Review for video game, Among Us, by Chandler Wang

 Among Us is the latest, massively popular game to play with friends. It didn't seem too interesting to me, but my friend group picked it up and I had a lot of fun with it. It's a game with a classic setup for lies and betrayal. There are ten people: eight are innocent crewmates and two are traitorous impostors. The crewmates run around the ship trying to complete their tasks, while the impostors try to kill off the crewmates. Impostors can sabotage the ship, and periodically gain the ability to kill a crewmate. Crewmates can report dead bodies to call a meeting where they discuss who did it, and vote to kick a suspect off the ship. The game is incredibly simple, at least mechanically, and killing can be done at the press of a button, as well as most tasks. I thought the simplicity would make the game boring, but when the game is simplified, it becomes really focused on the central idea of a whodunit mystery. The game is boiled down to being the best detective as a crewmate and the sneakiest liar as an impostor. Voting sessions are heated debates on who was where, who did what, and who the impostors are. It's very satisfying to ferret out the impostors, puzzling together the pieces from the last meeting, tracking the positions of the players on the map, and convincing your fellow crewmates to vote out the impostor that you've tracked down. As an impostor, it's a thrill to remain undetected, to pretend to be innocent, to sneak in kills behind the crewmates' backs, and to turn crewmates against each other. It's a fun, chaotic game, especially with friends, and the tactical maneuvering that you develop for each game keeps it fresh despite its simplicity.