Being alone isn’t nearly as bad as having someone else follow you through the darkened corridors.
You know there are impostors amongst your group, but you’re never exactly sure of who they are. Is the person standing with you as you fix wiring near the administration room really just looking out for you as you work? Or, are they waiting for the opportunity to eliminate a fellow crew member during the few seconds your eyes are focused on your job? Worse yet, are they waiting for the opportune moment to murder you?
“Among Us” is a science-fiction themed social party game available on PC through the Steam game store and IOS and Android-based devices. Most of the Star’s readers have likely heard about it from their children or grandchildren as the game as exploded in popularity during the past few months.
Groups of four to 10 people work together to accomplish a series of tasks and try to deduce who among the group are the impostors. Depending on the group size, one to three impostors are randomly selected and are tasked with killing off the other crew members and sabotaging the operation. The crew wins by either completing their task list or successfully deducing who the impostors are and ejecting them from the group while the impostors win by killing the other players or by engineering a problem the crew are unable to deal with in time, such as a reactor meltdown or venting all the oxygen in a space ship.
As the crew works on their tasks, they’ll undoubtedly come across the bodies of their coworkers. Once a body is reported, the remaining players discuss who may have killed the unfortunate player and who should be kicked out of the group, with everyone being given a set amount of time to vote for someone or skip it. While the initial game doesn’t have microphone support built in and required players to chat through a text window, players have opted to use work arounds such as Google Meet and conference calls to speak to one another during these meetings. Each player also has the ability to call an emergency meeting once per game to force a vote. This becomes especially useful for players who witness a murder or see someone do an action only an impostor could do, like diving into a nearby vent.
Everything in the game focuses on touch-based controls, which isn’t surprising as the game was developed for mobile devices. Players move their little bean-like space workers either by a small control wheel on the screen or pressing their screen in the direction they want to move. Tasks involve reconnecting wires, holding levers to empty trash chutes and other simple actions. Likewise, sabotaging the crew is easily accomplished by impostors activating their map and pushing a button to do a corresponding act. Overall, the difficulty to play is fairly low and the game includes both a simple instruction manual and a free play option to learn the various tasks and maps.
The game was originally released in 2018, but has seen sudden interest during the past few months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. According to industry news reports, the game has amassed between 70,00-100,000 players per hour, up from 30-50 players per hour when the game initially released. While professional streamers on Twitch and YouTube are undoubtedly behind the game’s sudden popularity, there are other aspects that make it appealing as well.
The social aspect of the game can’t be denied, as a game that allows several people to play and communicate with one another is something a lot of people are seeking during the pandemic. The game sessions can be fairly short as well, lasting anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on what happens. This means a few quick sessions can be played without having to invest a few hours into it.
While the game’s subject matter may seem dark at first glance, the violence is handled in a cartoonish way that is acceptable for all but the youngest of players. Impostors quickly knife other players, or shoot them with an oversized pistol or even riff on the “Alien” films by opening their mouth and quickly sticking their alien tongue through the another character’s visor. Otherwise, players ejected from the spaceship be seen quietly drifting away or if thrown into magma on another map and reference the end of “Terminator 2” by sticking their thumbs up as they sink beneath the surface.
Another factor is the fact the app is a free download. Players can opt to pay a small fee to remove advertising from the game and can pay for special costumes, should they want to customize their character’s appearance.
“Among Us” is worth checking out. Regardless of if the group is in the same household or connected through the internet in a private room, it’s an enjoyable party game fun for a quick session or a more-established game night.
Just, don’t celebrate about getting chosen as an impostor within earshot of anyone -- that tends to give you away.
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