Using the sentence spinner, a unique narrative choice mechanic, players craft sentences in response to the in-game characters in We should talk. Through this careful choice of words, players express themselves as they discuss ongoing problems about life and romance with their in-game partner over text messages, while also chatting with friends and strangers at their favorite local bar about what’s on their mind. The combination of words they choose impacts the conversations they have, how genuinely they can connect with their partner, and whether their relationship can survive the night.

“We should talk” is a short-form narrative game where players think carefully about the words they choose. The key to “We should talk” is the sentence spinner, a unique narrative choice mechanic that lets players express themselves and respond to the in-game characters in a way that most games don’t allow.

By carefully choosing their words in this way, players discuss ongoing problems about life and romance with their partner over text messages, while also chatting with friends and strangers at a favorite local bar about what’s on their mind. The combination of words they choose affects how genuine of a connection they have with their partner, which of the many stories they discover, and whether their relationship can survive the night.

Our initial goal with “We should talk” was to create a game that offered a more human, less transactional approach to relationships than we often see in other games. Often we find ourselves playing games where romance and friendship are garnered by gift-giving and saying or doing the “right thing,” which doesn’t feel true to the nuances of actual relationship-building.

It was not our intention to ask players what it means to be the perfect partner, but rather, we aim to ask them to look into how small changes in conversation can impact the bigger picture, and then we hope they re-play, experimenting to see how different choices might impact the conversations and outcomes. We feel this is a more natural approach to choice design that helps us channel the feelings we have during real-world interactions