KILLER INN - Hands-on Preview
Part social deduction game, part murder mystery, part all out gunfight, KILLER INN is what you get when you mix Among Us and Cluedo with an online shooter – and the combination is more than the sum of its parts. Though the game’s official release date is yet to be announced, thanks to Square Enix I got the chance to participate in a closed beta date ahead of the public getting to check out the game this weekend – which you too can be a part of on Steam over the next few days. If you’re unsure about whether or not to jump in, here’s some of what you can expect from this asymmetrical challenge.
Become lambs for the slaughter
In KILLER INN, players are assigned one of two roles – ‘Lamb’, or ‘Wolf’. While both share the goal of surviving through the round, their ultimate objectives are very different. As a Lamb, you can win the game one of two ways – collect four keys that will allow you to leave the game’s spooky hotel on a ship, or kill all the Wolves so they can’t kill you first. As a Wolf, your goal is much simpler – kill all the Lambs, and avoid detection while doing it. Every time a Lamb is killed, the culprit will leave behind evidence that can lead the Lambs right to them, sometimes directly, or sometimes by providing a hint that may require some extra detective work to utilise completely. A scrap of clothing, for example, might instantly let you know that the killer is wearing blue, but that could leave you with three suspects to choose from. A blood sample, on the other hand, will require analysis, but will give the name of the killer outright.
With all this information at your fingertips, you can play the game without voice chat, simply collecting and analysing clues and evading Wolves, or committing a string of perfect murders. The problem is, there is always a metagame going on around you, and if you aren’t ready to speak up and defend yourself, you might immediately become more suspicious. While Wolves are allowed to attack anyone at will (though they can’t inflict mortal damage on their teammates), Lambs need to be confident before they accuse a Wolf by trying to take them out. A wrong guess will lead to them turning to stone, and then crumbling away into dust as they’re removed from the game. And sure, you can deduce a lot of things about Wolves from picking up the clues attached to dead bodies strewn across the map, but…
Talk is not only cheap, but essential
It was clear from early on in my first round that the game wanted me to be playing the metagame afforded by the in-game voice chat. About thirty seconds into the round, I ventured out of my character’s assigned room and into the main area of the game’s hotel map, and was immediately met by someone telling me they’d seen a clue down one of the corridors. What I also saw, because I’m paranoid, was the trap they’d placed in the hallway, ready to take me out if I’d listened to their ‘information’. At that moment, I decided I was never going to trust anyone in this game ever again, and vowed to become a lone Lamb trying to make it on my own.
But what I also saw, during the brief moments where I crossed paths with groups of players again, was the extensive talk of strategy happening between them. Players were trying to feel each other out, to turn their opponents against each other, and to offer genuine help to those they seemed to have deemed to be on their team. If you’re a clever strategic player, there is a real metagame to be played here – and it seems like you need to play it to win. Striking out on your own will only get you so far, especially when it leaves you vulnerable to a Wolf attack – so learning to co-exist with the pack is often the smarter choice.
You’ll never be bored
No matter what your goal is, in order to achieve it you’re most likely going to need weapons and tools. These can be found in chests throughout the hotel, which are opened using tokens gained by doing quests for the hotel staff. Some of these quests will require certain items to complete, which then means taking on more quests to complete different objectives before you can finish the original ones – and you need to juggle all of this while trying not to die. A lot of it is busywork, but it does keep you busy, and as long as you’re slowly accumulating weapons and health items, you’ll usually find yourself relatively prepared should someone attack you. Unless they throw a grenade, or start sniping you from afar – and then, really, there aren’t a lot of ways to protect yourself. Even if you’re looking to choose a non-violent approach to winning the game, you’ll need weapons to take on the guardians that possess the all-important keys you’ll need to escape. So, like it or not, you’re usually going to get yourself into some kind of fight somewhere throughout a round.
Outwit, outplay, outlast
Success in KILLER INN requires you to follow the same motto as success in a game of Survivor. You need your wits to identify the killers, skill with weapons or a solid loadout in order to be better physically equipped than your foes should the moment call for it, and a sense of constant vigilance to always know where your opponents are on the map, and how you’re going to make sure you don’t go down before they do. You’ll also need to be great at talking your way out of accusations of ‘blindsides’ (murders) should someone accuse you of being a traitor. There are a lot of parallels here, which mostly speaks to how well-rounded KILLER INN is as a game – it’s more than just deduction, or skill with a weapon – you have to be smart about both in order to win.
Much like in Survivor, there is also a large cast of characters to choose from during your stay in the hotel, each with their own skills that you may want to match to your playstyle. Though these characters have dialogue that is extremely cheesy, there are some fun archetypes to choose from, and many people are going to have an immediate favourite. My personal favourite was the singer, because she had the best hair – but you’ll use your own metric to judge who you like best.
Embrace the tension
From the second you’re dropped into the hotel map, the game is afoot. The tension, therefore, is immediately palpable – and if you aren’t ready to exist in this tension for the entire game, you probably won’t have a good time here. But if you are, and you thrive on chaos and deception, KILLER INN looks like it’s going to have a lot to offer. I can see the game changing if you happen to be paired with a particularly silent group of people, in which case the clue collection mechanics are likely to really shine, but otherwise you should be prepared to beg for your life, trust nobody, follow your gut and hope for the best.
