When comparing Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades vs Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, the Slant community recommends Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades for most people. In the question“What are the best Simulation games on Steam?” Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades is ranked 33rd while Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is ranked 37th. The most important reason people chose Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades is:
This is the core of the game, more a proof of concept as this is all in a sandbox with little to no goals. Interact with objects, wee how they behave and load and fire weapons.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Detailed physical firearms simulation and physics interactions
This is the core of the game, more a proof of concept as this is all in a sandbox with little to no goals. Interact with objects, wee how they behave and load and fire weapons.
Pro Active development, new weekly content and updates
This is an early access game that is being actively developed meaning new content and bug fixes frequently.
Pro Mini-games, scored/timed target practice w/ local and global leaderboard support
There are a few mini-games included that give some incentive to play after handling and exploring most objects in the game. There is leaderboard support, which also allows for some longevity for those that want to try to get to the top of the charts.
Pro Hilarious situations arise as tension increases
Both sides in the game can not see what the other does, creating a situation of confusion that needs a good bit of team work. A ticking bomb adds the tension needed for players to spit out the first things that come to mind when describing strange symbols or patterns.
Pro Great for parties with friends and strangers alike
One person has the bomb on screen, and 1-5 "experts" need to consult the manual (either online or printed out). Thing is: the bomb defuser can't see the manual, and the experts don't see the bomb with its various modules.
The person who sees the bomb will have to precisely say what they see, and then the experts will frantically flip through the manual to find the instructions for that particular module. To succeed, you will all have to work together.
Pro Bomb defusal manual is easily accessible
The manual can be viewed as a PDF download as well as a static webpage, which gives easy access to any mobile device as well as PC. On top of this the manual can be printed out for those that would rather navigate tactically, which is often the easier way to go due to touch and ease of flipping pages (over a tablet or phone). Basically you are able to pull up the manual in any way you prefer, which requires little preparation, even on short notice.
Pro Great for quick games
Not a lot of setup is necessary, and a round lasts just a few minutes, so you don't need to commit to a lot of time before starting.
Pro VR minimizes cheating
The point of the game is that those with the manual are not able to actually see the bomb, this can be difficult to achieve when using a regular monitor to play the game, as someone could sneak a peak. Using a VR headset guarantees that no one with the manual will be able to see the bomb as it is only visible to the one wearing the VR headset.
Cons
Con No story, only firearm simulation
The gameplay is pretty basic for now, a proof of concept really, but still fun to mess around with.
Con No multiplayer
Single player only as there is no way to play this game with friends.
Con Puzzles may become stale after repetitive play
Particular modules in the game may be seen after playing repeatedly, which will make for easier play and quicker puzzle solving. This will have a tendency to make the gameplay feel stale due to ones familiarity with the puzzles.
One example, is the Keypads module where the defuser will need to describe strange symbols. Part of the fun is struggling to describe something, or figure out what is being described and calling the other person an idiot for not getting it.
Con Morse code section difficult for those with dry or bad eyes
There is a morse code module section of the game that relays morse code through visual cues, in order to understand the code the player will need to not blink for 3 seconds straight. While for most players this is not an issue, those that have chronic dry eyes or any other condition that requires blinking a lot, the code will be difficult if not impossible to understand. An optimal solution would be a setting to change this to audio cues, but sadly that is not an option.
Con Number of players can determine whether you succeed or fail
Most modules can be worked on one at a time - you start describing one to an expert, and he replies right away telling you what to do. Some modules however require some time for the expert to decipher. For example, if there is just one expert and you get the Morse code module you are pretty much screwed as deciphering the Morse code takes a lot of precious time. If you had an extra expert, you could work on deciphering it while they worked on another module.