Environments in
We Were Here Together
OCTOBER 8, 2019 | IN ART, DEVELOPMENT, WE WERE HERE TOGETHER | BY TOTAL MAYHEM GAMES
Including some new teaser screenshots!
We Were Here Together will bring players to an entirely new part of the Castle – while so far everything has been the classic medieval corridors, lots of dark stone, impressive staircases and balconies, mixed with heavy wood and metal, the new game offers a new take on the series’ showpiece, inside and out.
Castle Rock did not in fact emerge fully formed from the snow and ice of Antarctica – it was built by someone. Of course if you want to learn more about who and why, you’ll have to play the game! You will spend quite some time outside the castle, clambering around scaffolding, traversing snowy paths, and creeping along frozen ledges. While previous explorers found themselves effectively invited inside Castle Rock, making an entrance this time may prove more challenging.
These new environments aren’t just for sightseeing. Longer sight lines opens up more puzzle possibilities, and this makes cooperation important even when you and your partner are together and can both visit the same areas. You can’t be and see everywhere at once, so better split up and make use of those walkie-talkies! Larger environments also means more space to scour for clues, and more places which could hide secrets…
There is also a new part of the castle interior. While everything players have seen in We Were Here games so far is cold and silent, the greenhouses still have life within! With an abundance of glass windows and high ceilings, you might think that they would be less oppressive than the rest of the castle… but there’s something in the air, even here. A stifling corruption that makes you wonder – are the plants only living things in here with you?
The greenhouses are part of a monastery section of the castle, and we know what monks are famous for brewing! The systems to maintain the plants found inside the greenhouse are not simple, and you can bet that puzzles await! Returning players will find the green hues of this new location quite a change from their previous visits to Castle Rock, where stone, statues and metal were often the order of the day.
However, caution is advised. Even the plants here have been influenced by the dark aura of the castle, resulting in some monstrous things. In the screenshot below, we have more of a venus mantrap than a flytrap!
We’ll end on a more pleasant note – the expedition base camp where you start the game. This comfortable cabin provides a gentle introduction to the game, though the puzzles here aren’t anything to scoff at. It provides a base for the player characters and gives players more background about who they are and what they’re doing. You can also discern other information… given those dishes in the sink, either someone has skipped their turn at washing up, or the explorers as a whole aren’t big tidiness fanatics!
The base camp also serves as a contrast to later parts of the game. Players will pass from the warm wood tones of the base camp into the icy blues of the Antarctic exteriors. And then? Into the castle itself, and who knows what awaits you there…