Eville is an upcoming social deduction game developed by VestGames and published by Versus Evil. In the vein as similar games such as Among Us, lobbies of up to 12 players must work together to complete quests while at the same time deducing who the conspirators are. Up to 3 conspirators can be in a game at the same time and must eliminate the villagers with a variety of means, be they good old-fashioned stabbing or more clever means. Despite still being in Early Access, Eville shows a lot of promise and sets itself apart from what amounts to the elephant in the room through not only its setting, but the new mechanics that it brings to the table.
There is a Conspirator Among Us
Eville, on a base level, is very similar to any other social deduction game. Villagers go about their business, trying to complete as many quests as possible, all while trying to not be killed by the conspirators. However, a few new mechanics makes the villager-conspirator dynamic more interesting. The first and most apparent when loading up a game are the different roles available to the players. Villagers get roles such as Guard or Detective and the Conspirators get roles that help boost their ability to hunt down or murder the villagers. The roles also give players a way to sus out potential conspirators or try and convince their friends that “I swear I’m the Trapper, you gotta believe me.” The roles are all unique enough that I would recommend trying to be every role. Another new feature are the player homes. Every player has a house in the village and during the daytime, players are able to walk in and out of each other’s homes at will. Why did I specify during the day? Well, that’s another area where Eville puts its spin on the social deduction genre.
The day and night cycle adds a new dynamic to the strategy behind discovering conspirators and murdering villagers. At night, villagers are forced to stay asleep in their homes and conspirators have free reign to run around the village, going into anyone’s house. Some villagers can try to counter this, notably the Detective, but until the villagers complete a certain number of quests, they will be forced to stay in bed until morning or a conspirator’s knife finds its mark. The only small criticism I have of this day/night cycle was how short the night cycle was during our early play session, but there should be lobby settings that can change that.
Not An Imposter
Eville, at first, seems like it’s trying to jump on a trend with what sounds like a carbon copy of a more popular game. However, after playing it for a few hours, it is clear that Eville is not just an Among Us clone, but instead takes the formula and puts its own spin on it. The additions of a day/night cycle, the different player roles, and even more subtle changes like the switch in perspective to 3rd person, give Eville its own unique identity. Even dying in Eville has its own unique spin, as the ghosts of deceased players have more to do than just float around and just finish up their tasks. This is no Among Us clone; Eville does more than enough to set itself apart and create a new experience for players.
You can wishlist Eville for PC via Steam Early Access and play the demo right now.
My name is Matt Tran and I have been playing video games since I could remember holding a controller. I've always been a hardcore gamer growing up, from the hectic MW2 and Halo 3 lobbies, my many journeys through several Halo clans and my current exploits with my Destiny 2 clan. I love shooters and RPGs and overanalyzing every component of every game I've played, from weapon stats to ideal perks. When I have time to play other games, I currently play Genshin Impact and Star Wars Squadrons.
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