A good game gets your heart going, and Identity V does just that in more ways than one. This survival-horror game from NetEase Games, the company that sent ripples through the mobile gaming community with Rules of Survival, is one you won’t be able to put down.
Combining elements of puzzle, survival, PvP, co-op, and horror games, Identity V has all the makings of a highly addictive game, and rightly so. It features asymmetrical gameplay, meaning players have differents roles and capabilities in-game, and eye-catching graphics to boot. The graphics treatment is reminiscent of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy updated with current horror aesthetics. The use of rag dolls as characters and a Victorian-era style setting also ups the game’s creep factor.
The game begins with a playable narrative. You start as detective Orpheus. After receiving a mysterious letter, Orpheus begins investigating mysteries surrounding the abandoned Oletus manor. Once inside, control of the character is turned over to the player. You are then tasked to find clues. After accomplishing the opening objectives, the game goes back to story mode as Orpheus assumes the role of a Survivor. In this part, the player will be introduced to the rules of the game, through a sort of trial run. The player joins three other Survivors in exploring the map to find and decode cipher machines that are key to opening the exits. No need to worry, you wouldn’t exactly do any deciphering; just stay close to a machine for the command trigger to pop, tap, and wait for the task to finish. It isn’t just a simple puzzle game, however. As players find their way throughout the map, they have to look out for and evade Hunters. These disfigured, monstrous characters will prevent Survivors from escaping the manor.
Identity V has a 1vs4 game format. This means you can either play as a sole Hunter or be one of the four Survivors. You can continue playing the main story, but you can also jump into online battles for matches with other players.
Currently, there are seven playable Hunters: Leo Beck, Joker, Jack, Bane, Violetta, Michiko, and Hastur. If you want to feel the thrill of being hunted, you can play any of the 15 available Survivors: Emma, Freddy, Emily, Kreacher, Servais, Kurt, Naib, Martha, Tracy, William, Helena, Lucky Guy, Fiona, Vera, and Kevin. Each of these characters will be available to play as you move forward in the game. The characters are also given with interesting backstories, making them more than just playable figures in game. With personalities and relatable attributes, it’s not hard to get invested and pick favorites.
To make each match more challenging for either parties, as players level up, they’ll be able to unlock traits. These traits are categorized into three: active traits are gained as you move up the ranks; passive traits or talents can be obtained through talent points. External traits for Survivors, or ability for Hunters either boost powers or give handicaps. Traits for Survivors take the form of healing abilities, speedier deciphering, heightened senses, faster movement, among others, all of which can make escaping less troublesome. For Hunters, boosts are basically the same with those of Survivors, but theirs are meant to help them hunt better and eliminate Survivors faster.
Identity V was released just this year but has already amassed a huge player base. Its thrilling gameplay and the chance to meet new people make it a game worth coming back to. Plus, since it is fairly new, players could expect more exciting updates in the future.
Developer and Publisher: NetEase Games
Platform: iOS and Android
Words by Mia Carisse Barrientos
Art by Jael Mendoza
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE October 2018