Deceive Inc.—a shooter built for espionage—is one of the most intuitive multiplayer games seen since the battle royale boom in 2017. It's got all the tension of a last-player-standing battle along with a copious amount of espionage that will keep fans of Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig coming back again and again. 

Developed by Sweet Bandits Studios and published by Tripwire Interactive, Deceive Inc. drops you and a handful of other players into one of several international locales. You'll need to gather intel, explore the surrounding area, and steal a high value package before someone else gets to it first. However, you've only got one life—so use it wisely. 

One of the things that makes Deceive Inc. special is that you'll actually feel like a spy while roaming exotic locations like Silver Reef and Diamond Spire. Here’s why. 
 

Blending in comes naturally

Hiding in plain sight has never been easier. You can instantly don the appearance of any Deceive Inc. NPC—including service workers, guards, scientists, and more—with the press of a button. 

You'll have to take on the behavioral traits of your disguise as well—for example, if you're dressed as a maid, you'll have to actively clean—in order to keep your cover up. If you act too strangely, you could take an early exit from the lobby. 

Taking on a whole new persona is far from the best part. You can use one of Deceive Inc.'s magical gadgets to transform into a chair, a box, or even an inflatable flamingo in order to set a trap, or perhaps escape a hairy situation. 

The enemy—whether they're computer or human-controlled—won't know what hit them after they turn the corner while chasing you and find nothing but a potted plant. Little did they know that the soil, leaves, and porcelain vase were never actually real. 
 

The toilet trap

Speaking of disguises, the plethora of options you can use to hide in plain sight give you even more options to set traps for other unsuspecting spies. One of the most heinous and effective options can be sprung in a place where everyone is at their most vulnerable: the bathroom. 

Bathrooms in Deceive Inc. are a sacred place. Each contains a few stalls where you can hide in a pinch. They also have health dispensers, which are the best way to restore your health in a few seconds. This combination means that they're first destination most spies head to as soon as a firefight ends. 

One of the most natural disguises you can take is a pristine porcelain throne. It's hard to describe the feeling that runs through your loo when another player frantically runs into your stall in an attempt to escape certain death. Little do they know that certain death is waiting for them right under their butt. They just aren't privy to it yet. 

Traps like this are common in Deceive Inc. Disguising as a box, toilet, or chair can make you as inconspicuous as a fly on the wall. All it takes is a little patience and there will be one less spy for you to worry about. 
 

A game of cat and mouse

Every agent in Deceive Inc. has different supernatural abilities, from a few seconds of invulnerability to the power to vanish into thin air at a moment's notice. There are so many ways to play. Personally, my favorite is to be a sly detective on the heels of every nefarious spy in the lobby. 

It's like a scene out of The Bourne Identity. Everyone's looking for the other infiltrators, but as the agent Cavalière, you're one step ahead. You can track enemy players through items they've touched, which means that paranoia is inevitable. You'll be able to follow their footsteps and eventually find them; they know they're being tracked, but have no idea who's tracking them. 

Sometimes you'll want to take them out immediately to thin the herd of players seeking the package, but other times you'll want to toy with them. You can follow them throughout the locale as they constantly look over their shoulder. When they've gained enough valuable intel and power-ups, you pounce and take all their ill-gotten loot.
 

There are gadgets galore

If there's one thing that everyone loves about classic spy movies, it's the gadgets. Invisible cars, sniper cameras, poison-tipped pens, and a cigarette rocket launcher are just a few things that legendary characters like James Bond have used to get the job done. Deceive Inc. is no different. 

Umbrella shields that stop bullets, goo pods that trap enemies, and a giant inflatable bounce pad that help you reach new heights are a few of the gadgets that'll help you out-infiltrate the competition. 

Whether you prefer to lay low or run-and-gun, there are gadgets that support all playstyles. You can set a trap with the tripwire and blow the enemies' cover as soon as they walk through it, or bust down the door guns blazing, or take the enemy by surprise by reaching the rafters with the bounce pad. The only wrong way to use these gadgets is to ignore them altogether. 
 

It always ends in a shootout

This is the moment the music speeds up. Every player in the lobby knows where you are as soon as you grab the package, whether it's a top secret perfume or government secrets kept in a briefcase. Your location is pinged out to everyone every few seconds as you make your way from the vault to one of three extraction points. The time to hide is over. 

No spy movie is complete without the shootout: That moment near the end where everything is unraveled as the heist becomes a race against time.

Everyone will be descending on the package, or waiting for the right time to strike. You have one major advantage in that you can see the location of everyone on the map, provided that you have enough intel (which is gathered from scanning computers around the map). It's a twist that can make the chase easier for you, but how easy can it be when two enemy agents descend on you at the same time?

It takes a huge amount of creativity in order to get the package to safety. You'll have to think quickly and pick your fights carefully. It's no easy task, but it makes reaching the extraction point and flying off feel that much better.