Among Us is a social deduction game developed and published by InnerSloth. It was originally released on June 15, 2018, but only truly gained popularity in 2020. Since then, there have been massive updates with new maps, cosmetics, and roles.
Want to know what Among Us is all about or why you need an account? Maybe you want to understand the roles a bit better or wish to see if it’s worth downloading. Join me in this Among Us review on Windows 11 with Xbox Games Pass as I answer all these queries and more.
Among Us story
There’s no single-player campaign in Among Us like you’d see in most titles these days. As such, you won’t see any central plot but instead with a primary focus on the multiplayer aspects. However, there are a few elements to draw to your attention.
Traitor Among Us
The concept behind Among Us is that there’s a spaceship filled with these characters dressed in space suits. From the first appearance, they look like miniature Teletubbies. They’re called the Crewmates and go about their daily business keeping the ship floating through space.
One among them is an Impostor, though. Their intention is to kill everyone on the ship, like in a science fiction thriller movie. Your job will depend on which role you receive at the start of a game.
Tasks to be completed
As one of the Crewmate roles, there are several tasks for you to accomplish. You’ll need to go about the ship and complete them, which are random puzzles easy to achieve. However, they do take time, and there’s a meter at the top of the board showing you how close you are to finishing all of them.
Of course, it takes a team effort. Everyone needs to pitch in and help with assignments as much as possible. The best part is that you can continue with tasks even though you’re dead. This puts extra pressure on the Impostor to eliminate members as quickly as possible.
Evade and kill
When you’re the rotten egg in the bunch, your sole task is to kill every Crewmate. It may sound easy, but you’ll need to do so without being detected. If someone spots you, they can call a meeting and vote you off the ship. That means the end of the game for you and victory for the others.
You have some abilities to aid you. For instance, you can crawl through vents while standard Crewmates can’t. You can also pretend to be performing tasks so that no one suspects you. It’s all about finding the right time to unleash your attack. You may want to check our top 5 Impostor tips for Among Us to help you out.
How long to play Among Us
One round in Among Us takes anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how good the players are. As a whole, you can play it infinitely without end all night long, enjoying round after round for as long as you wish. The only time you’ll stop playing it is when you finally become bored of the game.
Among Us gameplay
Let’s go into more detail with this Among Us review. It’s time to evaluate the gameplay elements to determine if it’s worth installing and playing. There are some other games that have incorporated social deduction aspects due to the rising popularity of the time. A few examples include Fortnite, Roblox, and Project Winter.
Learning how to play Among Us
When you play Among Us for the first time, you’ll enter the welcome screen. You’ll need to register an account if you want to play on your profile and customize your avatar. The game will also ask your age, and if you’re too young, your parents will need to give permission for you to chat with others using the in-game feature.
Fortunately, beginners can click on the “How to play” button to see how everything works. There’s also a Free Play section so you can get the hang of roles and abilities. It’s an excellent way to warm you up for the cold-blooded betrayal headed your way with the various multiple-player modes.
Various modes
There are two ways you can play Among Us online. The first is local multiplayer, which lets you challenge family and friends at home. Secondly, the online multiplayer mode gives you the opportunity to create or join a server where others are waiting to play.
If you choose to join one, you’ll notice a list on your screen created by other players. It’s best that you check the member count and see if there’s still space to join. Spots fill up quickly, and even if it says there are two left, you’ll be surprised how quickly it isn’t available anymore.
If you want to play with a group you already know, you can start or join a private lobby. You’ll receive an invite that you’ll need to accept. At least you know a spot for you has been secured.
Roles and abilities
When the Among Us game officially starts, you’ll receive a role. It’s in your best interest to learn the abilities attached to these positions, as they’ll greatly assist in winning the round.
Here’s the official list of roles and abilities for Among Us:
- Crewmate: Most players will have this role, and you can interact with objects to complete tasks.
- Impostor: Depending on the host’s settings, there can be 1 – 3 of these roles in a single match. The primary task is to eliminate other players, and you can vote and call meetings just like the Crewmates. You’re able to crawl through vents as an advantage.
- Ghost: As either a dead Crewmate or ejected Impostor, you can still head around the ship and assist the others if they’re still alive. You can also view the chats in meetings, but you can’t vote. Speed is increased and you can move through walls and objects.
While the above characters are from the original game, a few more roles were added in recent Among Us updates:
- Shapeshifter: This Impostor role lets you change into another player’s appearance for a short duration.
- Engineer: As part of the Crewmates, you can search vents for Impostors for a limited time.
- Scientist: Another Crewmate role, you can access a Vitals monitor to see how everyone is doing. The battery drains quickly, so you’ll need to pay attention.
- Guardian Angel: As the Guardian, you can produce a shield around any living Crewmate to ensure they aren’t killed.
Calling a meeting
Anyone that’s still alive in the game can call a meeting. The purpose is to vote on who the Impostor is and discuss ejecting someone. There’s a chat window, and Impostors can play along and pretend they saw one player kill another.
The meeting is one of the most deceptive elements of the game. If a few players are chatting secretly in a party on Discord or a different mechanism, they can secretly hide the identity of their Impostor friend. It’s also the area where players are ejected based on voting.
When I played the game for my Among Us review, I found the meeting aspect to be the most frustrating as a Crewmate. Some players are trigger-happy and love to call meetings at the smallest flinch. It becomes annoying when you’re trying to complete tasks as quickly as possible.
Cosmetics
Two of the latest features added to Among Us are cosmetics and Cosmicubes. As you play the matches and win rounds, you’ll win in-game currencies and other rewards. You can use them to buy clothing and other items for your Avatar. This update brought new life to the game when we all thought the trend was dying down again.
Gameplay performance
There are two ways you can play Among Us, either on a computer or mobile. If you opt for Among Us on PC, you’ll need the following:
- OS – Windows 7 SP1+
- Memory – 1 GB RAM
- Processor – SSE2 instruction set support
- Storage – 250 MB available space
- DirectX – Version 10
For mobile, you’ll need iOS 10.0 or Android 4.4 at least, depending on the model and operating system. While playing Among Us on Windows 11 with Xbox Games Pass, there was smooth performance, and it connected with a server rather quickly.
Among Us visual and sound
Finally, let’s look at the graphics and sound in this Among Us review. Please remember that this is based on computer visuals on Windows 11, so you may experience it differently on other platforms.
Overall graphics
The graphics have a plain design, despite all the lovely colors. There’s nothing outstanding about the visuals, and it doesn’t compare to the likes of AAA titles like Shadow Warrior 3 or Call of Duty: Vanguard. Still, it’s enjoyable enough for adults and children to play without any significant issues or gore.
Character and world designs
Most of the characters look the same, albeit with new costumes and different colors. It’s interesting how players still accuse others based on the colors and not the gamer names or outfits. There was one named Cowbow-something in one of the matches, and still, everyone said “Vote for Red”, or “I saw Red did it”. I guess it’s easier to type.
Despite the new maps, there’s nothing to write about when it comes to character designs. While we appreciate the new cosmetics, the primary focus is still on social deduction.
Animations and effects
The visual aspects I did enjoy for this Among Us review are the animations and effects. It’s always fun to see how the Impostor will kill you, as there’s an entertaining short video that accompanies it.
Sound and communication
When you’re playing Among Us, there’s almost no noise and sound in the background. The only time you’ll hear an effect is when someone calls a meeting. However, it’s great if you can connect a mic and chat to your friends in the background to fool the other players.
Final verdict of Among Us
As a casual social deduction game, Among Us is entertaining. You do level up and unlock new items, so there’s at least some sense of progression. As a hardcore gamer used to fantasy and horror titles, it was slightly lackluster for me, and I lost interest quickly. However, I’m sure many out there will gladly lose a few days of becoming addicted to it.
Pros
- Entertaining with friends
- New maps, roles, and abilities
- Easy to play
- Communication between teams
- Ghost roles
Cons
- Either addictive or boring, depending on your preference
- Not many items to keep you interested
- Plain visual design and gameplay
Developer: InnerSloth LLC, PlayEveryWare, Schell Games LLC
Publisher: InnerSloth LLC
Game Modes: Free Mode, Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
Platform reviewed: Windows 11 – Xbox Games Pass
