Don't Shout Together

Don't Shout Together is a unique multiplayer horror experience that will have you on the edge of your seat. In this tense game, you and your teammates find yourselves stranded in a dangerous forest after a plane crash, explosive devices attached to your necks. Make too much noise and it's game over for everyone.

To escape before time runs out, you'll need to work together to collect parts either for a makeshift vehicle or a phone to call for rescue – all while avoiding deadly monsters and carefully regulating your vocal volume.

It's a simple premise that leads to some incredibly nerve-wracking gameplay moments. The ever-present threat of a noise-induced party wipe means you can never let your guard down.

I can’t tell you how many times I condemned my entire team to an early game over just because a well-timed jumpscare got me. Yet the strict noise limits also make for some hilarious situations. Don't Shout Together makes great use of its unique central mechanic.

The Thrill of the Hunt

One of the most engaging aspects is scouring the creepy environments for the resources needed to facilitate your escape. While the darker, monster-filled areas raise the tension, simply traversing the beautifully realized forest scenery is ominous enough on its own. The level design does a fantastic job of creating a sense of looming dread and mystery around every corner.

Like Resident Evil: Village before it, Don't Shout Together masterfully builds anticipation through its richly atmospheric world. You'll jump at every sound, terrified it might be something that causes you or a teammate to let out an ill-timed shriek. This only adds to the desperate need to press onward and complete your objectives as quickly as possible before something goes wrong.

Of course, we should address the elephant in the room right here. This game has no relation to Don’t Scream, even if it seems mechanically identical. This is, to my knowledge, the first time the formula has been applied to a multiplayer title, however.

Friendship-Testing Frights

Playing with friends enhances the experience substantially, allowing you to develop teamwork strategies using the in-game voice chat and radios. Communication is key, but also hugely complicated by the noise restrictions. Simply describing something innocuous might inadvertently contain an overly loud syllable that ends the run.

This design means even mundane sequences take on new levels of tension akin to something like Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Messing up means starting from square one, a frustration that will test even the strongest friendships. Yet it's also what makes conquering each level so immensely satisfying when taking on Don't Shout Together's co-op challenges with buddies.

Lo-Fi Frights

While the visuals are relatively basic from a technical standpoint, Don't Shout Together more than makes up for it with an incredibly strong artistic vision. The monster designs in particular are disturbingly creative, like something out of a Junji Ito manga. Their grotesque, elongated forms and haunting animations ensure they linger in your mind long after you encounter them.

More than just the creatures, the entire forested environment oozes with an oppressive, ominous ambiance that rivals even the most atmospheric triple-A horror games. Simple touches like dynamic lighting, particle effects, and masterful use of ambient sounds create a palpable sense of dread around every corner. It's impressive what the developers accomplished on what was likely a shoestring budget.

Pros

• Beautifully atmospheric environments brimming with dread
• Fun and frantic with the right co-op partners
• Strong artistic vision with fantastic monster/environment designs

Cons

• Can be frustrating having to restart levels due to accidental noises
• Some performance/connection issues in online sessions
• Visuals look severely dated