Identity V

Identity V is a 2018 free-to-play asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror game developed and published by Chinese company NetEase in cooperation with Behaviour Interactive. Players take the role of the Hunter or a Survivor in a one-versus-four game; the Hunter must hunt and eliminate Survivors typically through rocket chairs, while Survivors must evade the Hunter and collaborate to open the exit gates by decoding cipher machines.

It was initially released on April 2, 2018 by NetEase in China and later globally released on July 5, 2018 for iOS users and July 11, 2018 for Android clients. It is currently available on the App Store, Google Play Store, also on Windows systems.

Basic gameplay
Quick Matches and Rank Matches are two basic game modes in which five players participate. These five players are divided into two roles: one player acts as the Hunter, while the other four act as Survivors with different roles in the match.

The objective of the Hunter is to eliminate all the survivors before they can escape. To achieve this, the Hunter must chase each Survivor individually and then eliminate them by placing them on a Rocket Chair. Meanwhile, the Survivors aim to escape through two exit gates by decoding five Cipher Machines and entering the password, or through the dungeon if there is only one Survivor left with at least two cipher machines decoded.

The Hunter wins the match by eliminating at least three Survivors, while the Survivors win if a minimum of three escape from the exit gate. The Survivors can rescue their teammates from the Rocket Chairs before the elimination process ends. Survivors can be placed on the Rocket Chair twice by the Hunter, and on their third attempt, they will be eliminated from the game. If two Survivors are eliminated, and two have escaped, the match will end in a tie.

Once eliminated, Survivors have the option to spectate their teammates in-game.

Rewards vary based on the game mode and the players' performance.

There are various characters to choose from, each having their own abilities in-game. Hunters are given the ability to choose from "Secondary Skills", which are talents that may boost the Hunter during the match. There are seven Secondary Skills, each having a unique ability such as teleporting to certain landmarks or reversing cipher machines' decoding progress. Unlocking new characters requires Clues obtained through playing matches and finishing quests. Several characters from both factions may be available for free to use each day.

The same gameplay follows in Single Training, a single-player game mode that allows players from both factions to learn game mechanics and character abilities.

Ranked matches
Identity V features two different ranking systems in the form of Character Points and Tier Divisions. Both are used only in Ranked Matches, available at specific time slots during the day.

Character Points are earned by playing ranked matches while using a specific character and are used to determine one's spot on the leaderboards. Character Points are specific to each character and may slowly decrease over time. Character Points will also be reset when a new Season arrives. Badges can be earned for a specific character depending on how many points are earned.

Identity V also features eight Tiers split into subdivisions, which players can be sent up and down depending on their performance. Winning Ranked matches earns Rank Points, and losing loses Rank Points. Once a certain number of Rank Points is reached, the player can go up to the next subdivision if they gain Rank Points in their next ranked match. The tier bracket the player ends up in will determine what reward they get once the season ends. Similar to Character Points, Tier Divisions are reset when a new Season arrives.

Alongside normal Rank Matches, players can participate in Five Players ranking matches, available at specific time slots during weekends. Five Players ranking mode uses a different set of Tiers and subdivisions but otherwise retains the same rules as normal Rank Matches.

Violent Struggle
Violent Struggle is a navigation submenu that features entertainment game modes, which have their own rules and adjustments.

In Duo Hunters, two Hunters team up against eight Survivors. Survivors gain an extra hit point; this game mode features telephone booths from which characters of both factions can directly purchase items with acquired game points to further strengthen their abilities.

The Blackjack mode plays in the style of the card game Blackjack, with a different player becoming a Hunter in each round.

In Tarot, a team of three Survivors (two Squires and a King) and one Hunter (playing as their team's Knight) face off against another team of the same composition, aiming to eliminate the opposing King before their rivals do. A special version, called Crystal Ball Tarot, gives certain characters temporary buffs by activating crystal balls.

A fourth mode added in 2021, known as Chasing Shadows, features six Survivors who have to race against each other on an obstacle course. Survivors can team up into three teams of two to participate in the game mode.

A fifth mode added in August 2022, called Frenzy Rhapsody, features six Survivors split into two teams and incorporates Dodgeball elements into gameplay.

A sixth mode has been announced in August 2023, called Hide and Seek. The actual gameplay resembles prop-hunting where two Hunters must find and eliminate six Survivors disguised as objects within 5 minutes.

Persona
"Intrinsic Persona Web", also known as Persona, gives both factions the ability to have extra talents during matches. The current max points allowed to be used is 120, and points can be obtained by playing normal matches. Different personas take up a different amount of points and oftentimes allow players to explore their character's potential. Players are allowed to create a maximum of 17 different persona builds and can reset/delete personas as well.

Story Mode
The player initially assumes the role of Orpheus, an amnesiac detective who, in a case of a missing child, arrives at the Oletus Manor, the main setting of the game. The Oletus Manor is a large manor owned by a mysterious individual that holds "games" of the Hunter and the hunted. Throughout the duration of his stay, "Orpheus" collects evidence from written records, or "diaries", allowing him to visualize "games" from a participant's perspective.

On October 28, 2021, NetEase released a major expansion pack called "Time of Reunion" that further explores the storyline, particularly Orpheus's past and his involvement in the manor games.

On April 20, 2023, NetEase released Update 2.0 "Ashes of Memory", which changes the main character to Alice DeRoss, a journalist whose investigations lead her to the Oletus Manor.

Crossovers
The game has had many crossover events, typically with media franchises containing elements of the horror or murder mystery genres.

Identity V has collaborated with video game franchises Danganronpa    and Persona, the film Edward Scissorhands, and the manga/anime series The Promised Neverland,  Death Note, Junji Ito's Tomie, Mitsuji Kamata, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Case Closed.

From June to July 2022, Identity V featured a crossover event with the Chinese television series Link Click. Identity V has also collaborated with the game Project Zero II, lasting from November to December 2023.

There have been many crossovers exclusive to the game's Chinese servers, such as with Crazy Alien, McDonald's, and KFC.

Reception
Dave Aubrey of Pocket Gamer gave it a 3.5-star of 5 stars review, saying that the game is "well made, well-polished, and pretty darn fun."