Among Us

Features Review

There’s an Alien Aboard! (5)

So, you are aboard a spaceship, and the team prepares to start. But there is one problem: the ship is invaded by aliens. One or more of them are here in disguise, pretending to be regular crew members. Their mission is to kill all of the crew – or at least equal the crew in numbers to take over the ship. While crew members complete their missions (put as mini games), the impostors hunt them, one by one. You must decide whether to trust someone surely pointing at the assumed impostor. It all has to be done within a time limit.

As one of the crew members gets killed, the rest can have an urgent meeting and vote who to charge. The one who is voted by a majority is thrown into the outer space. You need to see who’s around to make sure they did not do the last killing when you have to vote.

Back to the 1980s (5)

Among Us! follows the pattern of many indie games now that imitate the simplistic style of the lase century. The game is in 2D, simple in terms of control, and is rather about psychology an investigation than about action. There is more to it if you dig a bit deeper.

Like in that era, the game supports local multiplayer. This turns it to a great entertainment for a party. It especially impresses how you keep poker faces and exchange messages in the chat, or, on the contrary, speak out loud your opinion while voting the other way. As for online multiplayer, though, it’s just as exciting, and even language barriers don’t stand in the players’ way. Partly because all the characters are distinguishable, they have their colors, and are easy to tell.

Touch, Bend, Press, Click

The game is available on mobile platforms (iOS and Android) for free (though with some limitations), and on Steam, though the PC version is paid. No wonder it’s mostly popular among mobile players. Though, given the style, the PC version looks more authentic. It’s equally good with touch controls, gamepads (when supported) and keyboard-and-mouse setups. The default sensitivity is not perfect, though, but you can select between joystick and touch controls.

The Quarantine Phenomenon

No wonder Among Us hit it in the COVID-19 era. It’s a bit claustrophobic, just like we felt during the lockdown, and it’s based on communication we lack so much. Our nightmares and our dreams got fused there. In addition, it’s just a good game, with low system requirements and high involvement level. It’s easy to find a game in the lobby now, and if you start yours, they will come.