In space, no one can hear you scream
Among Us is the newest trendy multiplayer game easily accessible for download at the app store. After seeing the infamous red impostor all over the internet, I wanted to see what all the commotion was about.
The game begins on a spaceship where the system divides everyone into crewmates and impostors. The objective of the game is to eject the impostor before they kill the crewmates. However, if the crewmates complete each of their tasks before the impostor finds and kills them, they win the game.
However, the crewmates get other chances to expose the impostor after killing one of the crewmates or when somebody calls a meeting. In the meeting, everyone can discuss where they were and what tasks they were doing when the impostor killed somebody. Meeting time is crucial to discuss who you think is the impostor. However, if somebody singles you out as the impostor and you are the impostor, deny, lie, and cheat to divert the attention to somebody else. A good impostor is also an excellent sleuth, so you must make sure to be very sneaky and not get caught. At the end of the meeting, everybody can either choose to eject somebody from the spaceport or resume their tasks. If the crew ejects the impostor, the game is over. If not, they will continue to their tasks, and an innocent crewmate is lost.
The role of the impostor has different perks than crewmates. While the impostor does have fake tasks on their screen, their main goal is to kill all the crewmates without being caught. Therefore, the impostor needs to be very sneaky to avoid any of the other crewmates witnessing him killing. One of the impostor’s perks is that they have access to the vents, a portal out of each room. The vents make it easier to get away with killing the crewmates without being caught.
The tasks are essential for crewmates to complete because if they achieve every task before the impostor kills them, they win the game. The tasks are also good opportunities to figure out who is not the impostor. For example, if you see another crewmate performing tasks, you can ultimately rule out that they are not the impostor. Although the impostor has a list of fake tasks, it is hard to fake some of them without being discovered and ejected.
If the impostor kills you at some point during the game, you can still perform your tasks as a ghost. I like this aspect of the game because players aren’t just stuck waiting for the game to finish. It allows for everyone to be invested while the game wraps up.
While the game is complex, it is easy to grasp after a few rounds. The entire spaceship setting is entertaining, and the crewmates and impostors are characterized charmingly. Half the fun comes from watching the players run around in their silly spacesuits. Coming from somebody who does not play a lot of video games, it’s a delightful way to play a few rounds allowing for some time to decompress.
