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Baldur’s Gate 3 Mods Add WASD Controls and Camera Tweaks for That MMO Look and Feel

Baldur’s Gate 3 modders continue to do good work, this time with the addition of WASD controls and camera tweaks.

On PC using a mouse and keyboard, Baldur’s Gate 3 provides a high perspective of the action from which you click on the part of the world you want your character to move to. Playing with a controller on PC, or on Steam Deck, changes the UI, controls, and shifts the camera perspective into action RPG territory, but mouse and keyboard players do not have this option.

As spotted by PC Gamer, modder Ch4nKyy added WASD movement to Baldur’s Gate 3. This, in combination with Ershin’s Native Camera Tweaks mod, makes Baldur’s Gate 3 look and feel like playing a PC MMO. A video from YouTube channel dimetequiero shows how well it works. You can switch pretty seamlessly between this close-up third-person perspective and the original perspective, all while using WASD controls on your keyboard for movement and your mouse for actions.

Will developer Larian ever officially support such a control scheme / perspective switch? It remains to be seen. But with the modding community doing such good work, perhaps there’s no need.

It’s all kicking off in the virtual world of Baldur’s Gate 3, from a community debate about save scumming to players who are convinced they can “fix” Shadowheart. We recently reported on an ‘Owlbear From the Top Rope’ tactic that deals enough damage to take down pretty much anything.

Find out what we think of the game in IGN’s recently updated Baldur’s Gate 3 review in-progress. Oh, and be careful when you Long Rest in Baldur’s Gate 3.

For more info, check out how our guide to building a character in Baldur’s Gate 3 as well as our guide to Baldur’s Gate 3’s races and subraces.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Sega Admits Creative Assembly’s Hyenas Is a ‘Challenging’ Title, ‘Striving’ to Improve Quality

Hyenas is a “challenging” title, Sega has admitted. In a just-released transcript of a financial briefing held on August 1, Sega responded to a question asking for an update on Hyenas, the hero-based multiplayer shooter from Creative Assembly’s Alien Isolation team.

“We are unable to talk about this title because the details have not yet been announced at this time,” Sega said. “As this is a challenging title, we are striving to improve its quality towards the release on the front line of development. We are also making final adjustments to its business model in parallel.”

Hyenas, announced last summer, resurfaced on August 16 with a new gameplay trailer, below, showing chaotic, zero-G heist action. Hyenas is described as a hero-based multiplayer extraction shooter that pits five teams of three against each other and NPC security teams known as MURFS. The idea is to steal pop culture memorabilia from Plunderships.

While Creative Assembly had previously indicated Hyenas is not free-to-play, Sega’s mention of “final adjustments” to the business model suggests this may have changed. IGN has asked Sega for clarification.

A closed beta for PC players is set for August 31 to September 11.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Lord Of The Rings IP “Well Ahead Of Business Plan”, Embracer says

Embracer Group has said the Lord of the Rings intellectual property (IP) is performing “well ahead” of the business plan it set out when it bought the franchise in 2022.

Money generated by Middle-earth Enterprises grew significantly after “strong” licensing revenue for The Lord of the Rings, Embracer said in its financial report for the three months ending June 30.

In June, Embracer stressed the importance of “exploiting Lord of the Rings in a very significant fashion” by turning it into “one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world”.

The comments came amid a costly restructure of the gargantuan game business, which announced plans to cancel in-development projects, shut studios, and lay off an unspecified number of staff.

In an open letter to the company’s 17,000 staff, CEO Lars Wingefors said Embracer would decrease spending across the board, reduce third-party publishing, and “put greater focus on internal IP and increase external funding of large-budget games”.

Two months later, it seems Lord of the Rings is paying off for the company. “The performance of Middle-earth Enterprises is well ahead of the business plan developed at the time of acquisition a year ago,” Embracer boss Lars Wingefors said.

Wizards of the Coast recently released Magic the Gathering trading card game The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (the one with the $2 million card). Free Range Games’ PC and console survival crafting game The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is set for release later this year. Embracer said “many other exciting new products that will grow the IP further” are in the works.

However, all is not well in the world of Lord of the Rings-related video games. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum suffered a disastrous release in May, one that led to Daedelic shutting down its internal development arm and laying off 25 people.

Embracer bought the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit for nearly $400 million in August 2022 and announced plans to explore opportunities to create new games, movies, and more based on the famous intellectual property.

In May, Embracer announced it had signed a deal with Amazon Games for the developer of New World to create a new MMO based on The Lord of the Rings.

The massively multiplayer online game, which is completely separate from 2007’s The Lord of the Rings Online and from Amazon’s previously cancelled Lord of the Rings MMO, is currently in the early stages of development and as of yet has no official title.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Why We’re Not Buying STALKER 2’s Rumored Release Date – Unlocked 608

Big-time Xbox exclusive FPS STALKER 2 has a rumored release date that’s coming up soon…but do we believe it? We discuss the rumor. Plus: we engage in a lengthy discussion about Xbox’s new eight-strike behavior-enforcement system for Xbox Live, go over the great Xbox Game Pass lineup leading up to Starfield’s release, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out my recent interview with Todd Howard, who discussed the realization of his vision for Starfield after eight years, how Red Dead Redemption 2 was something of an inspiration, what his future holds, and more!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Baldur’s Gate 3 PS5 Preload and Early Access Details Announced

Larian Studios has revealed the preload times and release schedule for the PS5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3, ahead of its full PlayStation release on Sept. 6 early next month.

Per a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) from Larian Studios, players who have payed for the $79.99 Digital Deluxe Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be able to begin preloading the game on Aug. 31 starting at 16:00 UTC, and will be able to jump into the game at the same time on Sept. 2 courtesy of early access.

Meanwhile, those who have pre-ordered the $69.99 Standard Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be able to begin preloading starting at 16:00 UTC on Sept. 4, in preparation of the RPG’s full PS5 release on Sept. 6, once again at 16:00 UTC.

Back in July, Larian revealed that players would not be able to preload any of the 122 GB PC version of Baldur’s Gate 3 – a decision which upset some players with less than stellar internet, and saw Steam struggle to cope with the download demand for the game.

Thankfully, Larian has been able to enable preloading for the PS5 version of the game, so PlayStation gamers should have a smoother ride of it. The PC version of Baldur’s Gate 3 has been out in the wild for a couple of weeks now, and in that time it has delighted hardcore and casual RPG fans alike, while securing its place in history as one of the horniest titles ever to grace gamers’ collective screens.

As a matter of fact, Baldur’s Gate 3 players managed to get up to so much so fast that Larian was forced to push out an emergency hotfix for the game to expand player’s personal story database to an “infinite” size in order to allow them to continue perpetrating shenanigans. Since then, some members of the Baldur’s Gate 3 community have gone even further in their attempts to explore the game, with some even now competing for numerous speed run records.

Be sure to check out IGN’s list of 16 crucial tips and tricks, and to make use of our interactive map to track quests, find chests, and generally get the most out of your journey through Baldur’s Gate 3.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Starfield: 10 Things We Learned From Developer Q&A

As the release date for Starfield draws near, Bethesda Game Studios recently held a Q&A on its Discord server where Starfield’s Lead Quest Designer Will Shen and Lead Designer Emil Pagliarulo answered 16 questions fans had about the upcoming sci-fi action RPG.

If you missed the Q&A session, IGN attended and found ten new things we learned during the Starfield developer Q&A, which you can check out below.

There Are Over 20 Companions in Starfield

Similar to previous Bethesda RPGs, Starfield will have companions you can recruit, but little is known about them so far. Fortunately, the developer Q&A confirmed that “over 20 named characters” can join you in your adventures.

While the names were not revealed, we did learn from the Q&A that four of the companions are members of The Constellation, though all companions have “their own backgrounds” and can follow you around and carry any items you acquire on your travels.

“When we first began Starfield pre-production, we looked back at our previous games and realized how popular and effective the companions were,” Pagliarulo explained. “So they were a big priority for us, and we really wanted to tie them directly to the main quest.”

The Jail System Takes More from Skyrim Than Fallout 4

In the Elder Scrolls series, most notably Skyrim, there is a jail system where you can be imprisoned for crimes you commit. Starfield is no different, though you will have a few options if you are caught committing a crime: you can either go to jail, pay the fine when you are apprehended, or if you’re really bold, you can resist arrest and evade the law.

A Fully Pacifist Playthrough Isn’t ‘Totally Feasible’ in Starfield

If you prefer to play games where you can complete an entire playthrough without harming a single NPC, sadly you won’t be able to do so in Starfield (although we’re sure that won’t stop some from trying).

Shen and Pagliarulo noted that there’s no guarantee a player can complete every mission in Starfield without harming someone. But they did mention that “a couple of systems” are available to help those who want to avoid minimal physical confrontations.

One of those systems are Speech Challenges, where you can use the art of persuasion to avoid someone fighting you.

“The Settled Systems is mostly civilized, but it can be a dangerous place if you’re going off the beaten path,” said Pagliarulo. “And you’re absolutely going off the beaten path!”

Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Interstellar, and More Inspired Starfield’s Quests

When asked if any sci-fi media had influenced some of the quests in Starfield, Shen and Pagliarulo explained some of their influences, many of which are thoroughly unsurprisingly.

Shen, for example, explained how he is a history nerd and listens to a lot of history-centric podcasts, such as Hardcore History. Pagliarulo, a child of the late ’70s and early ’80s, explained how he has “very fond memories” of sci-fi during that time, citing Star Wars, the original Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, and even Event Horizon. He talked about what he called “headier” sci-fi, including Contact, Interstellar, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the writings of Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein.

“In all of those examples, you realize that outer space is two things: 1.) A source of mystery and wonder, sometimes terror, AND 2.) A giant blank page on which you can write any story” said Pagliarulo. “And we have written a lot of VERY different stories in Starfield.”

There Are Mechs, but You Can’t Use Them

In one of the animated shorts Bethesda released last month, we saw a brief glimpse of mechs. Pagliarulo revealed more history on the role of mechs in the Starfield universe, noting that they are around, but you cannot use them.

Pagliarulo explained that the mechs are “leftovers” from the Colony War. Both the United Colonies and Freestar Collective had mechs, but to varying degrees, and they were outlawed when the war ended.

While the mechs are not useable, Pagliarulo teased that there’s an old mech battleground in the game.

Your Parents Will Look Like You with the Kid Stuff Trait

One of the traits available in Starfield is called Kid Stuff and if your character has the trait, the duo confirmed that your parents will look like you. While not further elaborated, the feature is similar to that in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, where the father and son’s looks are based on your playable character.

Starfield’s Environmental Storytelling Adds to the Immersion

When asked what are some of their favorite small details in Starfield that help add to the immersion, Pagliarulo talked about how the environmental storytelling, from the books lying around to the notes on the bulletin boards, offers a ton of immersion.

Pagliarulo also explained how Starfield is a “NASApunk” game: that although humans live in space, the aesthetic is still “a very lived-in universe.”

You Can Buy Property in the Main Cities

Shen and Pagliarulo confirmed that you can purchase property in all the major cities in Starfield. Some you can purchase with the money you earn and some are rewards for completing specific

More Info on the Religions and Denominations in Starfield

Shen and Pagliarulo went into detail about the religions in Starfield. We previously learned that the three in the game are the Sanctum Universum, Enlightened, and Great Serpent.

“Existing, IRL religions are part of the Starfield universe, (with folks of all religions and denominations out there) but we don’t really focus on them,” Pagliarulo said. “Instead, we highlight three new ones specific to the game.”

A quick recap on the three religions in Starfield is that Sanctum Universum (aka Universals) believes God exists in the in-game universe. The Enlightened “are essentially organized atheists” that focus on humanitarian efforts. And The Great Serpent, which the faction House of Va’ruun worships, is filled with mystery with Pagliarulo explaining that “in the game, you’re not really sure what the complete truth is.”

Crew Members Can Be Assigned to Work at Outposts

Outposts in Starfield can be used in different ways: you can either build a domicile or make an outpost designed to manufacture things or mine for resources. And during the dev Q&A, we learned that you can assign crew members to work in the outposts. You only have to pay them once when assigning them to the outposts and you can even use the Speech Challenge game to negotiate the price.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Dorfromantik: The Board Game Review

Back in 2022 there was a brief bubble of enthusiasm over a video game called Dorfromantik – “village romance” in German. The player had to create an ever growing landscape of forests and fields, railways and rivers, trying to complete tasks in order to earn more tiles and keep playing. At the time, there was a lot of talk about how much like a board game it felt. Now, we’ve got a dedicated tabletop version which went on to win the 2023 Spiel des Jahres, the most prestigious prize in board gaming.

What’s in the Box

The Dorfromantik: The Board Game box is like a Russian doll, because most of what’s inside the box is more boxes. But you’re not supposed to open them right away: a key part of this game’s appeal is that it’s a campaign. Each game lets you tick off boxes on a campaign sheet based on your overall score and, as you progress through various branch points, you get to open different boxes and find out what’s inside.

When you start out, you only get to use what’s available inside the main box itself, which is lots and lots of hexagonal tiles. They’re all decorated in much the same way in a chunky, simplistic yet appealing art style that delineates various landscape features, just like the tiles in the video game.

There are also a bunch of counters, one for each landscape type, with numbers on the back. You also get a pad of scoresheets and campaign sheets. That’s your lot, and the relative dearth of content is more than enough to make you super-curious about what’s in those six additional sealed boxes nestled in the component tray.

Rules and How it Plays

Dorfromantik is easy to learn and play and, since it’s also a cooperative board game with all the players working together to build the landscape, it’s a great candidate for play with friends and family. On your turn you draw a tile, which will feature a mix of terrain elements, and fit it into your growing landscape. Most terrain elements can abut anything else you want them to. The exception are rivers and railways, each of which must be contiguous and can’t be cut off mid-flow with a different kind of tile.

There are two kinds of tiles: landscape tiles, which feature a mix of terrain elements, and task tiles, which are the same but also include a blank box. You fill this by drawing a counter of the matching terrain type and flipping it to reveal the number. That task is finished when that terrain type expands to the number on the counter, then you score that many points and draw another task. There must always be three tasks in play, so the first three turns always consist of adding task tiles. Otherwise, unless an existing task is finished, you must draw an ordinary landscape tile.

The only other feature of note to begin with are flags, which feature on three landscape tiles. These fit into the board like any other tile, but if you manage to close off the terrain type with the flag on it, so that none of that terrain is on the edge of the board, you’ll get points for each contiguous tile of that feature. When you run out of tiles, you add together the closed-off flags, your completed tasks and a point per hex of the longest river and railroad on your board, and that’s the final score.

At first, you’ll probably find this recreates that famous Zen-like calm of the original video game very well. It’s pleasant and undemanding, yet it’s just enough to occupy your brain and hands with the simple rules of the game to try and tot up some extra points here and there. The expanding landscape is attractive on the table. You can have a laugh and a joke as you play. It’s good fun. Your first game will almost certainly cross of a feeble single box on the campaign sheet, and you’ll wonder what you can do to score better and get down the track faster to find out what’s inside.

You won’t know it, but at this point you’re a Dorfromantik: The Board Game addict and there’s nothing you can do about it.

The genius of this game is that there’s a lot of shallow but subtle strategic decision-making beneath that placid exterior. There are indeed lots of ways to improve your score, some down to luck and some down to skill, several of which you probably realized mid-way through your first game. You’ll spot a couple more each time you progress those initial games, as none are particularly hard to grasp. But when you’ve got them down, you’ll realize that knowing what to do and putting it into practice are two very different things.

What makes it tricksy is the sheer openness of the landscape. Besides rivers and railways, you can stick any tile anywhere. Most tiles feature multiple terrain types and so can help advance more than one task. Despite the straightforward scoring conditions, the sheer array of options makes it far harder than you initially realize to work out what the best thing is to do with each tile as it comes up. It’s not difficult, as such, so the game still feels pleasantly undemanding, but you’ll often realize later there were better choices, and the way your skill grows with each attempt is even more enjoyable.

You won’t know it, but at this point you’re a Dorfromantik addict and there’s nothing you can do about it.

If you’re familiar with the video game, you’ll recognize quite how much of these mechanics mimic the gameplay elements of the original. But there’s one crucial difference. In the computer version, scoring tasks earns you extra tiles to prolong your game and increase your score. It isn’t long before the landscape you build gets out of control and your placement options alongside it. Trying to keep on top of this is a key skill. Here, though, you’re always using the same fixed pool of tiles to try and work towards bigger and bigger scores. This is, in many ways, far more manageable and satisfying.

I won’t say too much about what’s in boxes for fear of spoilers. Suffice to say that each adds another, simple rule to the game and increases your opportunities to score points. So, as you progress, additional strategic wrinkles are revealed and your high scores slowly go up and up, meaning you can meander across the paths of the campaign sheet a bit faster each time. It’s hugely gratifying to do so and feel like your mastery is increasing over time, in addition to the reward of opening new campaign elements when you reach them. If anything, Dorfromantik: The Board Game only gets more addictive the more you play.

Where to Buy

Alabama Cop Arrested, Fired for Allegedly Stealing Pokémon Cards From Walmart

A Calhoun County, Alabama corrections officer got arrested and fired for allegedly stealing Pokémon cards from Walmart while still in uniform.

As reported by Alabama’s online news outlet Advance Local, the theft occurred at a Walmart in Oxford last Saturday night. Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said the store’s loss prevention employees saw Officer Josh Hardy open multiple packs of Pokémon cards, stuff them in his pockets, and attempt to walk out of the store without paying for them. When the employees confronted Hardy, he fled the scene on foot.

The staff reported the incident to Oxford Police, and the officers searched for Hardy until they found him at a local restaurant. They charged him with theft and placed him in Oxford County Jail.

“It is with great embarrassment that we have to report this incident, and Hardy has been terminated from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office,” Wade said to the public. “He has tarnished our agency and the image of all law enforcement. As sheriff, I promised to be transparent and hold my staff accountable to standard higher than average citizens.”

As embarrassing as it, this incident speaks to the risks people have taken to get their hands on the high-demand trading cards, as well as trading cards from other franchises, in the last two years. In March 2021, a 28-year-old man got arrested for using a rope to descend from a six-story building to steal nearly $10,000 worth of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards along with some cash from a store in Tokyo’s Higashi-Ikebukuro district. A few weeks earlier, a man in Georgia misused his COVID-19 relief money to buy a rare, shiny Charizard card and got sent to prison for it. In February 2022, a thief broke through the walls of an independent gaming store in Minnesota to steal $250,000 worth of Pokémon merchandise, including sealed booster boxes of cards worth up to $100 each. And last week, a couple of thieves stole $300,000 worth of Magic: The Gathering trading cards from Gen Con.

Meanwhile, rapper Post Malone bought Magic: The Gathering’s “The One Ring” card for $2 million earlier this month. The special edition Lord of the Rings card was worth that much because it was printed in Elvish.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Star Wars Animation Department Unaffected by Lucasfilm Lay-Offs

Star Wars’ animation department is unaffected by the closing of Luacsfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) facility in Singapore where more than 300 people work.

Lucasfilm’s director of cinematography lightning and VFX Joel Aron confirmed on Twitter (below) that the studio currently working on The Bad Batch Season 3 and Tales of the Jedi Season 2 is unaffected by the closure.

As reported by Variety, the Singapore studio will close its doors “due to economic factors affecting the industry” after nearly 20 years in operation. Founded in 2004, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore’s first work was on the original Star Wars cartoon The Clone Wars.

“Just to be clear, we’re not effected by this closure,” Aron said. “[Lucasfilm Animation Limited] is not in Singapore. We’ve always been at either The Ranch or where we are now in San Francisco (or working from home!). We are still ferociously busy working with CGCG to bring you all Season 3 of The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi.”

Both shows had new seasons announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023, with The Bad Batch’s third outing confirmed to be its last. Less is known about Tales of the Jedi’s second season and whether or not it will continue the backstories of Ahsoka and Count Dooku, as creator Dave Filoni said he just wanted to make more because it was so fun the first time.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Deceit 2 Hands-On Preview: Mixing Social Deception With Eldritch Monstrosities

Our small group of survivors enters the medical room together. “I’ve never seen how the testing machine works,” I say to the others in the room, my words piped into their ears by proximity voice chat, “is it alright if I try it out?” One of the more experienced group members says, “Sure,” then another player hops onto the testing table.

I press the button to begin the test and the old-fashioned computer begins to process. When it’s finished, a giant “Infected!” warning appears on the screen, visible only to me. “It says he’s clean,” I lie, and the group begins to disperse. My Infected partner gets up from the table and each of us follows a different Innocent player from the room, ready to kill them as soon as we are out of earshot of the group.

These tense cat-and-mouse moments are what Deceit 2 is all about, and its consistent ability to create a wide variety of them through mini-games, phases, and even items, is what makes this 1st-person social deception game one I’ll be keeping my eyes on.

Set in a Lovecraft-like world, a sinister gamemaster has trapped a group of people (6-9 players) in an abandoned asylum, fitting them with strange wristbands that allow them to harvest energy through performing ritualized activities, but that’s not all they can do. Activating the wristbands before each round, the game master turns two of the victims into eldritch monstrosities (masquerading as humans) to kill the others and appease the dark gods he serves.

To win a game, Innocent players need to complete enough tasks (in each of the asylum’s many small rooms) to earn the escape key, or discover and banish both Infected players. Infected players need to isolate and kill all the Innocent players without being discovered, or use deception to turn Innocent players against each other. They can also speed the killing process up by secretly sacrificing their own blood on altars around the asylum to draw everyone into the In-Between, a dark and dangerous parallel world where their powers can fully manifest through their rampaging Terror forms. A lone Guardian player is also in the mix, using their mystical powers to rescue dying players captured by the Infected.

The task management of Among Us mixed with the intensity of Dead By Daylight.

Taking the task management and ‘who the heck is the imposter’ dynamic of Among Us and merging it with the “oh my god, it’s coming for us! RUN!” intensity of Dead By Daylight was a tantalizing prospect. Other social deception games have these elements, but Deceit 2 differentiates itself by giving players currency when they complete tasks. They can then use that currency at the central item shop, giving them access to a ton of different items that will give them a better chance to survive (or slaughter) by leaning into specific mechanics.

The Clipboard, for example, is a fantastic item for survivors. It has randomized pieces of information about each character, so players can piece things together to figure out who is likely to be Innocent, and who isn’t. The Pistol is too weak to harm the Infected in the In-Between, but if you suspect a player of being Infected, you can use its limited ammo to shoot and knock them down while they are in Reality, assuming you have another player nearby to help you banish them.

Innocent players aren’t the only ones who can buy helpful items from the shop, however. Infected players can buy the Muzzle, which can be secretly attached to other players (or yourself), keeping the muzzled player from talking for a while. Helpful as that is, it can’t stop them from writing on the chalkboard, and so the manipulation continues. The Mask also lets the user disguise themselves as any other player, which is great for framing others and manipulating things in your favor.

Like in MOBAs, each item purchased at the store let me lean into a different aspect of the game.

On an even higher level, the Bag Scanner lets you see into other people’s inventories, which is helpful if you are Innocent and see someone carrying a Muzzle or Mask. Or, if you want to sow discord, you can lie about what you see, since (like the testing machine) the results are only visible to the user. Handcuffs are also available, which keep players from doing anything except running and jumping, and you can put them on other players… or yourself. There are tons of ways to avoid being killed, help yourself rack up more kills, or even play the victim, and each adds a fun wrinkle to matches.

An important thing to note is this is just 6 of the 27 items in Deceit 2. There are also invisibility items, teleporters, CCTV tablets, grenades, traps, cameras, walkie-talkies, decoys, trackers, repair tools, blood alarms, and more. Each one I tried during my play session was fun to mess around with, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of a MOBA shop, where each purchase lets me lean into a different aspect of the game, letting me express myself with my choices. Not only that, but the team told me Deceit 2 is going to launch at an impressive $15, with more items, Terrors, locations, and even new roles set to be added to the game after launch by way of $5 expansions.

Despite a small number of bugs (including an issue with the proximity voice chat), Deceit 2 so far delivers on a standard of quality I’ve come to expect from social deception games, then adds a satisfying level of mechanical self-expression on top. Because of this, I’m excited by the prospect of each new session, which is all I can ask from Deceit 2, and it’s why I’ll be gathering my own friends and family for games when it is released.

Brian Barnett writes reviews, guides, features, & more for IGN & GameSpot. You can get your fix of his antics on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Bluesky, & Backloggd, & check out his fantastic video game talk show, The Platformers, on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.