We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip Review – Bite Sized Co-op Mind Teaser

Total Mayhem games brings in this occasion a bite-sized sample of their winning co-op formula in the form of We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip (WWHE). In this title, aimed to be a more casual game compared to its older siblings, the same forced co-op magic and ingenuity that characterizes their previous entries is still alive and well, in a more approachable package. If you have had interest in these titles previously but haven’t pulled the trigger because they are lengthy or seem overly complicated, then this might just be the gateway into the series for you. And if you are just hearing about these games now, might also be a good place to start!

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is free to claim on Steam from time of writing until October 13th! After then, it’ll go for USD $3.99.

Story – Go Through the Motions

Not much to it, but it’s also not that necessary. The game provides the necessary context as you go, but essentially, you and your friend are working through a variety of puzzles, traveling by boat from one puzzle to the next. At the end of all 3 puzzles, you, your friend, and your (friend)Ship are going to be sailing off to the open sea, but that’s really where the game ends and then it circles back. Like in previous installments, you and your companion are humans clad in winter attire that covers the entirety of your bodies and faces, so there are not distinguishable features on the characters, other than the color of each of their attires. 

Unlike other games, however, this entry is disconnected from the story that is present on all the other entries, as well as from other recognizable characters fans of the series may miss, like the Jester. Instead, there is an incorporeal voice that gives some exposition and justification to the duo’s actions. This is a somewhat enthusiastic captain that is judging your ability to cooperate and solve a variety of puzzles. 

Story may be bare bones, but that’s alright for the game

The grade of success in the puzzles is also visually represented with the ship itself, since the better you do in each of them, the better upgrades you’ll get after you are done. When finishing a puzzle, you are rewarded with a ticket, and the ticket can either be a “try again” ticket, in case you didn’t manage to get the required passing score, or a ticket representing the bracket you got (think of it as bronze, silver and gold). The better graded ticket you get at the end of the puzzle, the better upgrade you’ll receive for your ship. If you do manage to get a passing score but only got a bronze or silver ticket and you are aiming for gold, you can always shred your winning ticket and try again, but beware, getting gold is no easy feat for any of the puzzles. 

Gameplay – Co-Op Goodness All Around

Total Mayhem Games manages to migrate their winning formula out of the castles and into the pirate playground seamlessly. Those already familiar with the series may get the feel that this particular entry is just an excuse to bring to the player base some new puzzles the team had thought about and couldn’t implement before, and that may very well be the case, and I had that feeling as well. But with how well-crafted the puzzles are, I wouldn’t hold it against them at all. 

Challenges may have more than one obvious way to solve them

You and your companion are equipped with the trusty old walkie-talkies, and are separated for each challenge, and you’ll have to use you communication skills and patience to get through them. Only one player can speak on the radio at once, and if you try to speak while your buddy is talking at the same time, no one will hear the other. The game helps this by having a small lightbulb atop of the walkie-talkie that lights up when the other player is talking into it. Alternatively, you can always use a different voice chat, but really, the games shines when you do it right and limit yourself to the tools it gives you, so I would vote against it.

Once you’ve figured out the radios, then come the challenges. there is a small introductory challenge that works splendidly to lay out the foundation on how the rest of the puzzles will work and where you have to start working around the communication limitations. This introductory challenge is particularly well-crafted and enjoyable, because it is both intimidating when you first get to it, but also forgiving in that you can play around and pull levers and push buttons at your leisure until your comrade and you finally connect the dots on what needs to be done. I had personally already played some other titles in this saga but my companion this time around hadn’t, and it really served to show me how the game as a whole is suitable for veterans and newbies alike, but this particular opening challenge more so than the rest. 

Some challenges may seem overwhelming until you talk them through

From the introductory challenge, you are given your barebones ship, and from there, it’s a smooth ride from challenge to challenge, but once in there, is where the fun (and frustration) begin. Start talking your way through what you see and what makes sense to you, until something suddenly clicks and off you go solving puzzles. Each of them requires that you develop a co-op ability, such as speed and clear communication for the first one, bartering and negotiation on the second, and pure, pure trust on the final one. 

Throughout the entire thing, the co-op gameplay is superb for the niche. You won’t find over-the-top action or platforming here like in other co-op titles, but if you are in the market for a great co-op puzzle, take a gander at WWHE.

Graphics & Audio – Immersive Design

Being a puzzle-based game with a First Person POV, graphics are aimed primarily to the puzzles and the world itself. In these aspects, WWHE delivers a nice looking world for you to enjoy while solving the puzzles. For the most part at least. Some areas seemed to have received some more attention and love than others and there are small issues like some screen stretching that some of the more discerning may notice here and there, but I didn’t find these to be a real detraction from the experience as a whole. What you need to see looks great. The character models are more polished than in previous games, with some more attention to detail, although animations for the characters can be a bit blocky. 

Maddening puzzles that are at least pretty to look at

The attention to details also goes to the different puzzles and machinery, and this helps to create a suitable environment, although at some points you may be wondering if the ride you are on resembles more a theme park ride or a SAW movie challenge, as the environments do get somewhat obscured. Overall, graphics are more than serviceable and should run properly even in slightly-below-mid range PCs. 

Sound design is nothing to write home about. The voiced character of the captain that talks to you in between challenges is theatrical and well-performed, machines clank and thud away as you would expect them, and the river where you ride does sound appropriate. In sum, sound does help immerse you into the game, which is good. My only negative note regarding sound was that you partner’s voice doesn’t really sound like it’s coming out of the walkie in your hand, but that’s more a nitpick than anything else. 

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip was reviewed on Steam with a key provided by Game Drive.