We Were Here Together PS4 Review – Rounding off the trilogy of We Were Here games on PS4 is We Were Here Together, which is by far the most polished and grand adventure in the series.
However, despite these improvements, the adventure doesn’t manage to keep its trademark puzzles fair and enjoyable, instead opting for a selection that feels more like guesswork and trial-and-error, rather than fun co-operative puzzle solving.
We Were Here Together PS4 Review
A True Adventure
As mentioned above, We Were Here Together feels like a true adventure and by far the biggest journey we have taken in the franchise yet. The game kicks off in a snowy outpost and that opening section ends with you taking a vehicle out into the tundra to discover what lurks behind a mysterious signal.
This already is far more interesting and engaging than the first two games in the series, which just start you off in the middle of the area you are exploring. We Were Here Together doesn’t give you the impression you opened a book 50 pages in, which is a welcome change.
The wonky cutscenes I mentioned in my We Were Here Too review have also gone, and are overall put together and look much better in this latest entry.
The areas you visit on your journey are also far more detailed, with environments looking lush and intricate, no matter whether you are outside or indoors. A greater sense of atmosphere is also built with wind effects, weather, and environmental sounds. Total Mayhem Games has really done a good job at upping the ante with We Were Here Together and this is the first game in the franchise that truly feels like an adventure with your partner.
A Less Than Enjoyable Gameplay Experience
Whilst I do have to commend the developers for creating far more interesting, intricate, and varied puzzles with each entry in the game (We Were Here Together is no exception), the third title in the series suffers from having most of its puzzles being just too difficult to piece together by yourself.
The game initially starts off strong with some engaging puzzles. But once you pass the first couple, they quickly reach a level of complexity that is no longer fun to solve. While playing, I often felt like I was engaging in mostly guesswork, trying options before moving onto the next possibility.
The strategy felt non-existent and it no longer felt like me and my partner were solving puzzles. We were effectively throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what moved us on to the next puzzle.
Unfortunately, this is where We Were Here Together really drops the ball and doesn’t manage to add to the series. Instead, it takes away the fun and enjoyment of solving puzzles, by simply making them a step or two too hard to solve.
A number of other issues also lie with this entry in the series. Despite having the most feature-complete options menu, navigating it and the pause menu as a whole is a complex and messy encounter, with the R1 button being used to pause the game and awkward and slow animations to pull up specific screens.
I often found the controls and movement to also be notably clunkier than it was in We Were Here and We Were Here Too, never quite feeling as smooth. This may be down to the visual and engine upgrades that have seemingly been implemented, but it was enough of an issue to cast a negative shadow on the overall play experience.
The Prettiest, But Not The Best
There is no questioning how much better looking We Were Here Together is compared to the other entries in the series. Better looking and more varied environments and an improved atmosphere help the game feel like the first real adventure in the series.
Unfortunately, puzzles that are too complex and feel a lot like guesswork ultimately bring the experience down, alongside a clunky menu system and controls that never quite feel right. If you have played the others, We Were Here Together is worth checking out, but you are probably going to want to use a guide to avoid a lot of hair-pulling, stress-inducing confusion.
We Were Here Together is available now on PS4 and is playable on PS5 via backwards compatibility.
Review copy provided by publisher.