[b]My Playtime:[/b] 1.8h (100% achievement, finished the game 3x)
[b]My First Playthrough:[/b] 1.1h
[b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No.
[b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (~8 achievements).
[b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No.
[h1]Intro[/h1]
[i]United heist[/i] is a co-op puzzle game for two players. You play as either the thief or the central role and are separated in two different rooms, trying to give each other clues to move on to the next.
[b]Pros:[/b]
- Unique puzzles that require your communication and thinking skills
- Some puzzles are randomized every playthrough
[b]Cons:[/b]
- No subtitle for cutscenes
- Despite having 2 endings, both end the same way
[b]Specs[/b]
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 16GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT
[h1]Should you play this game?[/h1]
[i]If you enjoy an asymmetrical co-op puzzle game where you need to use your communication skills to solve, you need to play this game.[/i]
[hr][/hr]
[h1]In-Depth Review[/h1]
[h3]The Game[/h3]
[b]Gameplay[/b]
[i]United heist[/i] is a co-op game. You can play as either thief or central—which is selectable at the beginning of the game—which will send you to different rooms. The central is mainly the one who is feeding the information to the thief, while the thief is mainly the one who is solving the puzzles. Some puzzles might swap your roles, but one thing is clear: both you and your partner must communicate with each other to solve the puzzles.
The puzzle varies. Puzzles in early chapters are simple enough that you just need to press a button to clear or communicate a code to each other—it's just there to let you know what you can do without being obvious. The latter chapters are more complex. Most of them require communication, although there is one that requires your platforming skills as well.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3503631873
If you play the game more than once, some puzzles are randomized. However, not all puzzles are, so you can brute-force them based on memory. I wish they would all be randomized to promote replayability, especially since you are bound to finish the game at least twice to get all achievements.
Despite having two "endings", there doesn't seem to be any difference between the two since the credits will just roll once you make a decision. Plus, it doesn't seem that the story is connected with the game as well. It starts with you doing a museum heist, but the later levels don't suggest that you are in a museum. Lastly, there doesn't seem to be any subtitle for the dialogue. There are some dialogues in the intro and near the ending, and although the voice is clear, it can be hard for me to concentrate while listening to it during a co-op session.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2940339688
[b]Length and Difficulty[/b]
I finished the game in 1.1h, then I played the game two more times so mt co-op partner and I could get all achievements. Strangely, the game requires you to host if you play the central role to get the role-related achievements.
As for the difficulty, the game is not hard to beat. There are no hint options, and the puzzle in the last level can be challenging to solve, but they shouldn't give much trouble if you communicate properly. There is a puzzle element in the game where you need to think to solve some of them, but most of them are solvable just by communicating the clues to each other.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
[i]United heist[/i] is a nice co-op game. Being a free, 1h game, it means that you can finish it quickly while still getting some brain (or speaking) exercise. As a puzzle game, there might be times when you need to use your brain to solve the puzzles, but they are usually not that difficult to solve as long as you communicate the clues properly to each other. If you enjoy an asymmetrical co-op game, you should try this free game.
