Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes… Hopefully

Have you ever wanted to test communication skills, cool-headedness, and friendship? Well, yes there are student group projects and a myriad of boardgames for that, but if you need something a little more visceral then listen carefully.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes sets out to undo years of Counter-Strike training – that defusing a bomb is simply a matter of holding down the ‘Use’ key.  Sure, sometimes we get to actually snip wires or enter a code sequence in other games, but none can match the sheer madness that Steel Crate Games have come up with.

What you’re looking at is a bomb. See all those different panels? Yeah, you’re going to have to “solve” each and every one before it goes off. Oh I should also mention there are panels on the back too. Thankfully, there’s a guide for it!

Those are indeed the actual manuals, and yes the bombs are procedurally generated.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a multiplayer game where only one player gets to see and handle the bomb. He or she will have to point out what clues are on it and then rely on their buddies to figure out what to do. That’s already one hell of a task, so let’s not forget the timer just to push everyone’s nerves over the edge.

The game is designed with virtual reality in mind but can be played just fine without it. The manuals are available online at bombmanual.com (of course) and can be viewed either via the browser or downloaded to another device. Ideally you assign each person to one panel, though feel free to increase the difficulty by having less players. Or gain internet fame by memorizing everything, it’s your call.

Ready to make the plunge? Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes can be purchased now through Steam or the official website. A 10% launch week discount sets the price at SG$13.50 and US$13.49 respectively.