Deceive Inc. is an upcoming subterfuge multiplayer experience where you act as a spy with one goal in mind: to retrieve the golden briefcase and escape alive. You have the option of either doing it alone, or having a team of two other people to help you on your adventure. Intrigued? We certainly were. Thanks to the folks at Tripwire Interactive, we recently had the chance to get some hands-on time with Deceive Inc. Read up on what we thought of this heist-focused game in our preview.
The Basics
The basics of Deceive Inc. is that you can disguise as anyone you see, but make sure to blend in with the crowd to prevent the other players from noticing and ending your spy career quickly. As well, certain rooms will require you to be a certain disguise so as to not raise suspicion by the NPCs in the room.
Each spy character you choose to play has their own unique advantages. From being an easy shot with a pistol, to a slingshot that is more difficult to aim but if the shot lands, it’s an instant knockout. Among the eight different spies you can select from, you can always choose a variety of gadgets such as the following: an inflatable mat which allows you to reach high places, a “holo-mimic” that allows you to clone yourself as any object you see in the room, and there’s even a bulletproof umbrella which does exactly what the name suggests. In the few hours of game time that I had, I was only able to try out a few spies and gadgets. However, this provided a great understanding of each spy character’s unique abilities and weaknesses. It is definitely a game of strategy when picking out the right spy that suits your play style best at to ensure victory.
During the gameplay round, you can collect intel from machines to help speed up your way to cracking open the vault that contains the golden briefcase. As well, looking for key cards to ensure your future intel deposits aren’t wasted. If your disguise is busted by either the NPCs, or the players you are with, you better run before dying. You only have one life in this game. There are also ammo vending machines where you can spend some intel on, I highly recommend stacking up on ammo before reaching the end, as you will need it. Certain rooms also have more than one way of exiting if you are in a tight jam, such as a moving bookcase for example and vents you can traverse through.
So Far, So Good…
Gameplay wise, Deceive Inc. has the basics nailed down even in its alpha version that we tried. Shooting makes sense, the diverse gadgets and movement fit the world’s theme perfectly. The team at Sweet Bandits Studios have done a stellar job at making Deceive Inc. fun but not too hard. Sound design is also top notch, it makes you feel like you are in a classic spy film with only one objective in mind: win by any means necessary. That could mean killing another player in the beginning of the game to eliminate any competition. Once you play a few rounds, you pick up telltale signs on what a player does vs. an NPC.
From what we played so far, Deceive Inc. is a fun, co-operative experience that seems to bring a fresh take on multiplayer games. There’s no release date announced just yet, but it’s one I’m looking forward to, so I can queue up with my friends for some heist-related fun.
MP1st has more information for Deceive Inc. hitting the site, so stay tuned! Deceive Inc, is currently set to release on the Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5 and PC sometime in 2023.