It’s fair to say that Square Enix haven’t had the most success in the world of online live service gaming, falling short with both the Splatoon-like Foamstars and their Platinum-developed RPG Babylon’s Fall. Regardless of intent, neither were able to be the white whale the company was searching for, which would make it easy to question whether the company should be investing in another such title so soon. Nevertheless, KILLER INN was announced by the company a few months ago at Summer Games Fest, and may be the unique title in a crowded space they need to find success.
In short, Square Enix have produced a game tailored to the streaming habits of Japanese influencers, while ensuring the game can court mass appeal. This murder-mystery action title blends the social deduction and strategy of a title like Among Us with a third-person looting action title. With up to 24 players in a single lobby, the teams are split evenly between lambs and wolves, each with the task of killing or surviving in this murderous mansion. Only when the game begins will players learn their fate, dictating their strategy for the rest of the match.
If you’re a wolf, you’re a murderer and must hunt the lambs. Players of either side can find weapons scattered around the map and use upgrade tables to level up their weapons. Lambs must survive. Victory from the wolves comes from murdering the lambs, while lambs can either survive, murder other wolves, or escape from a boat on the harbor at the end of the game by completing select tasks. Think along the lines of a title like Dead by Daylight, where the survivors are seeking a way to escape from the clutches of the killer by completing tasks within an enclosed map to open the gates and escape, and you have the idea of how this escape aspect of the game works.
The game encourages cooperation in its core design, a key part of its appeal. The murder mystery aspect allows you to search corpses for clues, each revealing a trait associated with a potential guilty wolf. It allows you to differentiate friend from foe. Which is useful, since, though you may be a lamb, you are far from defenseless. You can fight back and kill wolves, something that may become necessary if under attack or trying to escape. If you’re in the presence of staff in the haunted mansion map for the game who each present tasks that give you the currency and tools to upgrade weapons, you can’t die, but otherwise everywhere is vulnerable. Proximity voice chat allows you to corroborate clues with teammates or play the role of a duplicitous snake to trick others into trusting you, a factor that feels most like it’s inspirations and a mechanic that did actually factor into my demo.
KILLER INN has potential. Even in just the single match, the interplaying, layered systems allow this to be a step up in complexity without being overwhelming, and while none of its individual mechanics are unique they come together to form something unlike anything else currently available within the space. I found myself searching for bodies and clues, I felt the heart race while I was near or hunting down others, there was never a dull moment. It felt fresh, too; if you’re going to find success, being a singular and unique experience certainly helps.
The other reason it has potential, is in how the game leans into the online video ecosystem around the most popular streamers and online games without being a direct replica. While there is significant overlap, the appeal of select titles and the dynamics of Japanese gaming live streaming is distinct from its English-language counterparts. In that, KILLER INN feels designed to tailor itself to the routines and atmosphere of the streaming landscape in Japan, without feeling cynically and inauthentically workshopped solely to extract money from it.
If the gaming market in terms of pure sales is dominated by the likes of Nintendo and titles like Minecraft dominate the YouTube rankings, live streaming is nearly-entirely dominated by high-level players of competitive shooters signed to major streaming teams. A distinct departure from the more independent streaming landscape globally (excluding eSports), streaming teams are dominant enough to become a talent agency in and of themselves, with acts participating in variety activities at physical and online events. This includes teams like Crazy Raccoon, a group so big in the current market to host a sold-out show at Tokyo Dome and have their own permanent retail location in Shibuya.
Social games are a core part of the streaming ecosystem for these players, and beyond competitive titles, games that allow space for collaborations with other streamers tinged with the potential for clipable highlights of a betrayal and murder by a friend are a major appeal. Dead by Daylight counts Japan as one of its biggest markets large enough to host fan events, exclusive merchandise and pop-up cafes entirely down to the word-of-mouth and longevity offered to these titles by their popularity with major streamers.
Between its aesthetics and gameplay, KILLER INN feels like an attempt to appeal to this demographic in a way these other titles failed, whether due to their complexity or simply because their potential audience were already served with games already on the market. Indeed, Square Enix even invited numerous of these influencers to try the game and speak about it during the show.
Can it achieve that goal? While it certainly has the potential, that’s something I’m less certain on. The game is a collaborative effort with Tokyo Broadcasting Systems, a partnership that comes through in the TV murder mystery-esque vibe more reminiscent of an over-the-top Japanese variety show, especially with its hugely-varied quirky cast members and costumes. The promise of customizing these characters and the gameplay loop has appeal and is entertaining.
Releasing a new live service title into the world is more challenging than ever, however - the market is established, meaning simply designing a good game isn’t enough. You have to entice new players to commit to an endless online game with large investment on costumes and customization, or you need to convince stalwarts of the genre to make the jump. While it’s fun, in this early stage with just one map I’m wondering where the long-term depth of the game lies, as the varied upgrades and abilities possible to unlock during a level don’t appear to bring the dynamic differences to each match necessary to keep people engaged.
I also wonder whether Square Enix, inexperienced in the space, knows how to capture the attention of these fans. After the game’s reveal at Summer Games Fest discussion was quiet, and even with a closed beta test upcoming the company has struggled to excite audiences enough to try it even in this free, pre-release stage. When word of mouth is crucial, that’s worrying.
I hope it can find an audience, though. KILLER INN is a lot of fun even in this early stage, in need more of refinement than reinvention to feel in a state ready to dazzle a large audience, and I’m quite a fan of its quirky characters and aesthetic. Is that audience listening, though?
