Think Dead by Deadlight meets Fall Guys and you have Sneak Out - a free to play six player, asymmetrical party horror game about not getting caught. Grab five friends and there's a world of 'oh God they're right behind me' fun, as you uncover all the secrets and things you can do in a haunted castle built for penguins and hunting monsters to play hide and seek in.
This is hide and seek with a crazy supernatural twist though, as five players run, fight and use a range of abilities to evade a hunter, picked at random, trying to stop them reaching an escape portal. As a hider you have a range of abilities to make sure you're one step ahead of both the hunter and the other's trying to escape as you sneak around. Obviously in a game like this being able to get as far away from your pursuer as possible is important, so you can use things like a slide for a quick lunge to freedom, or a spooky broom for a speed boost getaway.
Escape isn't always possible, though, which means you might have to use powers like a prop hunt ability that lets you hide in plain sight, transforming you into anything from random objects to furniture. And, if all else fails, things like Bear Traps and Banana Peels let you slow the hunter, or let them catch someone else. Hey, better them than you, right? But, if you do get caught, there's literally life after death because as a ghost you can use ectoplasm to slow down hunters. Or possess things like suits of armor, chairs and so on to fight back. And, if a friend finds where you died, they can dig up your grave to put you back in the game.
In among all this chaos, hiders need to complete activities and waylay the hunter long enough for the escape portal to open before they can fully get away. And, as you play, you'll be able to explore the castle, customise your skills, unlock looks and more.
Hunt or be hunted
Whatever tricks the hiders can pull however the hunters have an equally varied grab bag of powers to help evil win, via a range of playable options. For example, the Reaper can blink teleport to close the gap on fleeing victims. Dracula, on the other hand, can turn into a bat to chase down his next meal. Then there's the Scarecrow, who can plant pumpkin bombs and use a crow to scout ahead for prey, or Butch, who can hook hiders from a distance and release a gas cloud that makes hiding people cough, giving themselves away. And, finally, it is all fun and games with the Clown who can use a hammer shockway to reverse controller inputs for anyone nearby, or use paint spraying balloons to mark and expose anyone trying to keep a low profile.
And, when you're not hiding for your life or trying to find your next victim, you can visit the village hub where you can buy and unlock anything from new cosmetics like space helmets, alligator heads and leather jackets, to character boosters to help you escape, or new hunters to help you catch your prey. You can also take a break here from the high pressure life of hide and seek with a garden where you can collect resources from fields, beehives, fishing pier and chickens, to create things for your character. Or you can just play some minigames like football and dancing.
But, while the village is fun to wind down in and catch your breath, this is all about weaponised hide and seek. So whether you're a hider or a hunter, count to ten and don't forget to check out Sneak Out on Steam and wishlist it ahead of its June 6th release date.
