While We Wait Here

About While We Wait Here

Bad Vices Games released While We Wait Here on October 23, 2024. This title sits in the Adventure and Simulator genres across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac. You manage a small diner near a mountain range right after the world announces its imminent destruction. The core loop involves taking orders, cooking burgers, and pouring sodas while your customers react to the apocalypse in wildly different ways. Some ignore the news entirely while others embrace it as divine punishment. You sit inside listening to their stories without leaving your post. The game forces you to balance mundane kitchen tasks against a terrifying global event that cannot be stopped.

Gameplay

Your day starts by flipping patties and serving drinks until orders stop coming or the world ends. Each customer arrives with a specific order and a unique psychological state regarding the coming disaster. You must listen to their dialogue while managing the kitchen workflow to keep them fed. The controls feel straightforward as you switch between cooking stations and interaction prompts. Sessions vary based on how long each patron lingers before deciding to leave or stay. There are no combat systems or complex puzzles here. You simply exist in the space, observing how people handle the end of everything while trying to complete a shift. The tension comes from the contrast between your repetitive actions and the serious conversations happening around you.

What Players Think

PlayPile users have rated this title with mixed feelings based on early data. IGDB lists a score of 69.9 out of 100 from just eleven ratings. Community members note an average playtime hovering around four to five hours for a full run-through. Achievement hunters have unlocked all sixteen available trophies, though the completion rate suggests many players stop before finding every secret. Moods in our forums lean heavily toward contemplative and somber rather than exciting. Some reviewers praise the atmosphere while others feel the simulation aspect drags on too long during quiet moments. One user noted that the diner setting felt too small for the weight of the topic. The data shows a game that resonates with some but fails to engage others who want more active gameplay loops.

PlayPile's Take

This title works best if you want a short, narrative-focused experience rather than a long simulator. The price point is standard for indie releases on current consoles. You will spend most of your time walking back and forth between the grill and the counter while hearing sad stories. The sixteen achievements offer some replay value if you want to catch every dialogue variation. It fails as a traditional game for players who expect constant action or clear objectives. Stick with it if you enjoy slow-burn drama about human nature during crises. Walk away immediately if you need more mechanical depth than flipping burgers provides.

Storyline

Run a small diner located near a mountain range, take orders from your customers, cook them good food and serve them refreshments. The equilibrium of an ordinary working day is shattered when news of an impending catastrophe is broadcasted. Now looming over the characters is the catastrophic threat of the end of the world. At the diner, some of your customers seem to ignore it, blinded by their own problems they play the whole thing down or even refuse to believe it. Others welcome it as punishment for what they have done in their life. As you wait inside the diner, listen to their stories and offer them food for thought. Will you convince your customers to run for shelter, or will they stay at the diner, waiting for the end?