Where the most frightening thing is bad communication
On February 3, 2017, Total Mayhem Games released his first Steam game,, We were here. The game is a free cooperative puzzler (with VR support!) In which two players must explore a medieval castle and discover secrets in order to escape.
We were here is remarkable for the creativity of its various puzzles, but also for its atmosphere. The game is both dark and mysterious, the players by exploring an impressive medieval ruin, always haunted with spirits of the past. It’s like a frightening version of Continue to speak and no one explodesAnd it is available free of charge.
In October 2019, We were here has become a trilogy, with We were here too (February 2, 2018) And We were here together (October 10, 2019) Joining the ranks of the cooperative puzzle with two Bonanza players. In addition, in June 2020, the three games were available on Xbox One.
As the graphics of the games, the control patterns, interactivity and varnish have evolved, the price has also made the angry of many fans and led to relatively lower scores, in particular for We were here too. Nevertheless, the three games revolve around the same four gameplay mechanisms:
1. The two players communicate via a talkie-talkie.
Vocal cat in the We were here The series revolves around a two -way radio in the game. The radio has two separate buttons, one to send signals and the other to receive them. These buttons highlight the importance not only to speak, but also to listen.
My friend and I originally used discord to circumvent these restrictions. However, when we replayed the games, we found the talkies-walks for a much more interesting and convincing gameplay experience. (Although the games are always fun thanks to discord, without a doubt.)
2. Puzzles generally have an informant and an actor.
In most of the puzzles that these games offer, one player has the information that the other needs to escape the scenario. This is usually done by activating certain buttons or by pressing special levers.
The solutions can come in different ways, but there are few puzzles where the two players provide information or act without a clear fracture separating them.
3. The games take place in a scary medieval castle.
THE We were here The series never really moves away from its medieval aesthetics. In fact, it takes place almost exclusively inside a castle, venturing only occasionally outside.
A standard parameter is quite typical for a video game trilogy, so I don’t hold it against games at all. If anything, the framework improves the feeling of danger to need to finish these puzzles, because our protagonists could potentially die.
4. Some, but not all, the puzzles have a fatal timer attached.
An interesting mechanic is the use of a fatal timer for certain puzzles. Do not complete your end of the equation fairly quickly and a character (generally the actor / informed) meets their macabre fate in one way or another.
This occurs only for certain puzzles, which means that it is more impactful when you meet a puzzle with this mechanic – without mentioning more stressful when music resumes as you try to understand things.
The games sometimes modify these rules, mainly for a single puzzle before returning to the form. Most of the time, however, they follow these models to a T. In any case the unifying theme of the puzzles kills the gameplay; I had a lot of fun with almost all the puzzles that the series launched me, no matter how much they may seem.
Let’s take a look at each franchise game, and why they are worth your time:
We were here
We were here is a wonderful video game (free!), As long as you have another person to play with. The game is not super polished, with certain bugs and interactivity problems. But for a scary game of 90 minutes, offering equal parts the goosebumps and laughter – panic or misinterpreted directions – this game is one of the most pleasant experiences I had with a friend. It also taught me a lot about the speech / listening habits of my friend – things that I have never known, despite the knowledge for five years.
The rhythm We were here is phenomenal. The informant and the actor frequently have the possibility of changing role, the puzzles increase in intensity and in flesh, and the two players have a real feeling of dread while they reconstruct the troubled history of this castle, ghostly substantive voices telling the story along the way.
The game has a simple but effective environmental narration, and the puzzles are probably the best that the series had to offer. Everyone is designed to be simple, but fun to communicate, and there is so much variety here. It is clear that the developers wanted to test many different puzzles, and they are certainly fun! (Even if the bugs leave something to be desired …)
Speaking of bugs, the VR support was added about a year after the launch. I don’t have a VR system, but my friend’s experience … It’s not exactly perfect. Certain interactions are difficult, especially for puzzles by emphasizing specific movements. But when the game is This Atmospheric and VR support is free, it is certainly worth trying if you have a compatible device.
We were here too
We were here too is the second puzzle game in the series and, in my opinion, the best in terms of history and atmosphere. In general, the puzzles of the game are of quality similar to those of the first game. The informant and the actor share a much more active role in the resolution of puzzle, and the graphics have also obtained a fairly pleasant improvement (probably because it actually costs money).
A problem that this game has, however, is that it is so easy compared to the first. Since the first game was free and almost the same length, it is difficult to justify the price of $ 10 (even if the puzzles are slightly better).
What is worth it is the atmosphere and environmental narration. This game actually offers much more to explore, and more incitement to do so, because players are rewarded for finding hidden objects through the card that unlock an additional end. This local research helped me get involved with the environment and notice little secrets that I would never have found otherwise.
So, what this game lacks difficulty, it compensates for replayability. I also encountered fewer bugs and I found the puzzles more refined than the most experimental of the first game. This time, the puzzles integrate greater communication elements (symbols, guided instructions, etc.) which work best for a cooperative experience.
If this game had released autonomous for ten dollars, it would be an easy purchase. This is because it was published after the incredible (and free) We were here that there is a level of waiting for the total suite of Mayhem which may not have been deserved … especially since We were here would have experienced a small price in the first place.
We were here together
We were here together is a very solid game; It is. He has minimal bugs, more kinematics, better graphics, more complex mechanisms, more puzzles involving the two players in a central area … There are so many things in this game, that it is quite clear that it is a third of a trilogy.
However, similar to third parties of a trilogy, he loses a lot of his flame. The puzzles become bland on the side of the informant (and even become boring on the side of the actor) with numerous solutions of stoppage and repetitive time. The environments are large, but empty. Cinematics slow down the pace to the point of being unshakable … There have been some problems that make it less interesting than the first and second games.
This does not mean that I did not appreciate, or that I think it was not worth the price requested at $ 13, because it was. The puzzles that are good are Really Well, and the environment is so vast and pretty that I would say that it is always a great expansion of what total chaos has created in the past three years. I would recommend entering this game if you liked both before him.
Final reflections
In terms of quality, I would classify We were here too First of all,, followed by the original then Together.
I really, Really appreciated the atmosphere and the quality of We were here tooEven if it does not provide it for free. We were here Always has an incredible, even exceptional quality, for a free VR game, and I recommend it to anyone with a friend interested in puzzle games. If you like the first two, then We were here together is always an experience, with a little more puzzles and a much more important budget, even if it sacrifices a little of the soul of the series in return.
In terms of value, however, it is difficult to beat We were here. The first game is an excellent entry point for those looking to try the series without spending a penny. His world is so full of mysteries, decisions of second everywhere and interesting puzzles, that anyone would have fun deciphering the scenarios that the game has to offer.
If you have a friend, a colleague or a spouse who is ready to try a cooperative game with two players, I highly recommend We were here… With the rest of the series if the atmosphere, the puzzle style and the sense of panic are suitable for your style of play.
Are you looking for more reasons to enter the series? In addition to We were herezero dollar price tag, We were here together is one of the 2020s Humble choice. Don’t you know a humble choice? Discover our ventilation of video game subscription services.
