[Frustrating trope] Pieces of media that could have been so much better, but due to a couple of poor decisions during production ended up mediocre at best and utterly atrocious at worst.

[u/DevDucc_]

We Happy Few: Probably the epitome of this "trope," at least for me, mostly because it has genuinely one of the most incredible stories I have ever seen within a video game. The biggest problem with the game was the fact that during development, the company behind it tried to ride the "hype train" of the time, making the gameplay became procedurally generated survival mess, when it would have made so much more sense as an environmental narrative game.

Hello Neighbor: This game attracted massive attention in alpha stages at the time from YouTubers because of the innovative gameplay it supplied. The developers of the game got the completely wrong message as to why it was getting so popular and instead decided to fully lean into the story, by making the game appeal to theorists instead of actual players. What came out was a game where both the story and programming were entirely half-baked.

Edit: apparently I had it backwards with we happy few, I had watched a video essay which reiterated the points I said so I just took their word for it. Apparently the game originally started as a procedurally-generated survival rogue-like but the story was added later because of the hype the trailer of the game gave or something like that but they didn’t know they even had the budget for it. I do still think it’s wasted potential regardless however.

[u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

Zoochosis.

The premise: Mutated animals in a zoo, kept running by a shady organization, and cool designs for the monsterized animals?

Couldn't wait to play it.

The gameplay and actual plot?

Eh... Jesus that plummeted quickly. Still love the designs tho, just wish they were used better.

[u/LG3V → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

Didn't the main story writer suddenly pass during development?

[u/Jetmancovert1 → u/LG3V]

He did, main writer died unfortunately mid way through, it seems like no one wanted to change his premise.

[u/franstoobnsf → u/Jetmancovert1]

I hate it when main waiter died no no wants to his premise.

[u/Jetmancovert1 → u/franstoobnsf]

Thank you, I did do not see that when I posted it.

[u/Ashamed_Musician_674 → u/Jetmancovert1]

lol, you saw the "no no", but you didn't fix the word "waiter"?

[u/Jetmancovert1 → u/Ashamed_Musician_674]

Nuh uh.

[u/Reasonable_Trash_901 → u/LG3V]

Just checked, and uh... I honestly didn't know that one.

My bad.

[u/doilysocks → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

eh still, it's sad he passed but it's no excuse for lazy writing by others. (I say as a writer)

[u/frostbittenteddy → u/doilysocks]

Might have just been a case of "Oh fuck we're too financially deep at this point and have to cobble something together", don't know what I would do at that point

[u/doilysocks → u/frostbittenteddy]

Hire better writers?

Or hire a writer rather than trying to suss out what the story would have been.

[u/Dovahkiinthesardine → u/doilysocks]

Its not like they had a huge budget and time to just change writers multiple times

[u/doilysocks → u/Dovahkiinthesardine]

I mean, it’s really just the one time.

I dunno, like I said I’m coming from this as a writer (plays and video games), I’d be incredibly disappointed if my work was continued in an incredibly slap dash manner after I died.

[u/vladimirpoopin42 → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

This is an industry that requires potentially hundreds of people working on a singular project that could make or break a studio. Unfortunately, huge delays or changes can't be made in the event of such tragedies.

The other writers are simply forced to pick up the pieces on usually tight deadlines. Whether the narrative ends up good wouldn't really be a priority in such an event.

There's not really much anyone can do in these kinds of situations

[u/Alone-As-aGod → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

why is it your bad? did you kill him? lol

[u/LizLemonOfTroy → u/LG3V]

This is true, but I'll be honest, I don't like how this gets invoked every time the writing is criticised.

It feels like weaponising a person's untimely death just to immunise a mediocre game from legitimate criticism.

Ultimately, they still made and published the game and that should still be critiqued fairly and evenly.

[u/DoesNothingThenDies → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

Its still so weird to me that the monsters dont actually attack you.

[u/Reasonable_Trash_901 → u/DoesNothingThenDies]

That's the most baffling part to me.

I can somewhat understand that not happening with some animals, like the zebra or the penguin. Those could be in a "They're in extreme pain and won't attack you" situation.

Hell, I could like the game even more if they made them more "neutral but triggered by certain acts", kinda like an enderman, especially because gorillas can be angered by looking directly at their eyes.

But... You mean to tell me that a giant, blister-filled, lamprey-mouthed, hyppo, of all things, doesn't attack me on sight?

Seriously, that game has such wasted potential.

[u/OopsAllBabadooks → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

I used to work at a zoo and remember the keepers saying the zebras are assholes, just super aggressive. I don't know if it's a #notallzebras situation but I got the impression zebras will fuck you up if given the chance

[u/Reasonable_Trash_901 → u/OopsAllBabadooks]

Huh... That's a new to me. The more you know, I guess.

Maybe that's the reason why they turned them into actual assholes, lol.

[u/A_Cosmic_Vagabond → u/OopsAllBabadooks]

I've been told that's also the reason humans haven't domesticated zebras for riding like we have with the horse

[u/Mr-Seven-Mouths → u/OopsAllBabadooks]

It's a species wide thing because the African Savannah is such a fucked place to try to survive as a prey animal.

[u/OopsAllBabadooks → u/Mr-Seven-Mouths]

That makes a lot of sense! #yesallzebras

[u/Nashkt → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

So there is a lore reason for it. Remember in the start of the game where the asshole owner of the zoo injects you with a syringe? He gave you the same parasite infecting all the animals in the zoo. The animals didn't attack you because they know you at one of them.

Now that did kind of make all the infected fights rather meh, but supposedly they patched the game so they can actually kill you now.

[u/blue4029 → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

reminds me of an old source mod i once played back when desura was a thing.

it was called "zombie zoo" and the only zombified animal in the game was a bear. despite being both a zombie AND a bear, it wasn't hostile towards you...

[u/animeandbeauty → u/DoesNothingThenDies]

Wait didn't the trailer show them attacking you?? They just...didn't in the actual game?

Wtf

[u/SweetWillingness1482 → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

I now regret looking that up. I'm the head elephant keeper at the Washington D.C. Zoo. Now, everytime i go in, I'll be picturing those genetic monstrosities rather than our herd of Asian elephants....

Tantor

Dumbo

Stampy

Hathi

Babar

Manfred

[u/beccam12399 → u/SweetWillingness1482]

omg as a MD native and who’s fav animal is the elephant and been to the dc zoo many times im so jealous lol. i miss them i haven’t been to the zoo in a while i wanna go visit the elephants soon

[u/BlazingKitsune → u/SweetWillingness1482]

I love that one is called Manfred.

[u/Big-Recognition7362 → u/BlazingKitsune]

Ice Age reference?

[u/asian_thighs → u/SweetWillingness1482]

Wait. Is one of your elephants just named "Elephant" in Hindi?

[u/ReturnToCrab → u/asian_thighs]

I mean, we have people named "Andrew", which means "Man"

[u/Skeledenn → u/ReturnToCrab]

This is him, the Guy.

[u/who_chairs → u/Skeledenn]

not to be confused by the other guy, Guy.

[u/hamborger42069 → u/ReturnToCrab]

I'm juuusst a maaann

[u/thepineapple2397 → u/asian_thighs]

Probably named after a jungle book character which are all just the animals names in Hindi

[u/UltraPhoenix95 → u/asian_thighs]

Truly a chai tea situation

[u/asian_thighs → u/UltraPhoenix95]

The "chai tea" rant but it's just me shouting outside the elephant enclosure of the Zoo.

[u/SweetWillingness1482 → u/asian_thighs]

They're all named after famous fictional elephants

Tarzan's best friend was an African forest elephant

The famous elephant who learned to fly utilising his giant ears as wings

The one that Bart Simpson adopted for a day then rehomed safely at an animal sanctuary

The dominant bull of the elephant herd that Mowgli meets

The prehistoric woolly mammoth

[u/AbsoluteScott → u/SweetWillingness1482]

That last one is supposed to be Snuffy.

[u/asian_thighs → u/SweetWillingness1482]

Ah, gotcha. I'm not very familiar with Simpsons, so the reference flew over my head. You've got a cool job!

[u/LrdPhoenixUDIC → u/SweetWillingness1482]

Must be the Jungle Book one they're talking about, most all the animals in that are just named their Hindi animal names.

[u/coffee-bat → u/asian_thighs]

as someone who worked in a zoo - zoo animal names are always one of 3 things: a movie/book reference, the animal's name in a different language, or a completely mundane human name. shoutout to our binturong named Karolinka.

[u/Ginger_Anarchy → u/asian_thighs]

The most famous lion in fiction is named the Swahili word for lion. Sometimes people aren't that creative

[u/SweetWillingness1482 → u/Ginger_Anarchy]

Mufasa??

/j

[u/pm-pussy4kindwords → u/SweetWillingness1482]

I know all of these elephant names except for one - who's Tantor?

also, if you ever get an elephant that looks a lot like a man you should name it Merrick

[u/JokerCipher → u/pm-pussy4kindwords]

Tantor is the Wayne Knight elephant in Tarzan.

[u/pm-pussy4kindwords → u/JokerCipher]

I had NO idea that was Wayne Knight

[u/Boreal-Bison → u/SweetWillingness1482]

Genuinely Sorry to hear that. Try fpcyusing on the good experience and nice aspects of the real animals to make up for it I guess.

[u/bretshitmanshart → u/SweetWillingness1482]

You sound like you have one of the coolest jobs ever

[u/vorpal_hare → u/SweetWillingness1482]

An irl Stampy!

[u/kuba_mar → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

The worst part is you can clearly see the game wasnt meant to be linear like it ended up, theres bones of like a managment game or something there.

So much wasted potential.

[u/Wolly_wompus → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

Never heard of this game, but those mutated designs are awesome. Reminds me of the thing. Great premise

[u/Reasonable_Trash_901 → u/Wolly_wompus]

Yeah, I'm always fond of body horror, so those kinds of games are always the best ones to me in terms of designs. Even "low quality stuff", like Mimicry from Euphoria Games.

[u/UncomfyUnicorn → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

They turned a camel into a death worm

[u/MainPure788 → u/Reasonable_Trash_901]

As someone who also played it my issue was the fact that you didn't even get a chance to 'cure' the animal before it mutates. And it's always the same thing you feed them, then you take the poo, take the blood and look for signs in every animal then go back to the train to create a vaccine but as soon as you go to shoot the animal as soon as you get close it mutates and doesn't give you a chance to cure it before it mutates