Back in the early 2020s, three games dominated the mainstream: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fall Guys, and arguably the biggest of all, Among Us. The multiplayer social deduction game took over the world, with both streamers and casual gamers becoming obsessed with the act of figuring out the imposter and completing tasks. While its popularity has certainly fallen off over the last few years, there are still companies trying to recapture the magic of the original game. As for developer Innersloth itself, it has tried to turn Among Us into a franchise in its own right, with its latest effort being Among Us Story: On Guard, which I had a chance to check out recently. 

Among Us Story: On Guard is a single-player “interactive fiction” game that focuses more on mystery-solving and dialogue, while having no multiplayer elements whatsoever. You play as an Operator, testing out a new simulator program known as MIRA. The program places the Operator into an accurate simulation where he must take control of a Guard, tasked with keeping the ship safe from impostors. However, when he’s found right next to a murdered crewmate, he’s quickly blamed for the crime, and has to find the real killer and prove his innocence before he’s ejected into space. 

The premise behind On Guard is really charming. While the emphasis on a “simulation” may feel tacked on, it does a great job at justifying potential future entries in what could end up being a miniseries focused on other crewmates. Part of the charm comes from just how snappy the dialogue is. This may not be the first time the characters in Among Us have spoken, as recently a show based on the game launched on Paramount Plus, but the novelty of seeing these goofy characters talk still hasn’t worn off because of just how clear each of their traits is. 

For example, the Guard speaks like he’s in a hard-boiled detective novel, talking about truth and justice in every other sentence. The on-board Doctor has a selfie stick with him at all times, since he’s a streamer. Even the on-board AI has a personality, as its blunt yet cheery responses to the Management’s small interjections frequently managed to get a chuckle out of me. My favorite detail was the sounds that played with each line of dialogue. They make a small chirp, like it’s a Banjo-Kazooie game, which never failed to make me smile. 

The gameplay of On Guard is pretty good, too. It pulls a lot of elements from point-and-click adventure games and visual novels, where you will be talking to characters and picking from several dialogue options, while also interacting with the world around you. These moments of interaction are a great callback to some of the tasks you’d find in the actual Among Us game. For example, the Guard has to sabotage the reactor in order to get the Engineer’s attention. To do so, he has to make coffee, which requires the player to slowly drag coffee beans into a receptacle and hold a glass under it. Then, they have to scan their keycard in the reactor room to lock the door behind the Guard, so the Engineer doesn’t run away in a panic. 

The game seems to be setting up a greater focus on puzzle-solving with these tasks, which I personally appreciated. It won’t be for everyone, but as previously stated, it opts for more of a point-and-click adventure style rather than the high-stress multiplayer gameplay of Among Us itself. To be honest, my only issue with the gameplay is that there isn’t enough of it. The preview only allowed me to play 15 minutes, and I don’t really feel like I got a good grasp of what I can expect from the full release. Will I be doing these tasks for the entire runtime, or will more detective-like elements require me to use my critical thinking skills to solve the mystery? Right now, it’s hard to say. However, based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m at least looking forward to what else is in store for Among Us Story: On Guard. 

Among Us Story: On Guard is available to wishlist now on PC via Steam.