Recently I’ve enjoyed playing Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, a game that encourages communication in tense scenarios. The premise of this game is rather simple: there are two players, one of whom can view and interact with a bomb (the Defuser), and the other who can’t see the bomb but has the info needed to defuse it (the Expert). At its core, KTNE is about challenge (surviving by solving increasingly difficult puzzles within a time limit) and fellowship (by design, you can’t defuse the bomb by yourself).
The time limit plays a large role in crafting a sense of urgency, which is key to this game. It encourages players to act faster, increasing the possibility of miscommunications and mistakes. Whenever the Defuser mistakenly interacts with the Bomb, the Strike counter will increase and the timer will count down faster. Once a certain number of strikes is reached (depending on the level), the Bomb explodes and the game ends.
The modules (types of puzzles) in KTNE facilitate a constant back-and-forth conversation between players. Note the partial Manual page for Wires below:
The Expert has to ask a series of questions, but the questions themselves depend on responses given by the Defuser.
Many of the design choices in the game encourage miscommunication. For instance, some modules resemble others, such as Wires, Complicated Wires, and Wire Sequences. Misidentifying the module at best will waste time, and at worst may lead the Defuser to make a mistake and increase the Strike count. Miscommunication can also be encouraged within specific modules, such as Keypads.
The arbitrary symbols are hard to describe uniquely, for example, “a c with a circle” could refer to elements 1 or 2 (labeled in red).
The constant sense of urgency, need for back-and-forth conversation, and high mistake potential make KTNE a fast-paced, emotional game, often ending in the Expert yelling at their crying Defuser as the Bomb explodes. It allows players to craft a shorthand language, discover new approaches to problem-solving, and have a lot of fun in the process.
