Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
If you’ve spent the last few days trapped in a house with family, Epic Games has the ultimate stress test for your relationships. Today, December 26, the mystery vault has opened to reveal We Were Here Together, a strictly two-player cooperative puzzle game. This is not a title you can play solo with an AI partner; you need a second human, two microphones, and a lot of patience. It’s a perfect pick for a post-Christmas afternoon with the kids or a friend, provided you’re prepared for the inevitable communication breakdowns that happen when you’re separated in a frozen wasteland.
A Test of Verbal Precision
The brilliance of this series lies in how it handles information. You and your partner are often split up into different rooms, each seeing only half of a puzzle. Your only link is a virtual walkie-talkie. Because only one person can talk at a time, you have to be extremely precise when describing strange symbols or mechanical parts to someone who can’t see what you’re looking at. This third entry in the series adds more meat to the experience by starting both players together at a base camp before dragging you into the depths of a sinister Antarctic castle. It creates a genuine sense of dread and reliance on the person at the other end of the radio.
The Best Way to Buy if You Miss the Window
While the game is free on Epic for the next 24 hours, the developer has also launched a massive 62% discount on the Steam Store that runs until January 5. Interestingly, this official Steam price is currently even lower than what you’ll find on many grey-market sites like G2A(affiliate link), making it the best time to pick up a permanent copy on your preferred launcher. If you are planning a long-distance session, remember that the game supports cross-play between Epic and Steam, so you aren’t locked into a single ecosystem to play with your friends.
Final Technical Check for Players
Before you dive in, make sure both you and your partner have working microphones, as trying to play this via text chat is essentially impossible. While the in-game walkie-talkie adds a lot of “found footage” style immersion, many players switch to a clear Discord call for the more complex alchemical and mechanical puzzles later in the game. You have until December 27 at 11:00 AM ET to claim your free copy. It’s a small, $13 investment normally, but for free, it’s one of the most rewarding social experiences you can find this holiday season.
