Bandai Namco has released a number anime games this year, and the latest one is Death Note Killer Within, an unexpected title given that it has been nearly two decades since the anime series aired. What’s more, the game isn’t a single-player story-driven experience. Instead, this is an online online multiplayer title that features a team-based twist on the Werewolf/Mafia formula.
Yes, this means Killer Within is kind of like if the Death Note characters are playing Among Us. Of course, that’s not to say this is simply an Among Us clone with a Death Note skin as the game does introduce some twits to the well-known online social deduction formula.
To start, players don’t take on the role of the actual Kira and L. Instead, the premise here is that Killer Within is a board game played by Kira and L, though players take on the role of the game’s moving pieces.
Killer Within is a Twist on the Werewolf Formula
Each Killer Within match sees four to ten players get divided into two groups: Kira’s Followers and Investigators. As you may have guessed, Kira’s Followers are the “Werewolves” or the “Impostors” as their goal is to kill “L” by figuring out the real names of the investigators. The followers can also win if they wreak enough havoc using their Command Cards and filling up their “New World” bar.
Among the Followers, one player is tasked to become Kira. The Kira of each match holds the Death Note and is the only one able to judge (and kill) Investigators. If the Kira of the match draws heat from Investigators though, the Death Note can be transferred to another player, making them the new Kira.
I mentioned that figuring out the real names of Investigators is needed, and to do so, Followers should get close to an Investigator until the ID bar fills up. Once done, they will have gained the Investigator’s real name which they can then pass on to Kira for judgment.
Doing so normally will alert the Investigator that their name has been compromised, so Followers are advised to only do so when they’ve activated a Command Card. What these Command Cards do is that they cause tasks to appear that Investigators must accomplish within a certain time frame. If they fail, the Followers’ “New World” bar fills up. Once this bar gets filled to 100%, that will count as an automatic win for Kira’s Followers.
Now, for the side of the Investigators, their goal during the Action Phase is to do tasks, as Crewmates would in Among Us. They’ll also need to be vigilant with players who don’t seem to be doing any tasks, as well as others who are trying to peek into their IDs.
Among these Investigators is one player designated as “L.” This player has the ability to do special actions that can help in figuring out where Kira is. L can also command players to set up surveillance cameras and lead discussions during the Meeting Phase.
After a set amount of time, the Action Phase ends and the Meeting Phase begins. During this time, players can deliberate which of the players seem suspect in their actions. After a round of voting, a player can become the prime suspect, after which they will be searched and their real name will be shown. If this player has the Death Note, this becomes an immediate win for the Investigators.
Another win condition for the Investigators is if they accomplish enough tasks to fill up their “Investigation Progress” bar. This means Kira’s Followers have some onus to act instead of playing too defensively.
Adding all of these elements together, it’s fair to say that Death Note Killer Within has promise, though some key issues popped up during our playtime.
I have to admit, our recent hands-on with the game with other SEA gaming media wasn’t optimal as our runs only had four players (the minimum amount). With only four players, the odds are very much in favor of Kira’s Followers, meaning we don’t recommend playing this with the minimum player count.
As such, this game will likely be better with the full ten players, but even then, we think that Kira’s Followers may have too big of an edge, especially considering that a lot of the responsibility falls upon “L” to coordinate. As Kira’s Followers already know each other at the start, coordination is much easier.
There’s also the matter of the art style. While the board game look makes for an interesting style, it makes the game feel less connected to the anime/manga series. What’s more, we would’ve liked to see a sleeker aesthetic like other board game-style titles (think Hitman Go) as the character designs here can look a bit goofy.
Good Thing Death Note Killer Within is a PlayStation Plus Free Game
While the twists to the Werewolf formula do make this a promising game, some things might get in the way of this game. For starters, the online social deduction genre isn’t exactly at its peak at this point, especially given that Among Us’ heyday was in 2020 and 2021. There are still players looking for these games, but it’s going to be a hard sell for many players to try this instead of simply playing Among Us.
There’s also the fact that Death Note is another property that’s not at its peak of popularity. While the series is still beloved among anime fans, many newer anime viewers may not have seen it. As the Death Note IP is a key part of Killer Within’s concept, that might limit its appeal to other players.
On the bright side, Killer Within is part of the PlayStation Plus free games lineup for November 2024. If it was released as a standalone game, that may have been a tough sell, but the fact that it’s a PS Plus free title is great news as more players should try it out.
As a bonus, the game is confirmed to have crossplay support for PC, meaning players on all platforms will be able to play with each other. Again, this is excellent news for the game, especially considering that it’s a much better experience with more players.
Death Note Killer Withing Initial Impressions
Death Note Killer Within may not bring a truly new experience given that online social deduction is a crowded genre, but it does offer some interesting twists to the formula that make it promising, especially for fans of the original anime/manga.
There are things we would’ve liked to be better (like the visual design), plus the balance between the teams may be an issue for some. But overall, Killer Within should be worth trying, especially as it’s a free PS Plus game.
Death Note Killer Within releases on PS5, PS4, and PC on November 5, 2024.