Lethal Company video game is a multiplayer, cooperative survival horror created by the independent developer Zeekerss.
The game was released in early access on October 23rd, 2023, and although not much time has passed since then, it has already gained thousands of fans worldwide. Let’s have a closer look at this production!
Are you curious about what this game is about? Would you like to learn more about its storyline, gameplay, and what has attracted thousands of players in just a few months? We invite you to the Lethal Company review! Let’s dive in together and find out if it is worth buying!
Storyline
The game’s story is set in a retro-futuristic world where space has been colonized. Over time, many of the colonized moons were abandoned by humans. However, they left behind industrial complexes.
In this game, players embody scavengers employed by the eponymous “Company.” Our goal is to recover any valuable items (mostly scrap) left by people in abandoned locations. Unfortunately, we have limited time, strict norms to meet, and danger lurking around every corner…
Since the game focuses on multiplayer entertainment, the story serves just as a backdrop for the events we create ourselves during gameplay. And the gameplay itself is the game’s strongest aspect!
Gameplay Mechanics
Lethal Company is a multiplayer cooperative game where gameplay can be conducted in a team of up to four players. We observe the events through a first-person perspective, wandering solo or with companions through various locations in space, collecting “treasures” in the form of scrap and junk.
If we decide to play in a group, we can divide tasks, meaning, for example, one player can stay on the ship and coordinate the actions of the other players from there. However, with such excellent gameplay like exploring abandoned industrial complexes and escaping from monsters appearing out of nowhere, it’s doubtful anyone would want to stay on the ship and stare at the monitor.
There’s also a single-player option, but then we can be sure to experience the severity of true survival horror first-hand, especially on difficult levels, which turn into pure terror.
Each successful expedition brings in mony. Money that we can spend on replenishing supplies or invest in better equipment like flashlights, shovels, or even jetpacks, which grant access to more demanding locations.
Collecting scrap might seem like a simple task that shouldn’t cause any problems. However, we need to consider a few important aspects! Firstly, our limits are strict, and time on alien moons passes quickly. Secondly, our inventory is severely limited, with only four slots available.
Considering that two of them are taken by essentials like flashlights or walkie-talkies, we don’t have much room to maneuver when collecting scrap.
And lastly, the most crucial aspect: death lurks around every corner in Lethal Company, quite literally! We can meet our demise in the jaws of a monster, but not only that. We can be killed by weather conditions, for instance, lightning striking the scrap we’re carrying. Our companion can contribute to our demise (yes, yes… murder by fellow players is entirely possible).
And if all of that isn’t enough, we can also perish at the hands of the contractor because failing to meet the limit results in being thrown into the void.
We shouldn’t rely on an arsenal either, as it’s quite modest (consisting of a shovel, a STOP sign, a stun gun, stun grenades, and a shotgun) and isn’t particularly effective against most monsters. Throughout most of the game, escape is our only salvation, although we can also trap beasts in rooms using external control panels.
Audiovisuals
Although the game’s graphics may not be groundbreaking, and the design is a mix of first PlayStation console horrors and Roblox-style animation (in which Zeekers also had a hand), the atmosphere introduced by the creators can effectively scare even the most hardcore horror enthusiasts.
The game’s sound effects, particularly the proximity chat (known from games like Among Us), where communication is mainly influenced by the distance separating us from our teammates, also do a great job.
Release Date
Lethal Company has been available for PC users since October 23rd, 2023, as part of early access. The exact release date for the full version of the game is expected around June 2024.
It’s also not certain whether the game will be available to users of PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X/S consoles. However, considering the game’s immense popularity, one cannot entirely rule out such a possibility in the future.
Game Reception
Despite the game’s simplicity and the fact that, for now, we’re dealing only with its early access version, which is not entirely polished yet, Lethal Company is breaking all popularity records, pushing giants like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or the Resident Evil 4 Remake further down the list.
The game quickly took the top spot on Steam’s bestseller list, thus gaining recognition from critics. Positive reviews and high ratings overwhelmingly dominate among player opinions, with the most appreciated aspect being the innovative approach and perfectly balanced combination of horror with comedy (especially in team play).
Fortunately, the creators are not resting, and with each subsequent update, they make it clear to fans that in terms of improvements, Lethal Company hasn’t said its last word yet. So, all we can do is patiently wait for the final version of the game.
Conclusion
Lethal Company video game, with its retro-futuristic vision, quickly became a kind of cultural phenomenon. It’s the perfect blend of constant fear, survival, and exploration that keeps us on edge from start to finish.
Few games that have appeared on the market have so perfectly combined survival horror with chaos, leading to hilarious situations. Situations where, for example, we laugh at our companion fighting for survival instead of rushing to their aid, or we can kill and scrap one of our friends…
An additional advantage is the extremely favourable price of the game, which encourages its purchase. So, if you’re looking for a game to play with friends where you’ll simultaneously panic and laugh out loud, Lethal Company is the one for you.