Lost in the Future: We Were Here Tomorrow Elevates Co-Op Puzzling to New Heights
Virtual escape rooms and puzzle games have been some of my go-to games since I was a kid. From SCUMM engine games to Myst, I played everything I could get my hands on. Then I discovered the joy of multiplayer puzzle games, and I was hooked.
While games like Split Fiction and Big Walk encourage cooperation and involve some amount of asymmetrical gameplay and puzzle-solving, the franchise that specializes in it is the We Were Here series.
We Were Here Tomorrow is a co-op puzzle game played from a first-person perspective. You take on the role of one of two player characters—which I’ve lovingly dubbed “the yellow guy” and “the red guy.” These characters are practically identical; what makes the co-op gameplay asymmetrical is the paths and tools you choose to take along the way.
For instance, one person might be shrunk down to get inside machinery while the person on the outside helps guide them around and explain what to do. As with other We Were Here games, your partner often can’t see what you’re seeing. And that’s by design. It’s all about communicating, which you can do via handy in-game walkie-talkies. It works as standard VOIP, but it also adds a wonderful layer of immersion.
If you’re worried about this being an impenetrable sequel, have no fear: there is no need to play the previous games to enjoy this one.
Now set in a retro-futuristic sci-fi future, the two Explorers find themselves decades out and again tasked with solving all sorts of intricate puzzles to navigate their environment. This time, you’re under the guidance of The Director as she tells you where to go and what to do. She’s no GLaDOS—there is the occasional joke, but the priority is strictly business: getting those puzzles solved.
While puzzle games are often based purely on the solver’s lateral thinking—and let's be honest, some people are just better at certain types of puzzles than others—the puzzles in We Were Here Tomorrow lean heavily on the difficult side. You have to keep a sharp eye out for environmental clues and it will require constant coordination to help yourselves along.
This time around, the Explorers can choose to use different sets of tools. One is a grabber that reminds me of those sticky hands that used to come out of quarter vending machines, and the other is a block-making tool. While placing the occasional block and grabbing things doesn’t sound overtly difficult, the real challenge comes in the coordination.
Each of these tools also gets upgraded versions along the way that alter their abilities slightly—like giving the block layer the ability to electrify blocks or place two blocks at once, while the grabby hand player can use the tool as a grapple and set electrified wires between a power source and a device.
The puzzles in We Were Here Tomorrow are stand-out, also. Each of them require a different level of coordination, and no two sets of puzzles were identical. Though, quite often you were given a simpler version of an upcoming puzzle to teach you the concept before it became overly complicated. Because of the sci-fi nature of the game, some of the puzzles can be truly mind bending, with MC Escher style offices and large setpieces with impressive amounts of moving parts.
And as always: no local co-op, and no split-screen. Which is probably for the best, because screen-peeking would completely ruin the magic of these puzzles. But that means you have to buy two copies of the game just to play. There is matchmaking and public rooms, but I couldn’t imagine trying to PUG a puzzle game like this.
We Were Here Tomorrow is my favorite entry in a franchise I’ve loved. I really dig the sci-fi aesthetic, but I was sold by the great puzzle design. If you’ve never played a We Were Here game, this game is a great way to get into it.
We Were Here Tomorrow is available today on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S
Comments