Among Us, once regarded as a simplistic take on the Mafia and Werewolf party games, is finally expanding on the basic Crewmates vs. Impostors format.
In an update released today, Among Us players will be able to take on the role of Scientist, Engineer, Shapeshifter, or Guardian Angel, all of which come with their own unique sets of skills.
Scientist, for instance, is a Crewmate capable of checking on everyone else’s vitals, letting them know if anyone has died without having to physically discover the body. It’s unclear if this means they can also call emergency meetings remotely. Another new Crewmate role, the Engineer, can access vents, an ability previously restricted to Impostors.
On the flip side, Shapeshifters are Impostors that can, well, shapeshift to disguise themselves as Crewmates. Even dead players are getting something new to do in the form of the Guardian Angel, who can bestow Crewmates with a shield that protects them from a single death, allowing them to escape and (hopefully) live to tell the tale the next time the group decides on someone to shoot out of the airlock.
As with all things in Among Us, these new roles can be further customized in the settings to alter abilities, probabilities, and even remove them from the game altogether if you don’t like them.
Among Us players should also be able to play as a Sheriff at some point in the future, but no info was provided on that role today.
Today’s update also adds achievements and cosmetic microtransactions to Among Us, the latter of which are purchasable with in-game currency earned during normal gameplay as well as real money.
“All cosmetics are purely visual and do not have any effect on gameplay or gameplay options,” Innersloth community manager Victoria Tran explained on the Among Us website. “You might have noticed that the game is free on mobile with no ads (we’re working on getting the ads to be a better, safer experience), and you know the PC and Switch version is $4.99. To keep the game going, servers running, and give everyone more free cosmetic options, we’re excited for the update! And then if anyone feels like supporting us, the paid cosmetic option is there too.”