We Were Here Forever

We Were Here is a franchise of cooperative first-person adventure video games, created by the Dutch studio Total Mayhem Games. The We Were Here games are cooperative first-person adventure games with puzzle elements. Each player has a walkie-talkie to communicate with the other, which is what allows them to solve the puzzles they face. The first We Were Here was developed by Dutch studio Total Mayhem Games as part of a student project while studying at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. It was a student entrant for the Independent Games Festival 2018, and won the Best Indie Game Award in 2017 at the Indigo showcase in the Netherlands. The gameplay is similar to the original We Were Here, with two players who are split up and must solve puzzles by communicating via walkie-talkie. In a twist on the series' usual gameplay, players spend some of the game in the same area together, where they can both visit the same locations. In their review of We Were Here Too, Adventure Gamers described the first game as noble, saying that "though bite-sized, it offered a neat concept and was well received". We Were Here Too received review scores between 60 and 75, with outlets largely praising the puzzles and core gameplay, but noting that the game was fairly short. Zine described the puzzles and communication gameplay as strong points, but criticized the story and some technical issues. We Were Here Together received more positive review scores than We Were Here Too, ranging from 70 to 85. Adventure Gamers praised the puzzles and communication gameplay, while encountering some technical issues and finding the story unclear.