We should talk.

 Xbox One
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 3 out of 4
  1. TheXboxHub
    Jul 25, 2020
    70
    Despite the fact that it’s very short, rather bare and occasionally doesn’t respond naturally to your decisions, We should talk on Xbox One is an interesting experience that’s easy to recommend.
  2. New Game Network
    Jul 27, 2020
    48
    We Should Talk is an interesting first effort from the small team at Insatiable Cycle, but it feels more like a beta than a finished product. There's just not enough content here to justify taking the time to check out this narrative adventure.
  3. XboxAddict
    Aug 24, 2020
    36
    At the end of the day, We Should Talk is a conversation that you probably won’t enjoy a whole lot, or want to have. Not at its price, at least. If this game was a dollar, it would be easier to recommend, but there’s just not much to it and repeat playthroughs get so very, very tedious because there’s almost no variety. I wanted to like this one, I really did.
  5. Gaming Nexus
    Aug 18, 2020
    35
    Insatiable Cycle's zeal in tackling dialogue choices is something to appreciate. But that can only go so far when the script is tacky, the game design is clumsy, and the retail price is terribly overvalued.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jul 25, 2020
    8
    We Should Talk is actually a really cool and unique concept in gaming. The reactions from the characters you messaged with are interesting andWe Should Talk is actually a really cool and unique concept in gaming. The reactions from the characters you messaged with are interesting and revealing to the type of character you are or choose to play into. I love how realistic the messages you can send truly affect people and your relationships with them. You can carry on a talk or end a conversation and move on. You can juggle multiple people and lie and hide stuff on the down low or just be outright with people in the game. The different options for each response allows you to create a character profile of what kind of person you are and how you treat others in a large variety of situations, I love the experience. Sadly The game doesn’t offer much more to offer outside of the social aspects. The price of admission is right on spot if your wanting to have some feel of real to life experience this games quite relaxing and a blast to play, so be sure to give We Should Talk a place in your Xbox One library.… Full Review »
  2. GamerGuysNGals
    Jul 26, 2020
    5
    "We Should Talk"
    Reviewer: Console Carl
    Publisher: Whitethorn Digital Developer: Insatiable Cycle LLC Release Date: 7/16/2020 Price:    "We Should Talk"
    Reviewer: Console Carl
    Publisher: Whitethorn Digital
    Developer: Insatiable Cycle LLC
    Release Date: 7/16/2020
    Price: $6.99

    I don't know how to feel about this one really. It's not a bad game. There are things I actually enjoyed like the art style and even things I loved like the music. Overall though it just doesn't feel like it was made for me. So i'm not trying to bash it at all. I just feel it was made for a different audience and that happens some times. Like I enjoy almost every game, and always usually find positive elements. I usually enjoy myself some what. Seems to me the games I struggle enjoying are the novel games. I just feel I'd read a book If I wanted to read. So maybe this falls in to that section of games.

    You play as a girl out at a bar while her girlfriend is at home So to be honest why would you go out to a bar an actual social meeting place and spend the entire time texting on a phone? I know it happens. I see it every day you can't go anywhere with out people with cell phones glued to their hands, but to me from the very start it just doesn't make sense. Like If I wanted to talk to my girlfriend I'd be with her at home or at the bar having a good time. She also does nothing but give you **** for being there the whole time so your experience is ruined why not just go home? You are not even given that option. Also why would you spend your entire night being miserable with such a insecure person kind of questioning everything you do anyways? I don't know maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I'm playing it as a male and we are different, or maybe I'm just different but it all just doesn't relate to me at all from the start.

    The options are kind of misleading as well. It seems like your choices are really limited. It also feels like they aren't that different. It really feels like you get fairly the same story every time. There are 9 different endings, but I think I'd rather wait for a Youtube video to get them all for my Achievements. It's only 20 minutes a play through really, but it feels like the same story pretty much every one of those plays. except maybe ending one where you pretty much just try to be a **** the entire play through to your girlfriend. Like the differences are so small that it really doesn't feel rewarding and feels really repetitive. Like I said maybe it isn't made for me. You are playing as a Lesbian girl and while that is refreshing to see that represented in a game. It doesn't relate to me. I think I'm just drawing at straws for excuses though to be honest. I'm type of person hates to be negative about some one's art.. it really bums me out.

    Like I said though I liked the way it looks. The bar lighting really has that neon 80s look to it. The characters look current, and say a lot of modern phrases like calling people snacks. Some of it seems a little forced like I don't think, well I hope people don't talk like that. One thing I have no complaints about is the music. It has a really solid soundtrack. I wish they would have put in the options all the tracks to listen to without having to play the game. It really makes the 9 replays bearable though. the game doesn't rush you either so if your feeling the music, drift off from boredom, or even go grab a snack you can pick off right where you left off. Would have been funny though if she nagged you even more when you didn't instant reply to all her insecure messages.

    Pros:
    Great Soundtrack really good music all around
    Cool looking art style Bar and characters looked good.

    Cons:
    Might not relate to you
    Super Repetitive
    Game feels close to the same every play
    Annoying Characters
    Get off the phone enjoy your social events and meeting places

    Overall: 5.0
    Just wasn't for me I don't think, but at $7 dollars least you get some easy Achievements. That and the soundtrack worth the price in my opinion.    … Full Review »
  3. SenorKoquonfaes
    Apr 16, 2021
    3
    The premise of We Should Talk. sounded interesting enough: A choice-and-consequence, narrative adventure that’s suppose to mimic discussionsThe premise of We Should Talk. sounded interesting enough: A choice-and-consequence, narrative adventure that’s suppose to mimic discussions about everyday life and building personal relationships. Seemed like it had potential to create some interesting stories given that the press kit indicated being able to craft discussions with at least 3 or 4 characters. Unfortunately, for a game concept that lives or dies by developing relationships, We Should Talk. doesn’t really do the greatest job of letting you do that.

    You play as an unnamed woman hanging out at her favourite bar called “The Getaway”, unwinding after a stressful days work. The bar’s atmosphere feels pretty welcoming. A smaller, cozy space lit up by the neon lights around the bar, with music and the chatter of other patrons filling the space around you. After talking, and in my case, flirting, with the bartender Sarah, you’re given a drink of your own creation and the game gets underway. The core gameplay loop focuses on crafting your own responses to various conversations using a dialogue scroll wheel interface. This can allow you to change up what you’re talking about and what sort of tone you want to take in the conversation. For instance, you can choose to get a bit flirty with Sam or play things a bit more straight faced. You can be polite or completely shut down the conversation.

    You’ll be switching between your current relationship with your partner Sam, your ex-boyfriend Dante, who’s back in town for a new gig and stranger sitting next to you named Jimmy, who looks like he might’ve just been ghosted. You’ll spend most of the game talking via text messages with Sam, your partner who works with kids with disabilities. The conversations, for the most part, flow pretty naturally and you’ll spend most of the game building or in some cases, tearing down your relationship with her.

    Your relationship with Sam is the one area of the game that feels like it’s had the most work put into it and perhaps that’s the point. However, I didn’t really get that same kind of feeling with the other characters that you can interact with in the game. Aside from getting you your drink and an option to flirt, like I chose, there’s not much in the way of building a connection with Sarah. Which is unfortunate because she seems like a super chill person that I absolutely would like to know more about. There’s your previous relationship with your ex-boyfriend Dante, which in theory, should provide an interesting wrinkle in this game’s overall narrative. However, in practice, the conversation with him is over way too quickly and you don’t get much backstory into what your relationship with him was like, other than maybe one or two lines of dialogue between you two. You can choose to see him on the side which can influence which ending you get, but because of how brief and vague the interaction is, the decision doesn’t feel like it carries much weight or consequence. Lastly, there’s Jimmy, a stranger sat next to you at the bar who mistakenly takes you as his date that he met online. Oddly enough, this is the one conversation that felt the most relatable for me. Other than some brief small talk and the option to befriend Jimmy (there’s an achievement tied to this), the conversation is over pretty quickly with not a whole lot ventured and not a whole lot gained. It plays out about the same why I’d handle myself in this situation: tell him he’s mistaken me for someone else, make some small talk out of politeness and then go back to doing my own thing without really getting invested in their story.

    I also had a hard time getting invested the main character. Along with being a nameless protagonist who you barely even see throughout the game, there’s not much given to you in terms of her own backstory other than she’s a regular at the bar and that she use to be in a relationship with Dante. You get to more about your partner Sam and her backstory, however, she never really reciprocates the opportunity for you as the player to learn more about your own history. This added some difficulty when it came to getting invested in the relationship with Sam, since history between you two feels so one-sided, it’s tough to get any point of reference when it comes to dealing with/improving your relationship with her.

    Graphically, the game isn’t anything overly impressive. The bar atmosphere feels great and lively. The models are these heavily stylized, low-poly characters that are fine. However, most of the game is set starting at a nondescript smartphone screen placed on top of some cocktail napkins.

    Overall, We Should Talk. does have an interesting enough premise about building/managing personal relationships, but in practice, the relationships felt hard to get invested in and are hampered by a very short runtime. This feels more like a demo rather than a fleshed out indie game that ultimately left me wanting more.    … Full Review »
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