While originally released to a small audience in 2018, it wasn’t until this year that the game found an incredible amount of success within gamers of all age due to its sudden exposure through Twitch and YouTube streamers.
Among Us is an online multiplayer game that takes several of the rules and mechanics of the classic social deduction (also known as Mafia) video games and reconstructs it to a space theme which keeps it fresh compared to its competitors.
Among Us Gameplay
The gameplay of Among Us can be a lot to take in when you just start playing it, but after a few matches it becomes very simple to remember. The game’s setting takes you to a spaceship with a complete crew of people and you will find yourselves following a long list of tasks which, when completed, finish the round and the good guys win.
These tasks are all space-themed, and you will find yourself doing things such as killing asteroids, fixing reactors and resubmitting oxygen levels, downloading and uploading your research, and so on. These all sound more complex than they are in the game, as most of it is actually done through simple clicks. You will need to co-ordinate with your teammates at most steps, but even basic teamwork is enough for these tasks.
The real catch of the game comes within its mafia elements, which means that there are always one or more imposters among you as you try to finish your tasks as a good guy. They look and act the same as you, but are randomly picked each game and they have the ability to kill anyone and sabotage any part of the spaceship without actually being present in the place.
The good guys have to figure out who it is and then call an emergency meeting and then vote the imposters out (in which case they are ejected) before they manage to kill enough people that victory is unachievable. The imposters can also be voted out through a meeting caused by a reported dead body.
What further complicates things is that you can vote out any of the players not only the imposters, so you might accidentally vote out the good guys too by mistake. And it’s not that easy to figure out who the bad guys are even if they go around killing people because the game allows them extra abilities such as hiding in the vent for example. And with so many different maps in the game, it’s even more complicated to remember the exact spots of each.
All of these elements are what keeps each match of the game fresh and keeps you on the edge of your seats trying to figure out how to win, and it’s not surprising that the game became such a success when you give it a shot.
Among Us Gameplay Tips
As a good guy, there is a list of things that you can do to ensure your chances of winning a game:
- Always remember your tasks, but never mention all of them. Remembering tasks help you convince other members of the ship that you are indeed one of them, but if you ever name one too many it helps the imposter pretend better too.
- The game tells you the current location you are in at all times, so keep an eye on the bottom of the screen. It’s important to know where you were when an Emergency Meeting is called, otherwise, your inconsistency can be taken as suspicious.
- Complete your tasks as soon as the game begins, and encourage your friends to do the same. Even if you can’t figure out who the imposter is, finishing all the tasks can win you the game
- Don’t call an emergency meeting or accuse someone unless completely necessary
- Don’t take time to report in a body when you see it, otherwise, people think it’s you
- See a random prompt to report a body you can’t find anywhere? Press it. It’s not a bug, and people kill in perfect spots sometimes.
As an imposter, there’s a list of things you can do to make sure you’re not caught:
- Try not to kill anyone unless they were isolated from the others, and then either hide or leave the area immediately once you do
- Really had to kill someone but it wasn’t much of an isolated spot? Self-report the body and claim you were just walking by.
- Need to kill two people at once but the cool-down wouldn’t allow you? Get your imposter buddy to help. It’s a great way to kill off people who figured out who you are without having to wait.
- Venting is great but tries not to rely on it too much. Sometimes people randomly walk into a spot and see you do it, at other times you might pop out in an area where you didn’t realize someone was nearby
- Like the good guys, imposters need to memorize the names of the locations they are in as well. So, try to keep looking at the bottom of the screen.
- Stand next to random tasks that don’t have an animation that everyone else can see too, it makes players think you’re one of them.
- NEVER run away in the opposite direction from an oxygen or reactor emergency. If you just stand there and let others do it, it’s safer than walking away and becoming suspicious.
Read next: 10 Best Multiplayer Games Like Among Us
