Amid all the Game of the Year conversations, we wanted to highlight a title that really managed to stand out in 2024 — a release so different to basically everything else that launched over the last 12 months.

Thank Goodness You're Here! resonated with two of Push Square's editorial team in particular: assistant editors Robert Ramsey and Stephen Tailby. We got them together to talk about what makes Thank Goodness You're Here! so special.

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Rob: So I played a lot of long games this year and pretty much all of them have made my personal Game of the Year list, but I think that makes something like Thank Goodness You're Here! stick out even more in my mind. I played this thing in one sitting, and that feels like a rarity these days.

Stephen: There's definitely something to be said for shorter titles. They might only last a couple of hours or so, but they usually pack that time with more potent stuff, and that's absolutely true of this game. It had a big impact on me — it's stuffed with brilliant moments from start to finish.

I don't know whether we want to spoil too much for those who've yet to play, but for me, some of the smaller interactions are my favourites. One that keeps popping into my head (and makes me laugh every time) is the little man kicking a bicycle outside the pub, who just says to you, "Quick kick." It's daft, and devastatingly English — perfect.

Rob: No I think you're right, it's the daft little moments that really solidify the game's sense of humour. "Devastatingly English" is a near perfect way to describe it as well. We've spoken about this numerous times before Stephen, but we're big fans of British sitcoms, and TGYH! definitely taps into the same silliness that defines so much of that 'genre'.

And obviously humour in video games is such a difficult thing to get right. Humour in itself is so incredibly subjective anyway, but I feel like TGYH! really struck a chord with us on that level — which is some achievement when you take a step back and think about it.

Stephen: Yeah, I sort of feel like we were part of the ideal audience for the game. We're both British, so basically all the cultural language and jokes land, and it's really drawing on the country's penchant for self-deprecation, silliness, and at times, darkness. It's a tone that many classic British sitcoms strike, and TGYH! joins them, though with a twist of Internet Flash cartoons thrown on top. Growing up glued to Weebl's Stuff and David Firth's surreal animations, this really sticks out to me as well.

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Rob: That's a good point, actually. I never really made the connection to old Flash stuff, but it's definitely there because of the art direction and animation style. I suppose the slapstick elements are reminiscent of that era as well.

It's worth picking up on the mention of "darkness", too. TGYH! isn't what we'd call dark comedy, but it's got that underlying, almost unnerving sinisterness that perpetuates many of the best British sitcoms and sketch shows. It's not afraid to present something that's objectively quite horrible, but laugh it off like it's just a fun little joke.

Stephen: No, it isn't dark exactly, but there's definitely some of that bubbling under the surface. There are some more subtle moments that are suggestive of something a little sinister, like you say, and then there are whole sequences in the game that hit you over the head with it. At the end of the day, though, it's amazing how good of a balance it strikes. Despite some darker jokes, it's overall really charming, and you'll finish it remembering all the ridiculous jokes and asides more than anything else.

It's also worth mentioning how accurately it nails small-town England. Barnsworth is essentially a fictional version of Barnsley in Yorkshire, which is more your neck of the woods than mine, Rob, but being British you do absorb regional eccentricities and recognise nationwide cultural things, and TGYH! expertly portrays all of that, I think.

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Rob: Yeah I think regardless of where you're from in the UK, it's a game that surely resonates to some degree. Maybe moreso if you're from the North, like you say, but everyone's familiar with that kind of small-town or village atmosphere — and the weirdness that often comes with it!

Just to namedrop a couple of comedies that share some DNA with TGYH!, the one that immediately springs to my mind is Hot Fuzz. Again, it's that small-town vibe with sinister undertones. Obviously things are much more sinister in Hot Fuzz — to glorious effect, I might add — but it tries to capture that feel of rural England and the potential horrors that lie within. Horrors that have become the norm for the people who live there, if that makes sense.

Stephen: Hot Fuzz is such a good shout, perfect really. It really does have a lot of that same strangeness — if you enjoy the snapshot of England in that movie, TGYH! is definitely worth checking out. A couple of favourite shows, Spaced and Black Books, are also required viewing if you're a fan of this sort of thing. They're more centred around London, but both shows capture that same magic of English life, and also veer into the surreal at times, something the game does a lot.

Rob: It's that classic approach of playing extremely stupid stuff with a straight face, isn't it? I feel like that's an essential component of UK comedy.

The other comedy I want to mention is The League of Gentlemen. Admittedly I haven't seen it in ages, but there are clear comparisons there as well. It's a nightmarish series, really, that deals in all the sinister elements that we've already talked about.

And then there's Vic and Bob. Those two leaned into absurdity almost completely, and I feel like parts TGYH! play on a similar kind of madness — alongside that unmistakably Northern perspective.

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Stephen: I'm sure all of these were touchstones for the Coal Supper team making TGYH!. What impresses me is that it's able to deliver a similar level of humour in an interactive form. Comedy is so hard to pull off successfully in a game (on purpose, at the very least) because most of what comedy is about — good timing and subverting expectations — is much harder to control when you put players in the driver's seat. This game's fairly minimal interactivity is perhaps a stroke of genius, then, because it's easily one of the funniest games I've played.

Rob: That's bang on, I think — and it's important to note that TGYH! is actually a good game as well. Like you say, it's minimal in terms of actual interaction, but what is there is cleverly done, implemented a bit like a point-and-click adventure but without the time-consuming puzzles. And that might be a key part of why TGYH! works so well in the first place; it never kills its own pacing. That's despite having quite a bit of backtracking, because there's always something daft going on, even when you revisit previous locations.

Now I think about it, Barnsworth feels fairly alive, doesn't it? Which is impressive given the game's simplistic design, both visually and structurally.

Stephen: Yeah it does, there's definitely a very lived-in vibe. I think that comes from it being a very well-observed environment, with lots of recognisable small-town locations, and quirky characters that all play a role within those. And, as you say, when you go back to a previous area, there's always something different going on — time isn't standing still, and neither are the people. I love the escalating gags as you revisit the various parts of Barnsworth. The design of the game is quite simple, but it's done with great attention to detail.

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Rob: Speaking of gags, let's wrap this up by sharing our favourites. I know you mentioned the "quick kick" bit, but was there anything else that stood out? Anything you immediately think back on when TGYH! is brought up?

Anything that never fails to crack a smile?

Stephen: A standout for me is Tiny Tom's reaction to seeing Big Ron's giant pie on TV. It's difficult to explain why this is so good without playing yourself, but you'll know what I mean when you get there — it's gold.

Rob: Hahaha, I suppose it's testament to the game that I know exactly which bit you mean, and yes, it is gold.

For me it's that one line from Matt Berry's gardener character right near the end. I won't repeat it here but it's that all-important timing and the delivery. Immaculate.

And I think it'll always circle back to this point when we talk about TGYH!: it's a genuinely funny game. Again, comedy's subjective — there'll be people reading this who played TGYH! and thought it was painfully boring — but like you said earlier, so few games have ever made me laugh out loud, and TGYH! managed it multiple times.

Stephen: It's the same for me, too — and I've played it through at least three times. One final point I'd like to make is that it's a great game for the whole room, by which I mean people watching will get almost as much from it as the one playing.

If you have friends and family over during the holiday, and they've a taste for the sort of unhinged humour TGYH provides, this will go down a treat as you settle down after the big feast.

Have you played Thank Goodness You're Here!? What did you think of it? Did you find it as entertaining as Rob and Stephen? Question just what that gardener's been doing in the comments section below.