Co-op Puzzle Design for We Were Here Forever

We Were Here ForeverThe newest in our gaming collection We Are Here The Xbox One is a series of puzzle adventure games that you can play together. A partner and you play the Antarctic explorer. Together, we must escape a castle that is threatening to trap them. With the introduction of cross-play, we’re opening up a world of new players to team up with. Whether you’d like to play with a friend or dive into the game and connect with a stranger, it will all be possible. Communication is everything, and you’ll have to trust your partner, as streamers Copacaxi and Icharr_ demonstrate beautifully in our latest trailer!

Design philosophy

How do you make a puzzle good? We Were Here ForeverThe fourth and final game of the We Were Here Series, so this isn’t our first rodeo. The first thing we do is establish the basics of how a perfect puzzle should look for our game. Each puzzle should relate in some manner to communication, and all puzzles should link together. You can describe symbols and help someone navigate through a maze.

Simply put: if it doesn’t get you talking, whispering, laughing or yelling then it shouldn’t be in our games.

Puzzles for the Puzzling

Many places can provide inspiration for solving puzzles! From a movie scene, an idea for a cool mechanic, some part of the game’s story, or even a completely abstract theme. Every designer has their own process and different tools. Options include building a prototype out of cardboard and boardgame components, sketching storyboards, detailed diagrams, making little movies or in-engine prototypes, and we’re sure there are many more. Even origami models have been created for specific puzzle environments.

Generally speaking, we always search for the fastest and most efficient way to ‘prove’ the core idea of a puzzle – what makes that puzzle cool and unique, and does it work? When we feel confident about that core idea, we create more complex prototypes. These include custom art, modifications and improvements to the puzzle design and placing it where the story/world would like. Between the initial version and what looks like it will be, it can often take several months.

Designs Challenges: Spoilers!

One of the most difficult parts of puzzle design is determining the right difficulty level. There are many types of puzzlers, each with their own reasons for enjoying the series and different experience levels. Every puzzle should appeal to both seasoned and new players. There’s also a very fine line between a challenging puzzle and a frustrating one, and getting that balance just right takes a lot of testing, tweaking and sometimes redesign.

Simply put: if players get stuck it should be because they’re not cooperating or communicating well, not because the puzzle isn’t clear or is too difficult.

The majority of puzzles never make it past the idea stage without making any modifications. An example (with mild spoilers) is a puzzle where the players have to communicate with a creature using sounds – the players are separated while one has the ‘dictionary’ and the other has to do the actual communication. It involves trying to imitate the sound the creature makes to communicate with you, while one player has to translate them.

Although the original goal of this puzzle was to imitate sounds, nearly everything changed. The original challenge was to beatbox two machines. Record players were required, as well as anything that could be compared to a drum sequencer or computer. Soon it became apparent how difficult this task was and why more natural sounds seemed more appealing. Translation is the final ingredient to make it work. It allows you to communicate with the creature. It ties the whole thing together and serves a purpose. But even when that was figured out, getting the details right  – the questions/answers, dictionary, controls, and level of challenge – took a whole bunch of attempts before we reached the fun final version of the puzzle.

You can try the puzzles for yourself today!

But that’s enough about how we made the game – We Were Here ForeverS, ready for you to dive in and explore!|S, ready for you to dive in and explore! Team up with a friend, and you can solve the mysteries surrounding Castle Rock together. We Were Here ForeverThis is the most thrilling adventure to date, with three standalone exciting games. We Are HereEvery series is a puzzle adventure, which you can enjoy with your friend. We’re happy to say that even after three games, we still have plenty of great ideas for puzzles – and long-time fans of the series agree, saying We Were Here ForeverThis is the greatest game ever!

Find out if you and a partner have what it takes to escape, or if you’ll be trapped in Castle Rock… Forever!

We Were Here Forever

Total Mayhem Games

☆☆☆☆☆
1

★★★★★

$17.99

You and your friend are trapped in the realm of Castle Rock with no way out – were you betrayed, or simply not that clever? You must work as a team to find a way out, solve puzzles and explore Antarctica. Be aware, nothing is what it seems – there are dark secrets hidden in the shadows. Is it possible to escape this trap?
Beginning in the dungeons deep in the bowels of Castle Rock, you and a fellow prisoner must seek a way out and return to stand again beneath the icy Antarctic skies – but escaping this nightmare is not so easy as just leaving the castle itself. If you can free yourself from the cells, you’ll need to make choices about where to explore next. You will find the history of Rockbury and its residents, as well as plans for a rebellion against the King in order to escape the Keep. You will be led by Hope to the eerie Graveyard, where you’ll descend into the deep waters of the Foundry.
You are part of an intricate plan that has been centuries in the making. Someone or something brought you here. Only an unshakeable bond with your partner will give you any hope of survival in the face of such dreadful desire…

NOTICE: This is a co-op game. Each player must be able to use a microphone compatible with their computer and have internet access.