Comparison

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes vs The Past Within

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

Work with friends to defuse a bomb by verbally communicating instructions from a manual. Solve challenging, procedurally generated puzzles under a time limit. This is a local multiplayer party game that tests communication and puzzle-solving skills.

Highlights
  • Challenging puzzles
  • Procedurally generated bombs
  • Local multiplayer party game
  • Mobile portability
  • One copy needed
  • Mission and Free Play modes
Features
Read full description

You’re alone in a room with a bomb. Your friends, the “Experts”, have the manual needed to defuse it. But there’s a catch: the Experts can’t see the bomb, so everyone will need to talk it out – fast! Rounds are fast-paced, tense, occasionally silly, and almost always loud. Whether it’s defusing a bomb or deciphering information from the manual, everyone has a crucial role to play. Put your puzzle-solving and communication skills to the test as you and your friends race to defuse bombs while attempting to communicate quickly before time runs out! Features • Challenging puzzles – Test the limits of your communication skills… and friendships? • A different bomb every time – Procedurally generated puzzles keep the action fresh. • A pocket party game for two or more local players – Bring it to your next game night, party, or event to play with friends. • Mobile portability – Shield your screen from the prying eyes of your Experts. • Only one copy of the game needed – Have friends join in as “Experts” with their own device. Share the Defusal Manual using AirDrop or visit bombmanual.com • In-person, multiplayer only – A team game intended for players in the same physical space. Online play is not supported. • Mission and Free Play Modes – Missions increase in difficulty as players face new modules and constraints are introduced. Unlock Freeplay Mode to set your own pace by creating custom bombs. Bomb Defusal Manual can be printed or viewed for free at www.bombmanual.com

About

The Past Within

Embark on a cooperative point-and-click adventure where players explore different time periods and dimensions. Work with a friend, communicating what you see to solve intricate puzzles and uncover mysteries. This unique experience requires both players to own the game and communicate externally.

Highlights
  • Co-op only gameplay
  • Explore past and future
  • Solve puzzles together
  • Two distinct perspectives (2D/3D)
  • Cross-platform play
  • Replayable with new solutions
Features
Read full description

Note: The Past Within is a co-op only game. Both players need to own a copy of the game on their own device (mobile, tablet or computer), as well as a way to communicate with each other. Play together with a friend or find a partner on our official Discord server! The past and future cannot be explored alone! Team up with a friend and piece together the mysteries surrounding Albert Vanderboom. Communicate what you see around you to help one another solve various puzzles and explore the worlds from different perspectives! The Past Within is the first co-op only point-and-click adventure set in the mysterious world of Rusty Lake. Features: ▪ A co-op experience Play together with a friend, one in The Past, the other in The Future. Work together to solve the puzzles and help Rose set her father’s plan in motion! ▪ Two worlds - Two perspectives Both players will experience their environments in two different dimensions: 2D as well as in 3D - a first-time experience in the Rusty Lake universe! ▪ Cross-platform As long as you can communicate with each other, you and your partner of choice can each play The Past Within on your preferred platform: Mac, PC and Nintendo Switch! ▪ Playtime & Replayability The game contains 2 chapters and has an average play-time of 2 hours. For the full experience, we recommend replaying the game from the other perspective. Plus you can use our replayability feature for a fresh start with new solutions to all puzzles.

Screenshots

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes4 screens
The Past Within4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Past Within at $2.99 against Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes's $9.99. The Past Within also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (7.4K vs 86). Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.1). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes costs $9.99 and The Past Within $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Past Within holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Past Within has 7.4K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes's written reviews are positive against 89% of The Past Within's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes ships an update every 8 months, The Past Within every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes versus The Past Within: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKeep Talking & Nobody ExplodesThe Past Within
Price$9.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.6 (86 ratings)4.9 (7.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews88.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings867.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#38#4 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.1
Further details — not scored
Size210 MB379 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperSteel Crate GamesRusty Lake

Customer experience

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

All ratings85 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral8.1%
Negative11.3%

The Past Within

All ratings7,180 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews531 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral6.2%
Negative5.3%

User reviews

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

From 86 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Highly fun and engaging
  • 🤝 Great for parties and groups
  • 💰 Worth the price
  • 🤯 Intense and adrenaline-inducing
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Strengthens friendships

Room to improve

  • 🗣️ Can be awkward in public
  • ⚫ Screen sometimes goes black
  • 🔊 No sound on iPad without headphones
  • ❓ Morse code difficult to understand
  • 🐛 Buggy in certain modules

The Past Within

From 7.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun co-op experience
  • 🤝 Excellent for bonding with friends/family
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and art style
  • 🕹️ Clever and challenging puzzles
  • 🔗 Ties in well with Rusty Lake universe

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Game is too short
  • 💬 Requires communication with another player
  • 🐛 Some technical issues like no sound or crashes
  • 🤔 Puzzles can be one-sided for one player

Bugs and requests

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Screen sometimes goes black
  • No sound on iPad without headphones
  • Complicated wires module issues
  • Morse code difficult to understand
  • Cut wire instruction bug
Show 3 more
  • Turkish language verification code issue
  • Fixed back button on mobile
  • Cut buttons next to wires on mobile

Requested features

8 requests
  • More levels
  • Add sound to Morse code
  • Visual suspense for bomb explosion
  • More languages
  • Add mods for iPad/Apple phones
Show 3 more
  • Update for complicated wires module
  • Add voice update to mobile version
  • More bomb types and modules

The Past Within

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • No sound in the game
  • Crashes after Chapter 1 title screen
  • Downloading issues on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More chapters/levels
  • Single-player mode option
  • Ability to switch roles/perspectives
  • Online/remote co-op functionality

In-app purchases

None

Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

No in-app purchases

None

The Past Within

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes free?
Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Past Within free?
The Past Within costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes or The Past Within?
The Past Within is rated higher. Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while The Past Within averages 4.9 from 7.4K ratings.
Do Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes or The Past Within have ads?
Neither Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes nor The Past Within shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes or The Past Within?
Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes ships an update every 8 months, and The Past Within every 2 weeks. Most recently, Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes was updated on October 25, 2026 and The Past Within on October 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes or The Past Within?
Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes currently peaks at #38 in the App Store charts, and The Past Within at #4. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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