We Happy Few – What Happens if You Choose to Take Joy at the Start?

In We Happy Few, one of the first choices you must make in the game happens at the very beginning, shortly after the start of the prologue. The decision involves taking a little pink pill called Joy, which is an essential drug for many citizens in Wellington Wells. We’ll explain what happens for each choice option at the start of the game for those of you who are curious. There may be minor spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned. 

What Happens if You Choose to Take the Joy?

In a dystopian world, sometimes drugs are the only alternative for living a normal life. During the prologue where Arthur is going about his daily work censoring newspaper articles, he will come across an article about himself. As a result, old memories begin flooding back, and Arthur must choose whether or not to embrace those memories. 

You must will be given a choice between taking your Joy pill and conforming to society or rejecting your prescribed drugs in favor of remembering your past. Most players will choose to remember, which prompts Arthur to look beyond his drug-induced life to recall his past. Choosing to remember instead of taking Joy causes the game to continue normally.

However, if you choose to take your Joy pill instead, this causes the game to simply end altogether. Arthur takes his Joy, he forgets about his past, his rose-colored view of the world returns, and the credits begin to roll. This will also unlock the achievement titled “Snug as a Bug on a Drug,” which is granted for taking Joy at the very beginning of the game. If you wanted to unlock this achievement, all you have to do is start up a new game and pop the pink pill when prompted a few minutes into the prologue.

There you have it. Now you know what happens if you take Joy instead of remembering in We Happy Few. Consider your curiosity fed. If you’re looking for more guides to help you make your way through Wellington Wells, be sure to check out our We Happy Few game hub.