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Deceit 2 can be best described as a social deduction horror game, sprinkled with puzzle-solving and a hefty amount of dread. The goal of the game is twofold, depending on where you land once the match starts. You’re either an unfortunate Innocent looking to survive and flee. Or you’re one of the Others, looking to deceive and whittle down the survivors until none are left standing.
The game is played by groups of 4-9 players, with two of them serving the Game Master as wolves in sheep’s clothing. The group is locked in a building filled with puzzles, interactables, and clues. It is also the home to the mysterious Peddler, an unlikely otherworldly ally. However, the thin barrier between reality and In-Between can crack at any moment, and that’s when the horrific Others can make their move. Every match is a heart-thumping experience of deceit, dread, and racing against the clock.
Deceit 2 is a sequel to Deceit, building upon the solid foundation paved by its predecessor. Everything about the sequel is grander, more complex, and more ambitious. Both games were developed and published by World Makers, a game development studio from the United Kingdom. Comprised of industry veterans, the studio’s focus lies firmly on delivering multiplayer experiences that put the focus on players and their interaction.
With the original Deceit under their belts, World Makers set out to improve on the established formula. The scope of the sequel is greater than before, with more players involved, and a higher gameplay requirement put upon the group and their dynamics. The studio’s mission to bring the players to the forefront of their games can be best seen in the fact that it’s the players themselves who are both the protagonists and the antagonists of every match of Deceit 2.
The Game Mechanics in Deceit 2 – the Barrier Between Life and Death
Hunt or be Hunted
As mentioned above, players in Deceit 2 can be distinguished between Innocents and Others. Further, some of the Innocents can be given special roles that give them extra utility. For example, a Guardian can protect one Innocent from being sacrificed if they’re caught by the Terrors. Ultimately, the Innocents have two goals – they can either deduce correctly and perform the ritual on two infected players, casting them out. Or, failing that, procure the Key from the Peddler to unlock the door to escape.
On the other hand, the two infected Others have to do everything in their power to deceive the Innocents while secretly performing their own tasks. If they can turn the Innocents on each other, all the better. Meanwhile, they look for Weak Points to bring about the merging of realities, disable the Generator to stop their progression and bide their time to turn into full-blown Terrors. The ultimate goal is to eliminate all Innocents by sacrificing them to the Game Master.
Soul of the Matter
The main way for the Innocents to get towards their goal is by releasing Souls and sending them to the Peddler. To do this, they have to solve puzzles around the map and seek out clues. Once collected, small green motes fly back to the Peddler, filling out their bar.
To find available souls, players have to use Second Sight, which shows available Souls that haven’t been released yet. However, bear in mind that Others possess Second Sight as well, and theirs is more powerful – it can also see Weak Points and other players!
Peddlin’ for a Deal
The Peddler is a benevolent if creepy being from the In-Between. They trade in Souls, offering powerful items in exchange. When players fill out the Soul Bar, the Peddler will offer another item, ready for purchase. Picking up the most useful items for the situation represents a huge power boost for Innocents and Others alike. These range from guns and cameras to motion sensors, and more exotic options like masks for disguise and invisibility amulets.
“J’accuse!”
With all said and done, the crux of Deceit 2’s gameplay lies in the social dynamics between players. During the reality phase, players can accuse someone of being infected based on a multitude of tells. This can happen to completely innocent players (pun intended) for no reason other than paranoia, and up to methodical deduction that smokes out an infected Other.
Suspicious players can punch or shoot at a suspect to disable them. This starts a Banishing Ritual in which others can vote to get rid of the accused. A majority vote prevails, and players often gather in judgment to decide their fate. However, if both of the infected players are ousted in this manner, the Innocents automatically win the game.
The Horrors of In-Between
If Others manage to breach a Weak Point, a countdown to reality merging with In-Between begins. The more Weak Points they crack, the longer this period will last. Obviously, they don’t want to get caught doing this, as this is a surefire tell that they’re up to no good.
Once the In-Between phase begins, the Others can morph into Terrors at will, gaining new horrific powers. This is the perfect time to chase down vulnerable Innocents to sacrifice – and their guns and fists are useless against the Terror’s monstrous form.
Meanwhile, the Innocents have to dodge and escape the Terrors while trying to maintain their Sanity. The Sanity meter is drained by being close to the Terror or by being seen by the Eyes, and once it gets low enough, the Terrors can see them through walls. The only way to get out of In-Between is by outlasting it, or by an Innocent getting caught and sacrificed.
Path to Progress
Outside of matches, players can develop their accounts by completing Accolades to earn Favour. This is a currency that allows them to visit the Emporium and spend it on items and mutations. These newly unlocked boons will then appear as options from the Peddler in future matches. Besides that, there are also Shillings, which is a currency used to unlock cosmetics for your characters.
Deceit 2 Story Time
To give you an idea of what a slice of Deceit 2 gameplay looks like, indulge me in retelling a story from one of my earliest matches. As many veteran gamers will deduce, Deceit 2 plays very much like a blend of Dead by Daylight (and similar asymmetricals) and Among Us. Armed with knowledge from both games, I thought it would be easy to get into the same routine.
However, there is much more to do in Deceit 2 in comparison, with systems being more complex, I realized that I was taking too long just exploring around. This ticked off some other players, and by the end of the second In-Between phase, I was accused and put in a Banishing Ritual, despite protests.
“It’s Alex. He wasn’t doing enough!”, one player said about my character. The votes mounted against me, but missed a couple to push it over. “Maybe you two are infected?”, I retorted, as this pair was at the forefront of accusing everyone from the start. Long story short, I wasn’t banished but ended up getting caught and sacrificed during the following In-Between phase.
However, here’s the funny part – the pair that I suspected weren’t the Others after all. In a silly turn of events, the two players who were infected ended up being the two players who abstained from voting me out!
How and Where Can You Play Deceit 2
If this has piqued your interest and you’d like to try your hand at discovering who’s infected in Deceit 2, then we’ve got good news for you. The game is available on a variety of platforms, including both PC and console gaming. You can play Deceit 2 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and on PC through Steam.
Speaking of PC gaming, many players may wonder if they’re able to run the game at all. A stable internet connection is mandatory for multiplayer gaming. Besides that, most rigs should be able to meet the minimum requirements to run the game at low settings:
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 (3.3Ghz) or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 (3.2Ghz)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB
- Disk space: 15 GB on SSD or HDD
However, for a better gaming experience, we recommend having a PC that can run Deceit 2 with both aesthetics and performance in mind. To that end, the recommended PC specs would be closer to:
- OS: Windows 11 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 (3.2Ghz) or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (3.6 Ghz)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or INTEL Arc A770
- Disk Space: 15 GB on M.2 SSD
We only scratched the surface, and there is much more to explore and discover in Deceit 2. But hopefully, this gave you a taste of what to expect from this fresh entry into the asymmetrical social deduction genre. You can find out more by checking out the game’s website, where a plethora of new content is being teased – including new maps, Terrors, roles, and more. And if we run into each other in the game, don’t mind me. I’m just admiring the scenery, and definitely not infected.