Like a bout of constipation, it pains me to say that We Gotta Go, in its current form, is not a very fun game, despite some genuinely charming aesthetics and gags that give it a unique identity reminiscent of the late 90s to the early aughts.
With the success of “friendslop” titles like Peak, RV There Yet?, R.E.P.O amongst many others, I was looking forward to checking out We Gotta Go, as it seemed to scratch that same janky but endearing butt itch that I crave. Sadly, We Gotta Go suffers from a little too much in the jank category of things, making for a game that feels more clunky than chuckle-inducing.
We Gotta Go is a up to 4 player co-op roguelite survival game, or rather, a game where you’re trying to find the nearest toilet to avoid crapping yourself silly. Yes, instead of something as ephemeral and sacred as your very life, We Gotta Go is all about not defecating your pants, which can result in a game over. In other words, your runs are dictated by how long you can go without having the runs.
“We Gotta Go features some roguelike elements, meaning levels have a healthy dose of randomness that makes each run unique and varied.”
Like many survival-style multiplayer games, We Gotta Go starts with a prep mode, where players find themselves at a pit stop. The Buc-ee ‘s-inspired gas station is where players can spend their limited currency to outfit themselves for the gauntlet ahead. The beginning of runs gives each player 80 coins and 3 inventory spaces to fill. Starting items range from extra briefs that act as bonus lives, gas meds that heal the player, by you guessed it, reducing your flatulence levels, to various types of melee weapons like plungers, rubber chickens, water guns and machetes (poop knives?).
Other purchasable goods include modifiers that grant bonus abilities, like reduced gas buildup when sprinting, better AOE control of your farts, etc. Speaking of farts, moving or getting scared by taking damage in the game will build up your gas meter, which can be expelled by perfectly timing your presses. Reducing your stagger and granting bonus health back. These modifiers are mostly tied to the farting mechanic, which, in essence, acts as the health system within We Gotta Go.
We Gotta Go features some roguelike elements, meaning levels have a healthy dose of randomness that makes each run unique and varied. On top of the primary goal of reaching the end and finding a toilet in each area, We Gotta Go also features secondary objectives given to the player by the enigmatic Mr. Bum. The secondary objectives in We Gotta Go encourage more thorough exploration, pitting players against the clock, or rather, the very alive interior of the mansion and other levels that make up the game world.
“Despite a few good wipes resulting in streak-free pristine behinds, We Gotta Go never felt like it came together in a way that made returning runs feel worth it or fun.”
The deeper you explore a map, which includes environments such as classic haunted mansions, graveyards, mad scientist laboratories, dank dungeons, and other Halloween-adjacent settings, the levels themselves become agitated by the players’ presence within their bowels. In essence, the angrier the levels get, the more likely a random event is to trigger, locking the players in a room that must be cleared before moving on.
Enemy variety in We Gotta Go is well-realized, featuring everything from haunted armour sets, evil eyes, ghosts, skeletons, and other more exotic, Lovecraftian-inspired goons that add to the game’s cartoony vibe. Combat itself feels janky, and unfortunately, not in a deliberately off-kilter kind of way. Hits lack punch and just don’t feel particularly satisfying. Weapons thankfully make short work of most enemies, while a secondary kick is available in a pinch.
Damage or gas can build up rather quickly, but We Gotta Go provides plenty of vending machine-style chests that have meds that can heal you for around 20 coins strewn about the map. Other oddities that players can run into include bonus items and gear, which players can find in locked containers that require pressing the correct button combo within a short window, among other hidden areas that require some form of time-based or password puzzle mechanic to best.
Dying or soiling yourself isn’t an immediate death sentence in We Gotta Go, as the game gives players a short window to possess a corpse of a fallen backpacker that can be found via a random corpse within the game world. The revival mechanic ensures that, at least early on, the game never feels overwhelming or too difficult for players to progress towards the ultimate goal of reclaiming their porcelain thrones.
Despite a few good wipes resulting in streak-free pristine behinds, We Gotta Go never felt like it came together in a way that made returning runs feel worth it or fun. Several solid ideas and core gameplay principles form healthy nuggets of fun roguelike goodness, but the push is not worth the squeeze, making for a game that fans of the genre and friends groups should sit on and ruminate for the time being.
