Killer Inn is Fortnite meets Among Us, and it’s dropping a free PC beta

Summer Game Fest is well underway, and Square Enix has just debuted an exciting new IP.

I’ll admit, if you had me theorise what a new Square Enix IP might look like, Killer Inn isn’t something I’d have come up with but oh my, it actually looks hilariously fun.

Developed by Tactic Studios, Killer Inn is part battle royale, part whodunnit. It’s an action murder mystery set within a castle which I’m assuming is the titular Killer Inn.

Players (there’ll be 24 in each match) are sorted into two categories; they’re either a wolf or a lamb.

If you’re a wolf, you guessed it, you’re a murderer. There’ll be eight players on the wolves side, and 16 on the side of the lambs.

It’s up to you to misdirect the lambs and attempt to take them out.

If you’re a lamb, your job is to weed out the wolves.

Every time somebody is murdered, evidence is dropped but here’s the catch, you can’t just accuse anyone like you can in, say, Among Us.

It’s forbidden for lambs to eliminate other lambs. Do so and you yourself will be turned to stone and eliminated from the game.

Luckily, the evidence dropped at a murder scene is pretty helpful. It should indicate the hair or clothing colour, for example, of the person who committed the murder, allowing you to narrow things down.

Killer Inn is not purely about social deduction. If the wolves are after you, you’ll likely find yourself in a few firefights.

Plus if you’re a lamb who’s identified a wolf, it’s your job to take them out whether that be with a knife, gun, grenade, dart, axe, or club.

Think of it as Among Us mixed with Traitors and a dashing of Fortnite.

Credit / Square Enix

How do players get involved in this life or death game? They’re invited by the shadowy head of an elusive organisation known as Astra.

And I should stress that this is, in theory, a team game. You want either the wolves or lambs to win, depending on which you’re sorted into.

Players will be able to gather and purchase various weapons, armours, potions, and other aid items to help them in their quest - whether that quest is to stay alive or fend off predators.

And for lambs, Killer Inn isn’t simply about getting to the bottom of the mystery. So too do you have the option to try and escape the castle.

Some items are only accessible via the exchange of tokens, something you acquire via completing quests and devs recommend you spend the early section of the match doing just that, levelling up.

Oh and if this has left you quaking in your boots, the castle is fitted with safe zones; areas in view of staff members. There are consequences to killing in a safe zone so there is some respite to be had.

Credit / Square Enix

There are over 20 different characters to choose from in Killer Inn, and it sounds like each character has its own quirks and weapons, so there’s plenty of variety to be found here.

Honestly, I can’t wait to check this out. I think it’s going to be heaps of fun with friends - especially as there’s 3D spatial audio chat.

In fact, you can check Killer Inn out very soon as a free closed beta will be going live on Steam.

Square Enix hasn’t specified just when “soon” is, but you can register your interest … somewhere, according to the just-dropped trailer.

There’s no word on whether Killer Inn will come to consoles but I’m crossing my fingers that it does.