Among Us has received a huge new update that features new character roles, a progression system, and a new store. The Role & Cosmicube update adds four new crewmates: Scientist, Engineer, Guardian Angel, and the Imposter role of Shapeshifter.
Scientists can access vitals at any time and complete tasks to recharge their battery, while Engineers can use vents, and Guardian Angels can put a protective shield around other crewmates. The Shapeshifter lets the Imposter take on the appearance of another crewmate, which sounds like an amazing way to get innocents chucked out of the airlock.
The shop update is a whole new system of cosmetics and in-game currencies. Innersloth has sweetened the pill by adding free and paid customisation options, including visor cosmetics, name plates, plus more pets, hats and skins.
The Cosmicube part of the update title refers to "special cosmetic cubes that have themed items you unlock via a branching path. These items tend to be more special or detailed." Newly added stars are the game's premium currency, while there are also 'beans' and 'pods' earned as you level up, the latter of which are how you unlock the cosmicubes. The addition of XP, levels and currencies also introduces the need for a single Among Us account that lets you save progress and use cosmetics on different platforms. The exception to this is stars purchased on Switch, though beans and pods can be shared across "most systems".
Innersloth's announcement reads as a little bit defensive about the monetisation, possibly anticipating a backlash of some kind. I don't see how folk can moan about a £5 game (free on mobile) selling cosmetic items but, hey, that's life.
It's good to see Innersloth branching out a little more into the idea of roles, and these new characters seem well-judged to offer players more options without really affecting the simplicity that's key to the game's appeal. I'm not sure I care about collecting beans and stuff but I'm a grumpy old man. You can read the full notes on the update here.
