My husband died in a terrible toilet accident. Plus, I'm distantly related to Ronald Reagan and spend the summer in an underwater castle. These are not just very true facts about the author of this article, they are what you can tell the reprehensible billionaires of the future in Better Than Us. This is the last job Vampire therapist developed by Little Bat Games and will be released in 2026.
As you can see in the trailer above, Better Than Us casts you in the role of a master thief whose goal is to infiltrate the swank parties of the richest bastards in 2200 and manipulate them into looking the other way as you steal some of their stuff. There's some stealth, but as you'd expect from a game that features The Count of Monte Cristo, Penmentand the work of Terry Pratchett figured as prominently among his sources of inspiration as Thief: Dark Projectyour words will be your most formidable weapon.
Lying is the key to success, but it must be done correctly. “Tell different stories to different people,” says the game’s blurb. “Remember who you told what to. Build a web of deception so complex that even the powers that be will not be able to see through it. But one day make a mistake – you contradict yourself, forget the details – and everything will unravel.”
Despite being set in futuristic floating cities built to save their wealthy inhabitants from the climate-change-ravaged Earth below, Little Bat Games makes it clear that this is no cartoonish flight of fancy. Better Than Us' Steam description says it was “developed in consultation with historians from Oxford, UC Davis, and the University of Florida.” The game “is very much about issues of extreme wealth inequality and faith. She explores the philosophical underpinnings of class oppression, the impact of climate change on low-income communities and refugees. It also touches on sexuality and gender issues, artificial intelligence and faith in a historical context.”
“Looking into the past is a useful way to examine contemporary issues,” Little Bat creative director and voice actor Cyrus Nemati says of the studio's approach. “Not only is the historical record inspiring, but dead people are less likely to sue small game studios.” He and comrade Hades 2 Alumna Sarah Grayson—the pair voiced Ares and Selene, respectively—heads up the cast of Better Than Us.
As someone who enjoys a bit of stealth and worldly web-weaving in games like Pentiment, if Little Bat can find that balance in an entertaining manner while offering enough freedom in how you pull things out of a cast of conscientiously rendered fat cats, I can imagine having fun with it.
Better Than Us currently has a 2026 release window, and you can wishlist it on the site. Steamif you're so inclined. You can also meet former RPS toy Alice B. verdict on And interview about Little Bat's previous work, Vampire Therapist.
