We Were Here The Perfect DateNight Game in Isolation

We Were Here: The Perfect Date-Night Game in Isolation

We Were Here is a cooperative puzzle game that wants players to be physically separate, making it the perfect game for quarantine.

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We Were Here The Perfect DateNight Game in Isolation

Two-player video games have often assumed that both players will be able to share one screen. Inviting a second player into Portal, Borderlands or a Mario game is as simple as handing over a second controller. But not all games are made to be experienced on the same couch or even in the same house. Some two-player games are designed to keep people separate and isolated as part of their narrative and design. We Were Here is a great example of a game that needs its players to be physically separate, which it turns out is perfect type of game to play during quarantine.

We Were Here is a cooperative puzzle game where two players work together from separate screens to solve a series of mysteries. The reason this game works so well as a collaborative effort is that each player has different information about the puzzles necessary to escape. One player may have a chessboard, while the other player has the instructions for which moves to make with the chess pieces. One player may have a series of runes, and the other player the book with that runic title. By splitting up the information necessary to solve each puzzle, We Were Here forces players to work together to complete the game.

We Were Here The Perfect DateNight Game in Isolation

Many of the puzzles in We Were Here are made more difficult with the addition of time constraints. Some are artificial, such as turning off water inflow before a player drowns, while others are environmental, like encroaching darkness or cold. While the timing may prevent players from fully exploring the castle, it certainly raises the stakes. We Were Here also divides up the roles in its puzzles between a “Librarian” and “Explorer,” with many of the physical risks of these timed puzzles belonging to the “Explorer.” This division allows players to self-select into roles that they’re more comfortable with.

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One of the most compelling parts of this co-op game, however, is that We Were Here presupposes that player pairs will be distanced from each other. The main characters are explorers who have become separated in an old castle, with the Librarian confined to a small set of rooms and the Explorer able to move more freely. In order to find each other (and solve the puzzles standing in their way) players must communicate the often visual information on walkie-talkies, making use of the mic/headset set-up of the players. Building barriers to communication into the game helps to set the scene and create the atmosphere of tension.

Separating players in the game also makes We Were Here perfect for playing with loved ones at a distance. If players cannot share screens, and if there’s no difference between how this game is played by people in the same house versus people in different states, then there’s no geographical limit to the game. By removing the need for players to share a space and share a context, We Were Here becomes the perfect game for people quarantined in different locations.

Though the game is short, We Were Here is available for free, so there’s little ri

sk in trying it out. Creators Total Mayhem Games have also released two sequels, including last year’s We Were Here Together, that all rely on two-player cooperative puzzle solving.

Cooperative puzzle games require good communication — it’s the staple of everything from physical escape rooms to games like Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes or Jackbox’s Bomb Corp. But communication is also a critical component of relationship-building, and playing these co-op games with friends or partners is a great way to practice. We Were Here in particular is designed to bring players closer while literally keeping them physically apart, making it perfect for people who cannot be physically together right now.

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Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/we-were-here-date-night-game-isolation/

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