Need to Know is a surveillance thriller simulation developed by Monomyth Games. Players ascend the ranks of the Department of Liberty, an intelligence agency formed after a terrorist attack. Gameplay involves spying on citizens, analyzing their private lives through digital footprints and metadata, and determining their threat level. Choices can lead to upholding privacy, aiding resistance groups, or pursuing personal gain through classified information. The game features investigative puzzles, moral choices, and managing clearance levels, all within a chapter-based narrative focused on uncovering the perpetrators of the initial attack.Progression is tied to completing assignments, which unlock access to deeper levels of surveillance, from browsing history to geo-tracking and psychological analysis. As clearance levels increase, so does player authority, enabling actions like wiretaps and smear campaigns, or the option to undermine the Department from within. The game's design emphasizes the temptation and allure of absolute power, contrasting with a clinical surveillance aesthetic. Player actions have in-game consequences, impacting suspects and contributing to the overarching plot and the player's personal life and prestige.
