General Robert Byng

General Byng

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Sir Robert Byng (also know as The General) is a major antagonist in the indie video game We Happy Few. He is a highly respected (and feared) war veteran in the distopia of Wellington Wells and is in charge of the towns military camp.

History

Past

Not much is known about General Byng’s past before World War II. He was once posted in India where he met a woman named Maharajkumari Indira Devi who became his wife. The couple had a child together before their situation took a turn for the worst and the General’s wife was arrested. The events at the time left Robert traumatized and he left the country with his daughter to live in Wellington Wells.

Years later, when the Germans invaded Britain, (as a result of the Holocaust happening sooner in the game’s timeline) General Byrg commanded the military forces situated at Wellington Wells and willing surrendered to the invaders in order to prevent bloodshed. The town fell under German occupation and were ordered to relinquish all children under the age of 13 to authorities. In order to deter town residents from fighting back, Byrg had paper mâshé tanks made to make it seem they had no other choice for survival.

We Happy Few

In one of the game’s missions during Chapter 1, protagonist Arthur Hastings had to obtain something of value from the General’s office at the military camp.

Robert later makes his first in-game appearance during Chapter 2, which it is shown that he has developed an obsessive infatuation with chemist Sally Boyle and keeps away the authorities that threaten her business in exchange for drugs and sexual favors. He eventually discovers that Sally has had a baby girl and was hiding the child from those who may do her harm. The General attempted to convince Sally to come live with him, but she refused which almost caused him to assault her in anger.

Unable to take the rejection, Robert managed to tranquilize Sally and take her to his secret underground bunker where he tried again to get Miss Boyle to stay with him, although this time through threatening her infant’s life. However, Sally smacked Byng in the head with heavy object and flees as he became so enraged that he tried to kill her. Boyle quickly mixed up some chloroform then used it on the General’s fountain to make him pass out, but he soon regained consciousness and pinned Sally to the ground while she was about to escape. Luckily, Sally managed to get free by slashing Robert across the face with a broken shard before locking him inside the bunker.

General Byng made his final appearance in Chapter 3, while he is confronted by his old secretary Ollie Starkey over the revelation that the townspeople could’ve taken back Wellington Wells from the Germans during the war. The General saw this to be unlikely, believing the Wellies would’ve been too cowardly to fight back. Realizing that Robert wasn’t going to help Ollie expose a dark secret about town figurehead Uncle Jack, Ollie mentioned that he will get Byng’s daughter involved instead which caused the General to alert his men to stop him.