rather, taking wild left turns. They build into one another—one problem solved leads to another issue.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! nails its absurd tone, synchronizing the gameplay and keeping it surprising. The protagonist can move, slap, and push to interact with people and objects, but that’s just the starting point. There are a ton of Warioware–esque mini-games. Fixing the kegs leads to a relaxing swim through the beer lines, as the patrons in the bar are personified as bottles and cans of alcohol narrating the trip. Jumping down a whole could lead to a platforming segment, but instead leads to a section where the protagonist squeezes through the pipes underground, spit out in a new area. Each new addition is fun to play and engaging, usually accompanied by laughs along the way.

I’m a huge fan of British humor, with shows like Taskmaster being some of my all-time favorites. The tongue-in-cheek humor, blended with healthy sarcasm and absurdity, hits exactly the way it should. Thank Goodness You’re Here! is constantly funny in more ways than one. The environment is full of jokes, with one of my favorites being a sign that says “LOST CAT” then in smaller font underneath “ALSO: LOST CHILD”.

Another instance starts with a seemingly random confrontation between a man and a woman as she scolds him for leaving his trash in her garbage. It only escalates from there, another ridiculous step every time you pass by. A running gag with a man’s chimney absolutely ruined me every time, along with the incredible voice acting from a stellar lineup of voice actors, including the likes of What We Do In The Shadows‘ Matt Berry.

The art style and graphics are similarly on point, with fantastic hand-drawn cartoon-like animation. The environments are packed with details and jokes, and the characters each have memorable and unique designs and the occasional cut scene is packed with personality. It’s a joy to watch.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! is one of the most creative and zany gaming experiences out there. It grabs at you constantly, surprising the player with every narrative beat and new character. Everything lends itself to pushing the humor in new ways, from the art style to the voice acting to the background to the main story—it all coalesces into an absurd adventure that is entirely worth the ride.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! is available now on PC on Steam and Epic, Mac, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.