There’s something strange going on in my village. People are sitting around the fire, lying to each other in order to unmask the wolves among us. To make things even more strange, everybody changes when the night falls, I even woke up as a wolf, trying to kill the villagers without being spotted by those with special powers. It’s hard to convince the others I’m innocent when I’m not but it’s a risk I simply have to take in order to survive. Who will be eaten tonight?
The traditional game with a twist
Werewolves Within is Ubisoft’ digital version of the famous social game called Werewolf. It’s been around for ages and people still enjoy playing this social game. At its core, it’s a game that is played in a group where two are werewolves and all other players are villagers. As villager, you’ll need to point out the wolf, if one gets most votes against him/her, he or she will be killed. The wolves need to lie their way out of accusations and need to convince the other players to kill an innocent villager. It’s a game where the players need to lie in order to make it to the next round. It’s a very popular game but Ubisoft managed to improve the formula even more by adding additional roles.
The perfect social game
Turncloaks, Saints, Gossips, Astrologers, Deviants, Houndsmen, Trackers, and Watchers are the new roles and the result in a much harder game, since everybody is constantly forced to lie. Pointing out the right one in a group filled with powerful villagers isn’t an easy task but it’s a lot of fun without a doubt!
A Turncloak is my favorite new role since this character knows who the werewolves are and needs them to win in order to score points. This means that you’ll need to point out other, innocent, players and hope they’ll get most votes against them. The tricky part, however, is that the wolves don’t know your role and they might point you out as wolf since you’re fiercely trying to kill others in your group. A very interesting role indeed!
As an Astrologer you can look at the sky to reveal one role of the player. A Houndsmen can also reveal a role if the other player gives permission first. If you refuse to show your role, you’ll get suspected of being a wolf the next round. Trackers can hear on which side the werewolves are located but can’t see them. A Watcher can watch one other player to see its role. The Gossips receive two hints at the start of the game, one is true, the other is false. Deviants need to be killed in order to win and werewolves will always win if they can kill the Saint of the group.
All these new roles add to the complexity of the game and result in a very thrilling game to play. All roles are assigned randomly at the start of each level so chances are low you’ll be playing the same role over and over again.
Meeting new friends
Werewolves Within is an online only game and we all understand the danger that something like that brings. A lot of other online game are filled with silent players and little kids calling out your mother. It’s the thing I feared most in Werewolves Within but somehow it seems like the more mature gamers are playing this VR title. Maybe it has something to do with the price of VR technology but I was surprised with the kindness of the other players. During my first match, I was welcomed by the others and before I knew it, I was spending a lot of my time around the virtual campfire. Before I knew it, strangers were becoming friends. Of course, the language might be an issue for some but if you’re English is good, you’ll have a blast with this game for sure!
Talking is a huge part of this game since you’ll need to talk your way out of suspicion a lot, if you’re not that much of a talker, you won’t enjoy the game at all. That being said, this game brings together the different VR users in one game. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing this on the HTC Vive, PS VR or Oculus Rift, this is a cross-platform title so you’ll be playing against each other without any problems.
Small issues
Werewolves Within is a great example of how VR games should work and what kind of feeling they need to tranfer over to the player. It does suffer from some small bugs that need to be fixed. The biggest issue is the one where a new player can’t talk and is booted from the game, forcing the group to wait for another player. Besides that, joining a group can take a while, since the group needs to finish their session first. While the others are playing, you can spectate and get to know the other players before you enter the next round. It’s a great solution but the waiting time is simply too long for some sessions.
That being said, graphically, the game looks amazing. The character and their avatars all look fine and their mouths are moving at the right time so you’ll always see which character is talking. Impressive technology for sure!
Conclusion:
Werewolves Within is another great VR surprise created by Ubisoft. It’s perhaps the best social VR game on the market since you’ll really need to talk to the other players in order to win. If you don’t like the classic game, you won’t like this virtual variant but it’s worth giving the shot if you’re looking for something new and different. It’s a perfect example of how VR games should work and I’m sure a lot of you will have hours of fun with this great product!
