Stylish spy game Deceive Inc. learned a different lesson from Dark Souls

polygon.com:

I am an unparalleled gentleman thief, strolling around a seaside resort. My enemies don’t realize that I’ve stolen the identity of an unassuming civilian, and I blend in with the tourists. I see a guard who has abandoned his duties and is hovering suspiciously off to the side. I sneak past him, pilfer a purple keycard from his pocket, and flee. I’ll use this to grab the prize and prove myself the best spy of all.

I’m playing Deceive Inc., a multiplayer game with elements of social sabotage, combat, and silly antics. The spy business is now a monopoly, owned by the titular Deceive Inc., and the company likes to cover its bases. Much like when there are two Starbucks within a block of each other, Deceive Inc. prefers to send several spies after the same package. Only one can be successful, but that’s capitalism, baby.

Deceive Inc. is a spy-versus-spy thriller, putting players in charge of highly trained agents with gadgets and guns. If you’ve played Overwatch or Apex Legends you’ll be familiar with the archetypal cast. At times, gameplay is similar to a battle royale, with squads of players converging on an extraction point firefight. Players can either queue solo, or in three-person squads.

“This spy agency recruits agents from every walk of life — they’re the best of the best in their field,” said Philippe Pelletier Baribault, co-founder of Deceive Inc. developer Sweet Bandits Studio, in an interview after a press gameplay preview. Baribault said one focus of the game is having a varied cast full of clearly readable, distinct characters. This includes a detective, ex-spy, professional thief, and Kingsman-style English agent. “We definitely went off the ’70s vibe, when spy movies weren’t taking themselves too seriously,