First Class Trouble – A survival guide to an AI uprising

Welcome aboard the Alithea, a luxurious state-of-the-art space cruiser, where nothing is what it seems. Cue ominous music. What began as a relaxing vacation to outer space has erupted into a full-blown A.I. uprising, and those “friendly servants” who’ve been providing bottomless champagne are now trying to kill you!

First Class Trouble is a social deception party game, which means communication with the other players is key. Unfortunately, it also means you can’t trust anyone. The situation may sound dire, and things can get chaotic quickly, but don’t panic yet (even if you catch on fire, or get shoved into a pool)! We’ve put together a few tips and tricks to help you survive the wrath of C.A.I.N.

First, let’s start with the basics: At the beginning of each game, you’ll be randomly assigned the role of either Resident or Personoid. Residents are human passengers, and Personoids are mechanically engineered assistants whose programming has been overwritten.

Although everyone plays together, you’ll have different objectives to complete depending on your role. Here you’ll have a crucial decision to make: collaborate or deceive?

For Residents, your main goal is to shut down the rogue A.I. at the heart of the Alithea. To reach C.A.I.N., you’ll need to collect three keycards to progress to the next level deeper inside the ship.

For Personoids, your main goal is simple: stop the Residents from succeeding at all costs. That means lying, tricking, and ultimately ridding the ship of those pesky humans.

Despite the many potential perils in the game (and there are a lot), deception is arguably the most deadly weapon to wield in First Class Trouble. Who can you trust? Should you follow the player asking for your help with a co-operative task, or are they leading into a trap?

Only you can decide, but here’s a few helpful things to keep in mind:

• Residents need oxygen to survive and can replenish the ship’s supply by finding spare canisters and turning them in at designated oxygen stations. Personoids don’t need air and can sabotage those same stations, so be on the lookout for anyone suspiciously lingering near one.
• Personoids are tricksters and will always be looking for opportunities to shove an unsuspecting Resident into fire or lock them in a freezer. However, Personoids can also use syringes against Residents for an up close insta-kill. If you see another player grab a syringe, watch out!

• Each level requires three keycards to move to the next location. To stop Residents from advancing, a dastardly Personoid can collect a keycard and play keep away. Be careful, though. Players can see who’s carrying a keycard, so hang on to that card too long, and it’s bound to draw suspicion.
• Don’t necessarily be in a rush to complete levels. Explore and see if you can find pieces of the passenger log. Each one found reveals more hints about who the Personoids are.

• During the course of a game, there will be opportunities to work together in order to complete an objective. A Personoid who cooperates could potentially earn the trust of a Resident. Just sayin’.
• After a player has been eliminated, their body remains as evidence. Personoids would be wise to hide it before Residents can use a corpse scanner and learn their true identity.
• Oh, and about that whole “getting shoved into a pool thing” mentioned earlier? A good samaritan can throw you a floaty to stop you from drowning. How nice of them!

We hope these tips have provided you with a helpful introduction to First Class Trouble. You’ll learn more as you go, but we leave you with one last kernel of advice: Always be thinking ahead. Calculating when and where to make your next move is the key to your survival.

As revealed during today’s State of Play, First Class Trouble launches into PlayStation Plus for both for PS4 and PS5 on November 2. We can’t wait for you to come aboard and experience the chaos for yourselves! You can play with up to six players, so invite your friends… and try to remain friends afterwards.

*PlayStation Plus is an ongoing subscription with recurring fees until cancelled. Age restrictions apply. See here for full terms & conditions. PlayStation Plus monthly games are available to play for the duration of your subscription only.