Social deduction games are all the rage these days, thanks to viral hits like Among Us, and today, during Summer Game Fest, Square Enix announced its plans to release its own take on the genre. Killer Inn is an asymmetrical action game where 24 players enter a mansion, secretly divided into two factions – 8 wolves and 16 sheep. Throughout a match, players will lie, steal, and murder to claim victory over the other secret group. In addition to today’s reveal trailer, we got a behind-the-scenes look at what an average match would look like.
After the game privately reveals whether you’re a wolf or a lamb, everyone begins to gather items and weapons. They can be hidden in drawers, set on tables, or, if it’s an especially good find, purchased from shops. Players can also complete quests to level up skills and open chests with better gear – a good idea to do before the first body is discovered or you become the first victim.
Once a body is discovered, players can visit the scene of the crime to learn clues about the killer, like what color hair they have, what they were wearing, or if they left other DNA at the scene of the crime. Once the lambs think they know who to go after, they can take full advantage of the game’s third-person action to shoot, punch, poison, or stab the suspect. That said, you have to be certain they’re a wolf before it starts, because a lamb who goes after another lamb turns to stone and dies.
There are also safe zones – any room in a staff member’s eyeline – where wolves that kill lambs are immediately outed. Lambs can stay here in relative safety, but staying put means the wolves have a chance to gather more powerful gear, and they’ll know exactly where you are once they find you.
Finally, each player controls a different, pre-set character with unique abilities they get when leveling up. The surgeon does extra damage while covered in blood, the thief can pick locks without leaving clues behind, and the handyman can upgrade gear at half the cost. The image we saw has 25 characters listed, and since each match has 24 players, you’ll likely be seeing most characters every match.
The game is being developed by Tactic Studio in collaboration with Square Enix and TBS Games. While the trailer didn’t reveal anything about Killer Inn’s launch window, we do know that a closed beta on Steam will begin sometime soon, so players will have the chance to kill or be killed before buying the game.
