We Were Here

The walkie talkie makes We Were Here a more interesting workout game than another castle full of doors, but you need a partner who’ll keep talking while you’re trying to keep your feet moving. I’d try it on an easy pace first, because it can turn a simple clue into a whole conversation.

Gameplay

Being split up from your partner is a good reason to pay attention, and I think the game gets a lot out of giving you only a voice to work with. You’re in different parts of an abandoned castle, so you have to describe what you see and trust the other person to make sense of it, which feels a lot more human than two people standing over the same puzzle. It’s also an easy way to find out that “the room with the weird symbol” is not a very helpful description.

The puzzles ask you to listen, explain and think, and those are nice things to do while exercising as long as you aren’t trying to run hard. Sometimes one of you has information the other needs, so you can’t just stare at a puzzle and wait for the answer to appear. I like that the game makes talking part of the work, though you’ll probably want to agree on a way to describe things before both of you start inventing names for the same object.

There’s a real difference between being busy and being physically active in a game, and this one spends a lot of time asking you to stop and think. I don’t know that I’d want it as the only game for a workout where I’m trying to keep a steady pace, because a tricky clue can turn into a long pause while you and your partner compare what you’re seeing. That’s not bad game design. It just means your legs may be doing more than your hands for a while.

The frozen wasteland and abandoned castle set a good mood without taking over the experience, and I’d rather have this kind of quiet tension than a story scene that asks me to put the controller down. Still, if you want constant action to distract you from the treadmill, this probably isn’t going to do that. It gives your brain a puzzle and leaves the rest of the room pretty quiet.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

A bike seems like the easier place to start, since you can keep moving while you look around and talk, and the game doesn’t sound like it’s built around fast combat or twitch reactions. On a treadmill, I’d keep the pace low enough that turning to look around doesn’t feel like a separate puzzle. I don’t know how much attention I’d have left for explaining a clue if I were jogging, and I’d rather not test that by making my partner guess which wall I mean.

The microphone requirement matters more here than it does in most games. You need a working PC compatible microphone, and communication is not an optional extra when the two of you are separated and sharing information. If you’re in a noisy room or your mic picks up every breath, you could end up repeating yourself a lot, which is tiring even when you aren’t exercising.

I’d play with a controller if that’s the setup you prefer, but this is the sort of game where precise camera movement and clear descriptions matter more than quick button presses. I wouldn’t start with a hard run, and I’d pause your workout if you’re getting lost in a puzzle rather than trying to solve it while bouncing around. The game will wait for you to think, which is considerate of it.

One person can take a different role from the other, so you’ll need to be comfortable with your partner having information you can’t see. That’s fun when you’re both patient and willing to talk through what’s on screen, and a little annoying when you’re trying to communicate a shape with the vocabulary of someone pointing at a menu from across the room. If you’re exercising with a friend, give it a try at a pace where you can still have a conversation.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum asks for a GTX 1060 class graphics card, and integrated graphics aren’t supported, so this isn’t a game I’d assume will run on every laptop. I’d look at the graphics card first, then make sure you have a working microphone, because a castle puzzle is a quiet place to discover you’ve been talking to yourself.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

This is a good choice for an easy workout with a patient partner, especially on a bike, but I wouldn’t pick it when I want the game to keep me moving without much thought. The talking is the point, and if that sounds fun, the slow stretches are part of the deal.

Overall Score: 2 out of 3