Among Us is an online astronaut game that is replete with chaos and laughter. Developed and published by InnerSloth, the game was released in the middle of 2018. Ever since, this simple game based on deceit has grown in popularity. It may not offer the latest graphics, but the intrigue offers so much fun. 

A Simple Yet Addictive Concept

The premise of the game is quite straightforward. Members of a crew are aboard a spaceship, but there’s an impostor among them. A player can either be the imposter or a member of the crew. As an imposter, a player has to pretend to be a real member of the team, performing the daily tasks like everyone else. Meanwhile, he’s quietly killing one crewmate after another. His identity must remain shielded.

However, the murders don’t go unnoticed. Members raise the alarm as they discover a dead body. Any crew member can call an Emergency Meeting to discuss the situation and try to find the impostor. Suspicions fly around, and then the crew eventually has to vote. Whoever gets the highest vote gets sent out of the spacecraft. If a player covers their tracks well, they may avoid raising suspicion, thereby getting more time to raze the team down.

When the imposter kills a player, the latter becomes a ‘ghost’ and can watch how the game plays out. Watching from the sidelines can be fun – sometimes. 

A brilliant impostor, a stealthy killer

In my first play as an impostor, my deceit didn’t last too long. I went about my daily tasks, moving from one position to another, vertically and horizontally. Like me, other players move from one to another, carrying out their tasks as well. My goal the whole time was the perfect opportunity to jump on them. Initially, I thought it was an easy job – not until one of the crewmates yelled out at me.

“Purple is sus,” the crew member screamed. I was ‘purple,’ and ‘sus’ is the short form of “suspicious” in the game. As other players turn to me, I could easily tell they saw a killer in me. I blurted out that I was new to the game and just trying to do the routine tasks to get out of the situation. Thankfully, no emergency meeting was called. But it didn’t take too long after I ate a crew member that the meeting to be called. I wasn’t surprised most of the players voted me as the suspect. I was gone before I knew it.

Being an impostor is a big cruise. There was a time I changed my name to “Nath008”, a username that spells naivety. No one ever pointed a strong finger at me, and that was a smooth ride to victory. If this isn’t entertaining, then I don’t know what is. Also, I excelled in my pretense by ensuring whatever I did or typed was unassuming. Everything to stay under the radar! To stretch things one time, I kept blabbing about how confusing everything was. No one ever suspected I was coming for their heads.

To excel in Among Us, you have to wear deception up your sleeves. If you’re already good at pretending, you’ll have little or no problem. However, it’s imperative to do it with caution. It won’t be hard for veteran players to spot an impostor who overdoes the pretense. You have to put your mind to work in this captivating game at the end of the day.

Character Interaction Is On Another Level

While Among Us allows you to play with friends, the game doesn’t entirely depend on it. This dynamic is a clear departure from what you find in many online games. You can dive in as a solo player and still get the best entertainment out of it. Also, the game’s setting is intricately comedic. There’s so much room for fun and trolling that you can’t get around it.

Among Us is not the type of online game where ill-faith trolls can attack others with vile words. The game’s setup already encourages everyone to make fun of others. So, folks who want to spread hate and harm will have no option to look for a room someplace else.

Another interesting thing about this game is the level of satisfaction it brings, even after a short playtime. Some games would have you investing hours after hours before you have a taste of thrill. Among Us has so many interactive features you don’t have to spend weeks digging it up for gold. You have the freedom to play as many games as you want. Also, you don’t have to worry about leveling up as the game makes no provision for that.

I suspect what the developers want is that game lovers enjoy a simple game without any distraction. Among Us takes the cliché that ‘there’s beauty in simplicity’ to heart. The design is so terrific that everyone aboard the spacecraft looks like a suspect. The conversations and discussions that follow are undeniably entertaining. 

An all-round entertaining game

While playing as the impostor is more fun for me, there’s some intrigue leading your crewmates to victory. There’re a couple of interesting tasks, like connecting wires, which your team will have to complete. Many of these tasks will put your memory, speed, and hand-eye coordination to test. Besides, you never can tell if the impostor is just a block away.

The tension and uncertainty that builds while you work on these minigames can be chilling. Even when you’re waiting for a download bar to fill up, you can’t help but be impatient. You don’t want to be the next ghost in the building. Playing as a detective is where you will find the most fun in the game. Your eyes are constantly out for other crewmates, monitoring their movements and even alibis during meetings. You want to be sure the right persons get kicked out.

Our Verdict

Among Us is a thrilling, intense game that lives true to its hype. It gives you an exciting multiplayer experience, with gameplay that hinges on murder and deception. Among Us is a game you’re likely to keep coming back to – as I do.