Among Us Story: On Guard, from developer/publisher Innersloth, tasks players with solving mysteries through a simulator that sees them tracking down the elusive imposter. It will take wits and a strong tolerance for puns for players to have any chance of success.
As a random worker, you are tasked with testing out a simulator that lets you live through the dangerous imposter encounters that claim so many crew members on ships every day. Taking on the role of the ship’s guard, you must complete scenarios and stop the imposter before it’s too late. Using environmental interactions to solve puzzles and talking with crewmates allows the player to pursue their goal.
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Guard is like every P.I. you’ve ever seen dialed up to twelve.
How much players will enjoy their time here is likely to hinge on how funny they find the writing. From the moment the game boots up until it shuts down, the dialogue never misses the chance to crack a joke. From wordplay to its annoyance at the player if they repeatedly try to do things the demo doesn’t support, the game’s biggest focus is to make you laugh. And it feels quite capable of succeeding at that goal.
Among Us Story: On Guard’s primary delivery system for its simple jokes is the player character, Guard. They’re written like every P.I. in a crime mystery you’ve ever seen dialed up to twelve. The character’s observations as they follow clues, question crewmates, and get lost in vents are ridiculous. However, it’s how hard Guard leans into the role that makes it work.
Because of the game’s setup, how much Guard hams up their lines has more charm than one might expect. Knowing that this is a person pretending to be a guard gives the otherwise eye-rolling one-liners enough playfulness to elicit a chuckle as they are read, with occasional genuine laughter as well.
Each character in Among Us Story: On Guard has their own fun personality quirks.
Each of the other crew members in Among Us Story: On Guard’s demo has their own quirks. Over-the-top personalities are used with great success in the short-term demo runs. My favorite is the content creation-obsessed crewmate.
While seeing a character with a selfie stick glued to their hand for comedic purposes is nothing new, the fact that he’s also the ship’s doctor takes it to another level. Seeing him say things like, “Can we wrap this up? I promised my followers I’d live-stream the autopsy,” leaves a lasting impression. I hope he doesn’t try to hold the selfie stick while he operates.
As far as the gameplay goes, Among Us Story: On Guard is a playful, adventure game experience. As problems arise, the player will be given context-sensitive environmental elements to work with to reach new places, corner crewmates, and achieve other goals. It’s simple, but fun, and the way things play out further feeds into the core humor that permeates the game’s presentation.
Among Us Story: On Guard looks like a blast.
The visuals also go great with the game’s fun vibe. The bounciness of the animations and bright colors leans into the energy of the whole experience, letting the player feel enveloped in a fun and zany world. The game also does a great job of conveying the emotions of its cast, despite their being comprised of bean bodies with a single eye and hands.
Among Us Story: On Guard looks like a blast. As my first foray into anything from the franchise, I was instantly taken in by its charm, cleverness, and dedication to ridiculous fun. If the entire game can maintain the balance of light puzzle solving and eye-rolling humor, it could be a great experience for anyone looking for a lighthearted adventure game.
Among Us Story: On Guard’s demo will be available on Steam from June 15th to 22nd as part of the franchise’s eighth anniversary.
