When comparing FATED: The Silent Oath vs Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, the Slant community recommends Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for most people. In the question“What are the best HTC Vive games?” Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is ranked 16th while FATED: The Silent Oath is ranked 32nd. The most important reason people chose Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is:
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.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Intuitive interaction
There are points in the game where NPCs will ask yes or no questions in the title, the player can then reply by shaking their head yes or no, to which the NPCs will respond to. Not only is this a natural reaction, but the fact that it is taken advantage of as a control mechanism shows how immersive and intuitive VR gameplay can be.
Pro Highly polished
The graphics are top notch, as well as the music and voice acting. A quality title that has a lot of polish, which for such a new medium, is still a bit rare.For those looking for something to experience what the best VR storytelling may have to offer, Fated is a good choice.
Pro Immersive story telling
The game fits the term, "walking simulator" where in there is little gameplay but is more focused on telling a story. The story told is quite intriguing, especially with the added benefit of VR, where in you feel as though you are experiencing the events yourself as they unfold.
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 Very little actual gameplay
Short of a few nods here or there, there is actually very little game mechanics to be found in this title. More an interactive movie than a game, which may disappoint some users.
Con Does not work with Vive controllers
The game is controlled through a regular gamepad, not the Vive controllers, which lessens the immersive aspect of the game over other titles that do make use of the Vive controllers. Mainly this is due to the game being created with the Oculus in mind, back before they announced their own controllers, so is geared more towards being a game you sit and play with the VR headset on.
Con Short and linear
The game is quite short and the gameplay is quite linear meaning that there is little to revisit once the story is completed.
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.