We originally reviewed We Were Here Forever back when it released on PC last year. As big fans of the series, we’ve been keen to see it finally come to consoles – and that day is here at last!
If you’re new to the WWH series, allow us a quick overview: Played strictly in online co-op, two players are tasked with navigating a series of increasingly challenging puzzle rooms, involving a lot of teamwork, communication, and a fair share of arguments! While we’re working together, the trick is that both players generally only have half of the information to solve the puzzles. Players must then communicate with each other via voice chat, explaining any and all little clues they may think will help the other player.
It’s not as easy as that though – played properly (and we highly encourage you do so), we must rely on the one-way walkie talkies provided to us. We must press a button to open our mic to talk, but only one player can do so at a time. As you may imagine, this can lead to more than a few moments where players are both trying to talk at the same time, meaning no-one is hearing anything. The little light on the walkie talkie lights up when the other is talking, so we can at least see when we’re supposed to be listening. It’s a frustratingly fun system in practice, especially played with a good friend as the banter that can ensue will be remembered for a long time.
Back to the puzzling, and these can range from something as simple as finding a door code for the other player within our environment, to huge areas full of intricate puzzle solutions that require quick timing and perfect communication. One mid-game area really pushes this to the limit, with an ever expanding, interlocking set of rooms that form up and around us. We can see the other player, and must guide them through specific doors while trying to unlock further rooms. It’s as impressively clever as it is tough, though there are many more examples that push the boundaries of our puzzling ability in other ways.
I originally played the PC version with fellow Tavern-ite – and life long bestie – Graham, with whom I’ve enjoyed countless co-op adventures. We had a nice flow to our sessions, even when the solving wasn’t quite going as well as we wanted… We’re both big gamers though, and as such settled into the rhythm easily. This time out, I played some with my non-gaming wife, and found the experience to be, well, just as great. It’s not the easiest game to get into if you’re not a big gamer, but after our time playing she was keen to play more having had a fun time.
The Xbox version is on par with the PC version in terms of visuals and content. There’s nothing extra here to find if you’ve played the PC version, though as above, finding a new partner to play proved a great excuse to revisit the game. This was made even easier by a brand new addition to the series: cross platform play! As more and more games are supporting this, it’s great to see WWH jump on board. With my wife on the PC and me on the Xbox, we were seamlessly able to create a game, letting us play and chat via those walkie talkies with no problem at all. It’s not just PC but also Playstation gamers too, and again, we’d highly recommend you find someone to check it out with.
Conclusion
We Were Here Forever has taken everything about the series we’ve loved so far, and has upped the ante at every turn. Bigger, more intricate puzzles that are incredibly satisfying to solve, and now with cross platform play, there’s even more chance to find a buddy to play with.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
