KILLER INN News

[p]Dear Wolves and Lambs, 
This is the KILLER INN team. [/p][p] [/p][p]We recently collected questions for our AMA, and the number of responses far exceeded our expectations! We’re truly grateful for the incredible interest you’ve shown in KILLER INN, and the entire development team is deeply moved. [/p][p] [/p][p]Today, we’d like to address some of the topics that received the most attention. [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆When is the next time we’ll get to play KILLER INN? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]We’re sorry to keep you waiting. 
Please hang tight just a little longer until we’re able to share more details! [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are there plans to rework or rebalance characters in the future? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Yes—we are actively working on this. [/p][p]Abilities that define each character’s individuality are constantly under review. At the moment, we’re focusing on major revisions and balance adjustments, especially for characters that struggled to shine in the past two closed beta tests. [/p][p]In the last beta, development constraints led to overlapping abilities across multiple characters. Going forward, every character will have two fully unique abilities. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are there plans to adjust weapon and armor balance? (e.g., will the club + stun dominance finally end?)[/h3][hr][/hr][p]Absolutely. [/p][p]All items are subject to balance adjustments, but weapons in particular are under constant review to improve overall game balance. [/p][p]During the second closed beta test (CBT2), we chose not to immediately nerf the club numerically. At that time, we promised not to “paper over” issues with simple damage nerfs, but instead to address them in a more fundamental way—one that makes the game deeper and more fun overall. [/p][p]Please wait just a bit longer until we can share the details of how we approached this. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are there any plans for ranked matches? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Yes. As you may have noticed, ranked matches are currently shown as locked in the game mode menu, and we do plan to unlock them in the future. [/p][p]Decisions like “Do I trust other players” or “Do I trust my intuition?” carry far more weight when you’re under the pressure of “I absolutely cannot lose.” 
Unlike casual matches, this isn’t a place where you can shrug and say, “Oh well, I got turned to stone because of a bad guess. Them’s the breaks.” [/p][p]We’re looking forward to seeing players truly test their skills in that kind of environment. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Which characters do the KILLER INN team usually play? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Kensei: Martial Artist [/p][p]Jesse: Astronomer [/p][p]Dave: Physicist [/p][p]Jaden: Ninja [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are there plans to expand or deepen the murder mystery and social deduction aspects of the game? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Yes! [/p][p]Balancing KILLER INN as a competitive action game is important, but we believe there’s still a long way to go before it fully becomes the “murder mystery action” experience we envision. [/p][p]To heighten the sense of mystery, we need the players to more consistently experience gameplay centered on finding evidence and identifying the culprit. Just as importantly, the motivation to want to identify the culprit should be clearer and easier to feel. [/p][p]To strengthen the social deduction (Werewolf/Mafia-style) elements, we also need to implement systems that support more flexible and accessible communication. Additionally, the game’s pacing must allow enough room for meaningful interaction. [/p][p]This isn’t something that can be achieved overnight, but we plan to refine the game step by step to move closer to our ideal vision of a murder mystery action experience. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are there plan to further explore or share more about the world of KILLER INN? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Yes, absolutely. [/p][p]Each character in the game has their own backstory. We’ve carefully developed these characters by considering why they joined this “game,” and why they must survive and return alive. [/p][p]These background stories will be available in text form within the game. Nothing would make us happier than having players find characters they resonate with, or ones that make them think, “I can’t let this person die.” [/p][p]In addition, we plan to share more about the broader world setting—such as the origins of the game the Wolves and Lambs do battle in, and the secret organization behind it—primarily through Discord. We hope you’ll look forward to it! [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆So, what was the original idea behind KILLER INN? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]It’s impossible to talk about KILLER INN without mentioning tabletop Werewolf games and murder mystery games. Both are widely beloved genres, but murder mystery games in particular had a major influence on us. [/p][p]One of the greatest strengths of murder mystery games is the rich, story-driven experience—you feel like you’re stepping directly into a mystery drama. However, because that experience is tightly bound to revealing the culprit and the deception, these games are often described as “one and done.” [/p][p]Just like watching The Sixth Sense for the first time, that shock at the twist ending can never quite be recreated. We found the inherently low replayability of this format frustrating. [/p][p]That led us to imagine “an endlessly replayable mystery where the culprit, motive, method, and outcome change every time the curtain rises.” Put simply, the core concept of KILLER INN is our desire to create a game where players can repeatedly experience the climax of a mystery drama with fresh excitement each time. [/p][p]In Japan, traditional Werewolf games evolved into highly cerebral affairs centered on intense debate, but that complexity can feel intimidating to some players. [/p][p]By basing KILLER INN on action gameplay, we aim to make “fighting an unknown killer” more accessible and enjoyable for a wider audience. [/p][p]Rather than relying on discussion phases and voting to eliminate players like traditional Werewolf games, KILLER INN is a merit-based mystery where conflicts are settled through combat. [/p][p]In mystery stories, when a culprit’s deception is exposed, they often fold immediately, though not before blaming someone else for their actions. But realistically, solving the mystery doesn’t automatically mean victory. [/p][p]If a detective unmasks you, they become someone you must defeat. Even if the most brilliant detective in the world exposes your crime, you should have the power to fight back. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆What is the development team most excited about with this game? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Because trust and suspicion are at the heart of the gameplay, KILLER INN tends to make players feel they went through the trenches with those they played with, forging a kind of camaraderie, even after just one match. [/p][p]We’re most excited about having players find new gaming friends through KILLER INN. 
And of course, for those playing with friends already, we hope the game helps deepen those bonds—or reveals new sides of one another. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are there any ideas or concepts that didn’t make it into the current version of the game? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Rather than ideas being “cut,” there are many elements that were part of the original vision but simply haven’t been implemented yet. [/p][p]All of them have the potential to make KILLER INN even more fun. As mid- to long-term goals, we plan to carefully evaluate and incorporate them one by one. [/p][p]We’ll also be sharing these ideas with you through future updates, so we hope you’ll look forward to them. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆I bought a PC just to play KILLER INN! Will there be another beta test? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Thank you so much—that really means a lot to us! [/p][p]We can’t share details about the next beta test just yet, but development is progressing. Please stay tuned! [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆If someone is assigned to Wolves or Lambs repeatedly, is there a system to increase the chances of being assigned to the other faction next match? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]We don’t want players to feel stuck thinking, “I’ve been a Lamb ten times in a row...” [/p][p]Extreme imbalances like that can lead to frustration or players leaving matches early. We’ll be looking into ways to make appropriate adjustments so the experience doesn’t skew too heavily in one direction. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆What do you think about Wolves rushing to arm themselves and hunting unarmed Lambs immediately, without caring about being exposed? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]The tension (threat of being killed) curve from the start of a match to its end is a major design challenge for us. [/p][p]We’ve been working to reduce early-game pressure, but even in CBT2, we don’t believe our countermeasures were sufficient. Adjustments are still ongoing. [/p][p]As for players not caring about exposure, we also plan to address that. We don’t want reckless, identity-agnostic play to be the optimal strategy. Identifying Wolves—and being identified—should have clearer and more meaningful consequences in gameplay. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆What is the ideal win rate between Wolves and Lambs? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]We’re currently aiming for 50:50 (±5%). [/p][p]We believe both factions should have roughly equal chances to win. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆Are you considering any long-term progression or “grind” elements? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Of course! (But we can’t say anything yet.) [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆A friend said they like the core gameplay, but they’re very bad at shooting and found it difficult to enjoy. Since there are few ways for such players to contribute, they stopped playing after a day. Are there plans for game rules that remove shooting elements (e.g., assassination-only rules)? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]This is something we’re very interested in exploring. [/p][p]Providing ways for players to contribute even if they aren’t good at action games is one of KILLER INN’s goals. Expanding the variety of playstyles and rule sets is something we think would be a very positive thing. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h3]◆What’s inside Sunny’s backpack? [/h3][hr][/hr][p]Her favorite keyboard and mouse. [/p][p]  [/p][p]🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑🐺🐑[/p][p][/p][p]From here on, we’ll be sharing content from the Dev Diary – Dec 2025, which was introduced during the official live stream LIVE CHECK-IN. [/p][p] [/p][h2]📜Dev Diary - Dec 2025 / Currently in Development [/h2][p] [/p]

• [p]New Character-Unique Abilities  [/p]

[p]  [/p]

• [p]New Upgrades to Be Introduced 
  We’re working on developing new upgrades to give melee weapons more customization options.  [/p]

[p][/p]

• [p]Item Balance Will Be Fine-Tuned 
  We’re making adjustments to various gameplay elements. [/p]

[p] [/p][p]  [/p]

• [p]Something New Is Cooking...​ [/p]

[p] [/p][p] [/p][p]That’s all the information we have for now! [/p][p]Development on KILLER INN is steadily progressing as we work toward delivering an exciting experience for all of you. 
Be sure to follow our official Discord and X account for the latest updates. 
And don’t forget to add the game to your wishlist! [/p][p] [/p][p]—The KILLER INN Team [/p]

[p]Dear Wolves and Lambs,
This is the KILLER INN team.

We are currently working hard to improve the game based on all the valuable feedback we received from you during the most recent beta test.

It’s going to take a little bit more time before the next beta is ready. We apologize for the wait, but we hope you’ll look forward to it![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]We’re Accepting AMA Questions[/h2][hr][/hr][p]Starting today, we’re inviting questions from the community for the KILLER INN team to answer.

Any questions related to KILLER INN are welcome! We will answer as many as possible, starting with the most requested topics, within the scope of what we can share.[/p][p][/p][p]You can submit your questions on our official Discord’s #ask-me-anything channel.[/p][p][/p][h3]✉ Submit a Question[/h3][p]Submission Period: December 9–16, 2025, 10:00 (JST)[/p][p][/p][p]We look forward to receiving your questions![/p][p][/p][h2]Official Live Stream: KILLER INN – LIVE CHECK-IN[/h2][hr][/hr][p]We are also excited to announce an official live stream on Twitch![/p][p]In addition to being answered on Steam News, questions submitted will also be addressed during the live stream.[/p][p][/p][h3]📅 Date & Time:[/h3][p]Thursday, December 18, 2025, around 20:00 (JST) [/p][p]Start time is subject to change.[/p][p][/p][h3]📺 Channel:[/h3]

• [p]Twitch [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Be sure to follow now![/p][p][/p][h3]🎁 Program Content:[/h3]

• [p]Review of the beta tests[/p]
• [p]Answers to your questions[/p]

[p]No information about the next beta test will be provided.[/p][p][/p][h3]🎙️ Featuring:[/h3]

• [p]Ko Shinohara (@ko_shinohara)[/p]
• [p]Shion Aida (@shion_arcana)[/p]
• [p]KILLER INN Team[/p]

[p] [/p][p]The program will be streamed in Japanese.[/p]

[h3]Introduction[/h3][hr][/hr][p]Please allow us to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in the second closed beta test (CBT2) of KILLER INN. Thank you for taking part over the course of the 10 days. We learned even more than during the previous test and received a great deal of valuable feedback from all of you.

We made many improvements and adjustments for CBT2 based on your feedback from the previous CBT back in July, such as the Safe Zone invincibility timer and retaliation kills.

In the last CBT, the Wolf team often appeared to be overwhelmingly favored, and match balance was one of the major issues. This time, however, the win rate between the Wolf and Lamb teams was nearly 50-50, showing great improvement in that area. Many matches stayed competitive right up to the end, and we were once again reminded how meaningful your feedback is and how directly it contributes to improving the gameplay experience.

KILLER INN is a game built together with all of you. That’s why we read and take seriously every piece of feedback and suggestion we receive. While we’ll continue sharing our improvement plans mainly through Discord, we’d first like to address the issues we currently recognize as particularly important.
[/p][p][/p][h3]Cheating[/h3][hr][/hr][p]Combating all forms of cheating and unsportsmanlike behavior that brings down the player's experience is an absolute priority for us. We have a team that is carefully reviewing and analyzing all the reports we received during CBT2 regarding suspicious behaviors. We have not found any evidence of widespread cheating, but we take all reports from our community seriously and will continue to investigate. Our goal is to fight for the best and most fair player experience.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Matchmaking[/h3][hr][/hr][p]In this version of KILLER INN, matchmaking based on player skill and experience had not yet been supported. As a result, beginners and advanced players had to be matched together.

It is not our intention for beginners, who are still learning the mechanics, to be taken down by experts before they can even gain their footing. Building an environment where new players can grow step-by-step alongside others of similar experience and gradually advance toward intermediate and expert levels is of vital importance. Skill-based matchmaking will be one of our top priorities moving forward.

We also confirmed that pre-made parties, especially on the Wolf side, often gave a major advantage. From the perspective of solo players, this understandably created unfair situations. In future versions, solo players will ideally queue with solo players. Similarly, parties will ideally queue with other parties. This will create the most balanced experience for all players.

[/p][h3]Leavers (Players Dropping Out of a Match if They’re a Lamb)[/h3][hr][/hr][p]From the middle of the CBT onward, some players began leaving matches before they even started if they weren’t assigned to the Wolf team. This not only reduced the number of Lamb players and disrupted game balance but also introduced a strange meta-logic where people could assume like “this person isn’t leaving this time, and that means he’s a Wolf.”

Intentional match leaving (lobby dodging) cannot be tolerated. We recognize the need to introduce automatic detection and clear penalties for such behavior. We will never allow rule-abiding players to have unpleasant experiences because of unsportsmanlike behavior of others.

[/p][h3]Item Balance[/h3][hr][/hr][p]In particular, many players felt that the Club was “unreasonably powerful,” and the dev team shares that view. Final statistics showed that the Club’s usage rate was quite high—on par with the Revolver—making it clearly one of the game’s top-tier weapons. Especially when upgraded with the Stagger effect, the Club remained dominant until the final day of the beta test.

As mentioned in our mid-test update, melee weapons were originally designed to make KILLER INN accessible even to players without strong shooter skills—we didn’t want it to be a game only sharp shooters could enjoy. However, considering the ease of obtaining and upgrading these weapons, as well as matches where beginners and experienced players fought together, it’s clear there was significant room for balance improvements.

We plan to adjust this “all or nothing” balance—where you can counter something only if you’ve taken the right measures but otherwise will be helplessly defeated—so that combat feels fairer and more strategic.

At the same time, we noticed many players, particularly the experienced ones, began developing counter-strategies against the Club and Revolver. KILLER INN features a wide range of characters, weapons, armor, upgrades, and support items, and watching players bit by bit develop new tactics—and counter-tactics against those—was an invaluable learning experience for us.

We will review not just specific weapons and items but everything from top to bottom. Beyond simple numerical tweaks, we aim to deliver changes that make the game better balanced, deeper, and more engaging in future versions.

[/p][h3]Character Balance[/h3][hr][/hr][p]Watching everyone experiment with different characters and strategies was incredibly inspiring for the dev team. The constantly shifting character usage rankings and how you utilized them led to many unexpected discoveries.

We have an “everyone is the protagonist” philosophy behind KILLER INN—every character has a reason to survive and make it home. Our hope is for players to find their favorite characters and for popularity to spread more across the cast.

You have given us a wealth of feedback and suggestions regarding character abilities. We also have many ideas of our own to make them more intuitive, impactful, and distinctive. We hope you’ll look forward to seeing how some of the lesser-used characters evolve in future updates.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Other Feedback We Received[/h3][hr][/hr][p]KILLER INN still has many areas for improvement beyond those listed above, and there was so much amazing feedback. Some other items we are looking into are: [/p]

• [p]“Block(avoid) list” feature desired to avoid griefers[/p]
• [p]Not enough clues appearing in early game (more chances for clue gathering desired)[/p]
• [p]Too risky to inspect corpses due to the chance of being killed[/p]
• [p]Still hard to tell who killed you and how[/p]
• [p]Want easier non-vocal communication (preset messages)[/p]
• [p]Player names in foreign languages are hard to recognize[/p]
• [p]Want better Key Remapping (EX.: supporting side-buttons of mice)[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Creating the “Murder Mystery Action” That KILLER INN Aims To Be[/h3][hr][/hr][p]KILLER INN has not yet fully achieved our vison of a true Murder Mystery Action game.

Our goal is to maintain tense, thrilling battles while fostering a murder mystery experience built on mutual deception, trust, suspicion, and unmasking the Wolves through deduction.

In CBT2, we tried to make it little more slow-burn by lowering the risk of death in early game, but this unintentionally decreased the chances of collecting clues and narrowing down suspects due to a lower corpse count. We believe the feeling of weeding out the culprits is essential for our game, and we’ll continue step by step refining the game so players can feel and experience the murder mystery elements more in the future versions.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]In Closing[/h3][hr][/hr][p]We still have a lot of exciting work ahead of us, and as with the end of the previous CBT, we will be using this time to refine the game and make sure your next experience at the inn is even better.[/p][p] [/p][p] We have many ideas for improving the game, inspired by the feedback and experiences you all shared during this CBT2 and rest assured we will be back with a better version of the game, so we ask for a little patience. While you wait, we’ll continue sharing updates mainly on the Official Discord. Where we’re also planning more community events, so keep an eye out for them and hope you join in![/p][p] [/p][p] In the meantime, above all, we will continue listening to all your feedback, ideas and suggestions![/p][p] [/p][p]Once again, we are truly grateful for each and every one of you that took part in this very important beta test, and thank you, as always, for your continued support of KILLER INN.[/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p]—The KILLER INN Team[/p]

[p]The second KILLER INN closed beta test has concluded. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated and to all those who showed interest in the game.[/p][p][/p][p]Through the beta test, we received a great deal of feedback, bug reports, and constructive criticism, especially about the matchmaking system and the way some items and weapons work. The development team will carefully review all of this information and use it to further refine KILLER INN. Thank you again for all the information and feedback provided.[/p][p][/p][p]The official Discord will remain open, and we will continue to share development updates regularly. We encourage you to join the discussions![/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, the feedback survey will remain open until October 17. We would greatly appreciate your input.[/p]

[p]Dear Wolves and Lambs, greetings and salutations from the KILLER INN Team.[/p][p][/p][p]We would like to thank you for your enthusiastic participation in our second Closed Beta Test. We also want to report on two topics that received a lot of feedback: Cheating and the Club meta.[/p][p] [/p][h2]Cheating[/h2][hr][/hr][p]Combating unfair practices that undermine your gaming experience is an absolute priority for us. We have been paying close attention to every single report by our players including shared information on Discord, and have been aggressively analyzing/verifying them prioritizing the most suspicious cases.[/p][p][/p][p]At this very moment, we do not yet have anything that we were able to confirm as cheating through program tampering or the use of external tools. However, we have been learning that there are still some instances of ambiguous behavior or game design elements that can naturally lead you to ask, "That can't be right—is this cheating?".[/p][p]Furthermore, we are aware that unfair situations can occur in our game even without any intention of cheating. For example, matchmaking between solo players and premade parties can create significant imbalances that may very much be perceived to be “unfair.”[/p][p][/p][p]We are committed not only to fight against cheating, but also to do our best to address unclear/confusing game design and unfair systems. We will continue to rely on your feedback to create a cleaner and more transparent game.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Club Meta[/h2][hr][/hr][p]We fully understand that many players feel the club is currently “unreasonably overpowered.” Looking at the actual stats, the club is the second-most used weapon right behind the revolver, and it’s undeniably one of the strongest weapons in the game right now.[/p][p][/p][p]Originally, melee weapons were designed with beginners in mind, stemming from our desire for KILLER INN not to become a game only enjoyable for skilled aimers.[/p][p][/p][p]After CBT1, melee weapons had nerf pass overall, including the clearly overpowered crowbar. However, considering how easy they still are to obtain and to upgrade, we understand there is huge room for further refinement and balance improvement to be done.[/p][p][/p][p]In particular, we feel that the club's power can lead to intense frustration, as a player who doesn't take sufficient countermeasures can be defeated one-sidedly without a chance to fight back.[/p][p]This frustration may be heightened by the fact that KILLER INN does not yet support skill-based matchmaking. New players who are just starting out and advanced players who have been participating since CBT1 often end up playing in the same matches. It is unfair to expect and demand players still learning the game rules to immediately counter powerful weapons and strategies. Therefore, we recognize that the feeling that the club is "unreasonably overpowered" is totally fair and understandable in the current state of KILLER INN.[/p][p][/p][p]On the other hand, we've been seeing advanced players already testing out effective countermeasures against it. KILLER INN features numerous characters, weapons, armor, upgrades, and support items. And the process of players gradually discovering new strategies is an invaluable learning opportunity for us.[/p][p][/p][p]Although we considered pushing a patch with some parameter adjustments, we've concluded that we shouldn't rush making these changes during the ongoing beta test. We don't intend to simply gloss over this issue with quick nerfs. Instead, please allow us to work on improvements that don’t only resolve the problem, but also deepen and enhance the game's enjoyment in future versions. Our players, you do desire a lot better than just easy nerfs.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Thank you again for playing and supporting KILLER INN, and we deeply appreciate all the feedback you have been sharing. The KILLER INN team has been and will always be listening to you to make KILLER INN better for you.[/p]