Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes Review (PC VR)

Defusing a bomb is a bit like solving algebra as an extraterrestrial — without a proper teacher to guide you through the process, the odds of finding the solution are, whether you like it or not, disgustingly slim. It isn’t just a headache; it’s a nightmare—a strenuous exercise that either requires the patience of a saint or the ability to repeatedly forgive your so-called tutor for failing to instruct you. In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, however, you don’t just receive a bad grade for failing to grasp a solution to your problem; you receive a slap to the face, a volatile climax, and a bombarding of backlash from those who thought you could save the world with as little as a manual and a god complex. Spoiler alert: nobody is a hero in the art of bomb control. Frankly, it’s just a room full of imbeciles who can’t tell their red wire from their green wire.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is, first and foremost, a co-op game of fisticuffs and sweat-inducing theatrics. The idea is simple: one person reads from a manual to describe the bomb and, more importantly, the steps one must take in order to defuse it, and another follows the instructions to successfully squash the threat before it, well, explodes. It sounds all rather straightforward on paper, but the bitter reality is that, unlike your self-assembly piece of IKEA furniture, you don’t have the luxury of having spare components and an infinite amount of time to complete your tasks. No, in this world, you have a list of complex instructions, a bomb with one too many modules, and a barrier that prevents you from communicating in an appropriate language.

There are two roles to fill in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: the Defuser, and the Expert. If you fall into the shoes of an Expert, then you have the task of reading from a manual and guiding the Defuser through a series of hands-on exercises, whereas the Defuser has the chore of describing the bomb, fiddling with the mechanisms, and calculating the moves in order to disarm it. Think of it as an escape room. In a nutshell, it mostly consists of two people working together from adjacent rooms to complete a puzzle in an allotted amount of time. You can make a couple of mistakes, but if you fail to defuse the situation before the timer ends, it’s an instant game over. Again, a bit of a nightmare — but a surprisingly fun one, at that.

The game itself features a plethora of modules and bombs, manuals and methods for completing jobs. While the primary objective remains the same, each new bomb brings about a new challenge for players to tackle, as well as fresh opportunities for outsiders to openly spectate, critique, and essentially belittle. It’s a comical experience, if anything—a high-octane thrill fest that either involves manic episodes of disbelief and frustration, or well-orchestrated collaboration that, at least every once in a blue moon, brings out the best in both Experts and Defusers alike. However it unfolds, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes always brings a lot of surprises to the table, as well as a ton of hilarious moments that make an otherwise painfully daunting task all the more enjoyable, death threats and all.

What drives Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is its fixation on two-player collaboration. Unlike a lot of party games that require a set amount of players and a lot of pre-match planning, Keep Talking offers a quick and seamless introduction that allows just two friends to delve into the meat of the experience and onboard all that there is to see and do, without the jargon, and without the added weight of a complex system. It still features a bit of a learning curve, what with it basing its premise around bomb threats and intricate guides. But, that’s the thing with Keep Talking — it often feels like more of a two-way rhythmic affair than a chaotic ballroom dance with one too many partners. And, if you can knuckle in on a perfect partnership, that very dance can often come across as a well-orchestrated routine. It isn’t guaranteed, but that won’t stop you from wanting to cut a few shapes and, well, wires.

All in all there is a great deal of replay value to Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. Case in point, the game offers a procedurally generated experience that houses hundreds of different scenarios, all of which adopt their own mechanisms and modules. Moreover, it allows for just one person to share the experience with their friends, even with just the one copy of the game, believe it or not. As for which of the two roles is the better choice, well, that’s another question that needs its own manual. Either way, with the option to share the weight and distribute the pressure across an entire network of partygoers, you more or less have a lot of bang for your buck on your hands — literally.

Verdict

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is the lighter fluid to your kindling—the volatile energy to any good party that needs a spot of excitement to remediate risks of small talk and awkward silences. Billed with its sizable collection of modules and mechanisms, manuals and components, the game itself makes for a stupidly entertaining and addictive experience that leaves a lot out for you to work and tamper with. It doesn’t always make for a smooth voyage I’ll admit, and it does conjure just as many bouts of rage as it does joyful moments and satisfactory outcomes. But, that’s all part of the journey, and it’s one that, honestly, I will happily take again and again so long as I have a ragtag crew of people who will willingly put their faith in my incompetence.

To cut a long story short, if you are on the hunt for a two-player party game that dials up the heat and keeps you on the edge of your seat, then you needn’t cut any wire that isn’t connected to Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. It’s quick, ruthless, and above all, an absolute blast to watch unfold from the sidelines.