There’s a new game on the block that is turning heads. It’s called Among Us and it is all the rage right now. Among Us is an online multiplayer social deduction game which has been developed and published by InnerSloth. The game was released back in June of 2018.
But it was not until the month of August that the game blew up in terms of popularity. It has become the most played smartphone game in the world and sits pretty on the Steam Charts below PUBG in the fourth position.
Among Us is available on Steam for PC, Android as well as iOS. While it costs Rs 199 on Steam it is free to play on both Android and iOS. And like most other games it has ads in the game along with in-app purchases. There is the option to make a one-time payment of Rs 170 to remove ads on mobile.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The latest viral game that you can play with friends
- How much will it cost? Free on Android/iOS, Rs 199 for PC
- How many players? 4-10
System requirements
Among Us is a rather simple game, it does not require a lot in terms of specifications. Here’s how the PC specs look.
OS: Windows 7 SP1+
Processor: SSE2 instruction set support
Memory: 1 GB RAM
DirectX: Version 10
Storage: 250 MB available space
In terms of smartphone requirements, it requires Android 4.4 or later and iOS 10.0 or later.
How to set up
The game is rather simple to set up be it on Steam or on mobile. On Steam, the process of setting up is as simple as purchasing the game and then proceeding to install it on your hard drive.
Once the installation is complete, launch the game which ought to bring you to the main menu. Now, launching the game for the first time will greet you with the change log, which can be read and closed.
The main menu has four primary buttons which include ‘Local’, ‘Online’, ‘How to play’ and ‘Freeplay’. The ‘Local’ button brings users to the screen to create and host their own game to play over a local network and not the internet. The ‘Online’ button will bring people to the screen for playing on the internet. ‘How to play’ shows slides on how to play the game, while ‘Freeplay’ launched the user in a match with stationary bots.
Besides these there are also other options in the main menu that include announcements, settings, credits, your statistics and in-game market. Players can acquire hats and other cosmetic items from the market to make their character look unique.
The online play screen gives the user options to play with their friends on a private server using a code. They also have the option to join a public game or host their own game on the internet.
Game objectives
There are two kinds of roles that a player can get in Among Us. The first is the crew-member where players will be a normal member of the crew and the other is the imposter. The objectives of the crew members is to finish the tasks and stay alive while trying to expose and kick out the imposter. While the objectives of the imposter is to kill everyone or make sure something or the other completely malfunctions.
There are three different maps that can be played at the moment called The Skeld, Mira HQ, and Polus. The Skeld is a spacecraft that is travelling in space when the game takes place. Mira HQ is a floating station up in the sky while Polus is on the ground on a volcanic planet.
How to play
There are different tasks for each map, but some of them are similar. Tasks can be visual like re-connecting wires, or memory-based like remembering a blinking sequence. Tasks in the game are classified into short and long, essentially ones that would be completed in one place and others that require crew members to travel around the map completing one.
It may be simpler for an imposter who just has to kill or sabotage different parts of the map using the mini-map. But doing so without giving themselves away is the challenge. There are vents that can hide imposters as well as let them travel around to nearby vents.
Crewmates can continue doing missions even after they die.
Now, once a dead body is found, both the crew and the imposter can report it. In fact, there is an emergency button that can be used by both. When a dead body is reported or an emergency meeting called members to discuss the situation and then voting begins. Players can either vote for a person they think is the imposter or skip voting. Whoever gets the most votes is kicked out of the map.
If the imposter is kicked out the crew members win, but if a crew member is kicked out then the match continues. The imposter wins even if there is only one other crew member left. Crew members that die are converted to ghosts that can still complete their tasks. But ghosts cannot communicate with the others that are alive. Which means that people alive must figure out who the killer or killers are.
Communication is key to the game, hence if you are playing with your friends then you can get on a Discord call while in the game. But it is common courtesy to not speak once you die.
Pro Tips
While the game seems simple enough, there are a few surefire strategies for both sides. When it comes to crew members, it’s always safe to stick around with someone. Communication is key, and always keep an eye on who is going where. Try and remember which tasks you were doing, so when you are quizzed you can provide that information.
When it comes to recognizing the imposter, try and keep an eye out for people who are just standing around and not appear to be doing any task in particular. If you’ve completed your tasks, don’t just stand around, keep following others who you think are crew members and not imposters. Or you can also keep an eye on the security cameras or the sensor logs.
As for imposters, it's imperative that you do not kill someone when another person is watching. And even if you are along with another person in a place, if someone else saw you go to that place with the one you’re about to kill, then you will also be found out. Try to cause malfunctions and diversions and kill someone when others are on the other end of the map. Pro tip about using vents: don’t just appear out of a room which was empty after a person just left it. That is a dead giveaway.
To conclude, Among Us, is definitely one of the most engaging social games of recent times. It is easy to play, and requires attention to detail and some skills. It can definitely be a party game that can be enjoyed by a large group of people.
