Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons
It’s been a while since I’ve done a gaming review, but with Deceit 2 now available and Halloween just around the corner, you know I couldn’t resist taking you to Millhaven Asylum thanks to developer, World Makers.
Deceit 2 is a multi-player, multi-layer game filled with terrifying realisations that in order to win you will have to convince those around you that you are truly innocent and hell-bent on escaping the Asylum.
Each game in Deceit 2 starts off during the Reality Phase, where nothing is hunting you down, or trying to kill you, however, it is during this time that you spend your precious moments working out who will attack you once the darkness comes.
You’ll either begin the game as an innocent survivor or as a member of the infected. The survivors must band together and complete tasks to earn souls, a form of currency that can be spent on a number of items to help you in the dark and keep the infected at bay. They must also watch out for any weird goings on, such as the infected trying to activate various Blood Altars that will begin the ritual: the second phase of Deceit 2.
The second phase of the game is the In-Between Phase. When a Blood Altar is activated, everyone enters another realm where the fear starts to kick into overdrive. If you’re an innocent survivor, you better have your wits about you and hope you’re prepared during this phase.
Players can chat between themselves if they suspect an infected via proximity chat, and if they all agree, they can shoot the suspect and cast votes to have them expelled from the game.
This is where all hell breaks loose, as players that are infected can chip in and make a case for themselves, deflecting suspicion away from them and onto others. The social aspect is fascinating, especially when you listen to the conversations between players. Lies spread faster than truths as everyone pleads their innocence.
We’ve had the pleasure of entering the abandoned Millhaven Asylum for a Dick Haus Playz right here on the channel. Our gameplay plan was straight forward: trust no one and try to survive. Watch Richard Lovegrove and Lux Voco attempt to escape the Asylum here.
The ominous tones of the music are beautifully haunting and help add to the eerie feel of the game. There’s always an uneasy feeling lingering as the infected move closer. If you have a flashlight or another item that produces light, the infected will not be able to get close. These items also help you keep your sanity. If your sanity metre reduces, it’s tougher to get away, leaving you more vulnerable to an attack. Surviving the In-Between Phase takes you back to the Reality Phase, repeating the process of trying to figure out who is infected. Except now you have less survivors to help, if they’ve perished at the hands of one of the infected.
Being deceptive is the name of the game if you’re infected. Deny, deny, deny was our strategy, although once someone has a seed of doubt in their mind about you, it’s harder to get away and use your abilities. Richard found this out the hard way when he thought he was able to sneak away but was caught sabotaging equipment. He was dispatched of pretty quickly as a result.
While there’s only two phases to experience with Deceit 2, the replay ability is in how people strategize their gameplay. If you have a team, you can protect each other, vouching for each other. Individual players have to find a different way to play, being as convincing as they can with their pleas.
The possibilities really do seem endless for Deceit 2. Future additions of new characters and new maps will just continue to build on the already addictive gameplay and give players new chances on being creative when it comes to their lies and weeding out the deceptive evil that lies within their fellow survivors.
Deceit 2 is available now on Steam.