“Identity V”, a game that features an intricate, gothic style of graphics, thought-provoking storylines and the infamous 4v1 gameplay, are the reasons this game is on the way to newfound success. Created on April 2, 2018 by NetEase, the purpose of this game is to either have four or three survivors escape the clutches of one hunter. There’s a wide selection of characters and hunters to choose from, all having their own unique skills and abilities. At the start of the game, you are given a total of five default survivors and one default hunter. When playing matches, wins equate to in-game currency which you can spend on characters, pets, and costumes. 

Senior Michael Miramontes said, “The gameplay is very exhilarating; it keeps you on your toes. I also fell in love with the community which could at times be nice and relatable.” 

Unlike most survival games, “Identity V” introduces character diaries, which are unlocked through quests. These diaries hold insight as to what happened to a character and why they are trapped in the dark manor. After completing these diaries a costume is often given as a prize. Costumes, also known as skins, are usually divided into S through C tiers. C tier would be the lowest rank of skins and S being the highest since it is more unlikely to obtain them. Skins give the game another factor that is worth grinding (or more formally known as repeating tasks) for the sake of obtaining aesthetically pleasing costumes. This attracts many of the players who compete in order to get higher ranking skins.

An example of a character diary would be The Gardener, which is the game’s mascot and is a particularly popular character. Her backstory revolves around her being orphaned at a very young age and being sent to an asylum because she experienced seeing her father burning himself to death. As a result, she has several mental issues in which she becomes obsessed with certain objects. These tragic backstories are prevalent in “Identity V”’s characters and the hunters as well.

There have been a wide variety of crossover events which basically means that characters from other series are implemented into the character selection as costumes/skins. An example of past seasons’ crossover events have included costumes from the popular movie “Edward Scissorhands,”  the popular game “Danganronpa,”  and another popular game named “Persona.” Though these events tend to last a month at most, in order to acquire them you have to either spend inspiration, a part of the game’s currency which are obtained through weekly activity, or get the essences through the logic path. Crossover essences are where skins, accessories, emotes, and graffiti are gifted in regards to the show, or series they’re working with. Last year in early December they collaborated with a popular game called “Danganronpa” which is a murder mystery game. This garnered a lot of attention from fans of “Danganronpa” and as a result, the popularity of “Identity V” skyrocketed. 

Senior Andrea Herrera said, “I like the concepts that the game had in 2018; it was a stark contrast to the current atmosphere and gameplay. It was a lot darker and now it’s more subtle. Instead of surface level jump scares it explored what it could do story wise, even though it’s still being worked on and expanded.”

This spring “Identity V” producers have stated that there is a “Promised Neverland” crossover event to come in the spring; this means that characters from this series will be implemented as skins for characters. Usually, there are multiple challenges that accompany these crossover events which result in the game’s three different types of currency, which consist of clues, fragments, and spy glasses. Each type of currency is allowed for different things. For example, clues are used for buying characters, fragments are for buying skins or pets, and spy glasses can be used for either. With the introduction of the “Promised Neverland” crossover it’s no doubt that fans of this show will cross over to enjoy the new costumes and accessories available.

Like all games, however, there are improvements that can be made. After certain seasons “Identity V” will sometimes go through maintenance which usually takes about two hours; until then the game is unplayable. 

Herrera said, “Some characters need balancing; the developers tend to nerf the wrong characters that are already balanced, as well as server waiting times. 

Through these maintenance workshops, however, the game usually gives out rewards and introduces new items. A recurring problem with the IDV community is that when you are playing ranked or quick matches, waiting times can be lengthy. Some have stated that it took them about 20 minutes to be matched and this could be linked to the imbalance in characters. If the developers decided to make the skills of survivors and hunters more compatible, players would be more attracted to the mechanics of the game because neither is too powerful or too weak. Despite the few technicalities, survivors and hunters can still outmaneuver each other depending on whose strategy is better, making “Identity V” a great option for those who enjoy in-depth characters, storylines, and thinking games.