Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Who Lurks’

Review Fix chats with Fakhra AlMansouri (Game Director & CEO, Hybrid Humans), who discusses the fun local-multiplayer infused deception game, “Who Lurks.” Perfect for parties with friends, the sci-fi story will immediately make fans of “Star Trek” and “Battlestar Galactica” fall for it.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for Who Lurks?

Fakhra AlMansouri: The idea for the game came about from the Global Game Jam 2015 theme, which was “What Do We Do Now?” Creating a game with a traitor mechanism fit the theme well.

Review Fix: What do you think makes this game special?

AlMansouri: It brings the classic deception board game experience to mobile, which makes Who Lurks quite unique to the mobile market. Players come together for an exciting local multiplayer game, where they can bluff their way through or collaborate.

Review Fix: What was the development process like?

AlMansouri: It was a bumpy ride. We jumped into this right after we finished our first major project, Hop Hop Away. We wanted to do something short and sweet, and we believed that the idea behind Who Lurks had awesome potential. We had a playable prototype of the game done in 3 weeks. After several playtesting sessions, we realized that the project would take more time than we had anticipated. Since the game concept and implementation are quite unique, we had to experiment with different approaches. This is always the fun part of game development: to figure out creative and fun solutions.

We had three major milestones for this game. One of the biggest was the decision to include a single-player mode. We got some feedback — that being for the mobile market, we had to cater to the single-player experience. It’s been a lot of fun to see people play it. We even went to our local board game shops to get authentic feedback!

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?

AlMansouri: We designed Who Lurks for players that enjoy and miss local multiplayer, and also for fans of board game — specifically deception-based titles. Players who are into sci-fi (especially the Battlestar Galactica universe) will appreciate the concept of uncovering the Alien hiding among the crew.

Review Fix: What are your goals for it?

AlMansouri: We want Who Lurks to be throughly enjoyed by gamers. We also hope it will be recognized for its novel gameplay mechanics.

Review Fix: How do you want it to be remembered?

AlMansouri: We hope Who Lurks gets played often in family and friends gatherings and/or parties. It’s a game that has “legs” — just like the board games we all keep around. Who Lurks is on their mobile phones — and it can be enjoyed anywhere and anytime. We intend to keep the game fresh by updating it frequently and continuing to add new content.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone play?

AlMansouri: Who Lurks offers players a new mobile experience. It’s always fun to gather your friends and play a game that tests your poker face. Also, screaming “Trust me, I’m human!” at your friends has never been this relevant.