You can’t play this game alone – find a friend and conquer Together: Amna & Saif

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Picture courtesy Mount Olympus Games
Picture courtesy Mount Olympus Games

SEATTLE, Washington – Together: Amna & Saif puts you and another player on the same screen, controlling a mother and son duo of characters to solve various environmental puzzles. It’s a “couch co-op adventure puzzle game” that requires you to talk, interact, and think with another human being.

Lead designer Lyle Cox told us that he’s always wanted to make a game that benefits society in some way. “My hope is that people who play the game,” he said, “get some benefit to their relationship for having done so.”

Picture courtesy Mount Olympus Games
Picture courtesy Mount Olympus Games

Together is different than most video games, in that there’s no way to achieve anything on your own. All the puzzles must be solved together, both of you on the same screen at the same time. The levels we played at the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend were all fairly tricky, and we needed several tries and lots of conversation to solve them.

The controls are super simple, and easy to manage. This is so that both gamers and those less familiar with gaming controls or keyboards can both enjoy the game. It’s an approachable yet challenging video game that may in fact make you a better person.

Not only can you buy this game with regular money, but the developer also accepts BitCoin, as Cox is a big believer in the currency. “It saves you a lot of money on smaller, micro-transactions,” he said, even though Together doesn’t have any. It’s great for the gaming industry, so we want to support it.”

Releasing in Spring of 2015, Together will come out for PC on Steam first, and then port to other platforms. You’ll be able to play with either the keyboard or via connected game controllers, and Cox hopes to have mouse support ready by the time it releases.

Ultimately, games like Together can help us all spend time together, learn to cooperate, and just might make our lives a little more fun.

“Interdependence is a key quality in a rewarding and successful relationship,” says Cox on his website, “and Together allows you to experience and practice it in a tangible way.”

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