VR Gaming

50 Days Of PS VR #11: 'Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes' Is Multiplayer Mayhem For PS4

, & Jamie Feltham

2 October 2016

50 Days Of PS VR #11: 'Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes' Is Multiplayer Mayhem For PS4

11 days to go until the launch of PlayStation VR! We’re counting down to the release of Sony’s VR headset on October 13th by highlighting one game a day for its anticipated release. Today we’re cutting wires and arguing with team mates in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.

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One of the great things about VR is that it gives developers an entirely different set of rules and mechanics to play with. Yes, we can use the tech to make the sorts of experiences we’ve been playing for years even more immersive, but the addition of head-tracking and a screen that only one player can see allows for some unique opportunities for new types of games. One of the best examples of this is the hilarious Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes, from Steel Crate Games.

You may well already be familiar with this manic multiplayer game, but let’s fill in the ones that aren’t. Keep Talking is a local cooperative game between any number of players. One person puts on the PS VR headset and finds themselves in a room with a bomb to diffuse. Everyone else will be studying a free manual that can be printed off online. You’ll need to keep the TV’s output obscured (PS VR can be played with your TV off), and then the VR player will describe different compartments of the bomb. Those with the manual then identify the compartment, and everyone works together to figure out what they need to do.

Of course, this is all against the clock; a timer ticks as you play and any wrong moves will speed it up if not set the bomb off completely.

If you just thought “Why didn’t I think of that?” you’re not alone. Keep Talking is a frankly brilliant idea, capturing the spirit of cheesy action movies in which the day is saved and the wire is cut at the last second. At its best, you’ll have insane shouting matches between friends as panic starts to slip in and you realize that you have no idea what you’ve meant to be doing.

Increasing difficulty keeps the game fresh, with the thick manual getting ever more complex. This may start out as a fun party game but getting good enough to beat the toughest puzzles will take a lot of practice on both sides. Going beyond cutting the red wire, you’ll guide objects through mazes, solve anagrams, and flick switches, biting you lip with each button press.

It’s a game that has grown over time, too. Steel Crate continues to support Keep Talking with new features, some of which we’ll hopefully see in the PS VR version when it launches.

Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes will launch alongside PlayStation VR on October 13th. With Christmas family gatherings right around the corner, it’s something you’ll definitely want to consider picking up.