Enchambered: Alone Together | Review

Can you decipher enigmatic puzzles that require constant communication between you and your teammate to solve? Your escape is dependent on how well you work together to find your way through gadgets and clues to solve the puzzle. Using two separate devices, play with a friend on the couch or even all the way across the globe on the phone or video chat!

Rating: Creative!
Completion Time: 35 minutes
Date Played: 23rd June 2021
Party Size: 2
Recommended For: For a brilliant (and free) 2 player browser escape room game

I wasn’t sure what to expect when loading up Alone Together, but I’d heard great things! When Borderline Puzzler and I hop into a Zoom call for our semi-regular puzzle game sessions… Usually on a Wednesday after work, and usually with a piping hot mug of cocoa… We’re typically on the look out for inexpensive two player games. Most recently, we played the video game Tick Tock: A Tale for Two together and from the beautiful graphics to unique 2-player mechanics, Alone Together seemed like a logical sequel for us.

Communication is Key

Alone Together is a completely free game by the creative company Enchambered that is played in-browser. The idea is incredibly simple – two links, player 1 or player 2. The game is all about co-ordination and communication though. Unlike other multiplayer at home games, what player 1 does will not trigger an answer on player 2’s screen. The game is instead about communicating what you see on your screen to help you both to solve the puzzles.

Beyond understanding the premise though, you’re on your own. There are no clues available for this game *alarm klaxons sound in the distance* …I repeat: No clues available!

I want to say you probably wouldn’t need any clues, but that’s not to say it’s an easy game. I’ve got friends who played and gave up, and know others who raced through the whole thing in under 15 minutes. The key to success is in communication. Literally: communicate every single thing you can see, and you can’t go wrong.

Borderline Puzzler and I tackled this one from other ends of the country and it was a very good way to play it. We used hand gestures and badly drawn squiggles on post-it notes to communicate with one another via a Zoom call, and it worked well. The game took us out of our comfort zone and most importantly made us laugh.

A Moody Atmosphere, as if Stepping Back in Time

One of the things I enjoyed most about playing Alone Together was the graphic design of the game. Both players have a different view of a stylised realistic desk space, littered with curious items. The whole atmosphere is moody, like you’ve stepped back in time into a parallel universe, like a high tech 1920s.

Player one starts with a clock, some cryptic notes scratched into the wood, notes on phases of the moon, and some vintage news articles and adverts for unusual concoctions.

Player two on the other hand has a barometer surrounded by scraps of paper, playing cards, blinking lights and flashing buttons, and a light bulb.

At first, nothing makes sense, but as each item is examined and used it will disappear leaving new objects to examine and new puzzles to decipher.

For a Free Game, Alone Together is Brilliant!

Even if I hadn’t enjoyed the game, it would get a pass for being free… But that’s the brilliant thing, I enjoyed it A LOT! It’s longer, meatier, and more creative than a lot of other play at home escape rooms I’ve done throughout lockdown for 0% of the price.

It’s good to see that since launching Alone Together there are two further games in the series available very inexpensively: Together Apart and Together At Heart. These two operate on a “pay what you want” basis which I love because it opens up the world of at-home puzzles to those who may not be able to afford (this frankly very expensive) hobby!

I’m already itching to go back into the Enchambered world of puzzles with Borderline Puzzler, and can’t wait to see what the company does in the future too!

Alone Together can be played for free on Enchambered’s website here.