Lethal Company is a co-op survival horror game where you work as a scavenger in a blacker-than-black company. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Lethal Company Early Access Review Overview
Lethal Company Early Access Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Endearing Contrast Between Audio and Gameplay Hilarious Deaths, Guaranteed It’s All Skill |
Poor Onboarding |
Lethal Company Early Access Overall Score - 86/100
Lethal Company is a fantastic game that mixes a fun co-op experience with the claustrophobic experience of scavenging in the dark with monsters prowling around. So, despite branding itself as a survival horror game, the end product is an incredibly enjoyable, extremely entertaining, and only slightly frightening game that commands several dozen ways to eke out silly deaths from its players.
Lethal Company Early Access Story - 7/10
You are an employee for a shady company tasked with retrieving scraps from abandoned facilities infested with monsters and plagued with deadly environmental effects. While you might think that this indie game only has a limited amount of lore, you're in for a ride. Scattered across the game are hidden logs, torn records, and subtle hints that depict a dark world behind your company's lively propaganda.
Lethal Company Early Access Gameplay - 9/10
The game has only one objective: collect enough scraps to fulfill your quota. Everything you do in-game is for the sake of achieving that objective. This simplicity lends a hand to making every event much more engaging since you have more attention to spare for the sake of the absurd situations four players can find themselves in.
Lethal Company Early Access Visuals - 8/10
Although the game certainly doesn't look impressive at first glance, its lack of high-quality models does wonders when combined with its aurally-reliant gameplay. In a way that isn't at all dissimilar to how retro horror games achieve their spooky vibes, Lethal Company relies on its accompanying aspects to bring its players into a state where they are forced to fill in its visual blanks. Depending on the player, the end result is a game with insanely terrifying scenes at best or a suspenseful scavenger hunt at worst.
Lethal Company Early Access Audio - 9/10
With much of your time spent in dark rooms and corridors, your vision will often be impaired due to bad lighting or blind corners. To compensate, you can use a wide variety of audio cues to navigate. For the most part, you will use it to determine whether hostile entities are nearby. However, it is often accompanied by hearing your friends screaming in panic over the horrors they encounter over the radio. It's a golden mix of fright and fun that will surely make you return for more.
Lethal Company Early Access Value for Money - 10/10
Priced at a cent short of 10 bucks, Lethal Company is a fantastic deal that nobody would regret taking - even if they don't like the gameplay. The circumstances that would lead to deaths are almost always a source of hilarity that contrasts exceptionally well with the horrors that lurk behind each corner. While the game is relatively small in scale, the experience justifies the price and then some.
Lethal Company Early Access Review: Die Happy For A Profit
Ah, horror games.
As a big fan of horror movies, I felt naturally drawn to the video game equivalent. And after many years of playing all sorts of titles, I could say that the overall experience, similar to the movies released during that time, was a mixed bag. While I personally do not mind and even appreciate the gratuitous use of jumpscares in the genre, it still did not create a steady stream of engaging and truly horrifying titles.
Enter Lethal Company, a game released by an indie developer. Ironically, as a horror game, it's not very terrifying at all. However, as a co-op title, it has taken the internet by storm - for good reason.
It's fun. Incredibly so, in fact. The game obviously doesn't take itself seriously, which adds to its charm. In a way, labeling itself as a survival horror game is just a lure to drag unsuspecting players into having a great time. And despite the game having incredibly challenging difficulties to work with, it's also very open to players of all skill levels or aims. So, whether or not you're looking for optimized and sweaty runs to maximize profit or just want to have a fun time with your friends, Lethal Company has a place for you.
Pros of Lethal Company
| Things Lethal Company Got Right |
|---|
|
Endearing Contrast Between Audio and Gameplay Hilarious Deaths, Guaranteed It’s All Skill |
Endearing Contrast Between Audio and Gameplay
Since you're almost always on a limited budget (very relatable), getting enough necessary equipment to help with your mission is always a tall order. In cases where only certain players are out carrying a flashlight, for example, those without one are forced to rely on the game's various audio cues to ensure their safety. That's because, unlike games like Phasmophobia, most hostile entities are always active. So "treading carefully" is practically a requirement if you don't want to encounter a premature death.
Of course, not dying is a preferable outcome. Not only can you not continue playing with others on that stage when you die, but the game will also slap you a 20% fine from your income for each player that dies on every stage.
Fortunately, the audio cues for this game are pretty reliable. Unfortunately, the claustrophobic nature of the game's facilities makes listening to these cues a stressful experience, regardless of whether you have a flashlight or not.
But you can rest easy knowing that these moments of suspense are almost always followed by the sound of one of your co-op friends screaming as they run away from a monster or their gasps of surprise from a sentry turret suddenly shooting at them.
One thing's for sure: Lethal Company's incredibly immersive audio effectively contrasts the gameplay's comedic events.
Hilarious Deaths, Guaranteed
Due to the game's mish-mash of various, primarily deadly features, you'll find that getting your entire party wiped is an unnervingly common experience, especially if you're new to the game. While that might sound frustrating on paper, it's actually anything but.
Dying in Lethal Company is, in a way, part of every session's "headcanon." These are the kinds of stories that frequently make it into everyday conversation with others over a drink. And due to the prevalence of hilarious slip-ups you and your teammates would inevitably make, the majority of each death is often surrounded by silly circumstances, such as bad weather or sudden enemy appearances, that overshadow even the strict penalties the game imposes.
Situations and experiences vary between players, but in my case, the deaths are often preceded by panic-stricken teammates screaming into their walkie-talkies before their voices get cut off right as they make one last high-pitched shriek.
This is especially true if the teammate in charge of monitoring everybody's progress back at base decides to be a bastard.
It's All Skill
Almost everything that occurs in Lethal Company can be directly attributed to somebody's actions. For example, getting struck by lightning can be avoided by dropping all metallic items from your inventory. In other words, any unfortunate occurrences in the game are due to, you guessed it, skill issues.
This, of course, also extends to the hostile fauna you encounter. With the proper preparation and knowledge, every one of them can be dealt with in one way or another. However, since your inventories are limited in slots, you can only really be prepared for a certain number of situations. Thus, the prepwork you do must depend on your ability to discern what threats are at every stage or your ability to adapt in the case of mistakes.
But the best part about this game is that, unlike most co-op survival horror games, Lethal Company will force you to go to the horrors voluntarily to meet your quota. This contrasts with others in the same genre, where you're basically at the game's mercy deciding when and where to spook you.
This also means that you are in complete control over any situation at all times.
Cons of Lethal Company
| Things That Lethal Company Can Improve |
|---|
|
Poor Onboarding |
Poor Onboarding
This is more of a minor gripe than a notable issue. Still, since the terminal for the shop, bestiary, and other necessary functions are all text-based and quite rudimentary, it's bothersome to use, especially for new players.
While using such an interface does fit with the whole vibe, the game lacks the most basic tutorials to get eased into playing it. That includes the intricacies of selecting where you and your team should land, what each tool you purchase does, etc.
Of course, the vast majority of these could be learned on the fly and without much difficulty. After all, it doesn't take much messing around to see what works and what doesn't. But it's still quite troublesome to deal with early on.
Then again, that's ironically one of the charming aspects of the game as well.
Is Lethal Company Worth It?
It's Worth It Even If You Don't Like It
For just ten dollars, you would purchase a game offering hours of endless co-op fun (and horror). In addition, the game is currently in Early Access, so more content will surely come in the future.
Lethal Company Early Access Overview & Premise
Get into the shoes of a scavenger for a black company. Your job is to collect various scraps and junk from abandoned facilities and sell them for a profit. Use that money to buy better equipment to defend yourselves with, or just purchase decorative furniture for your base.
Just don't forget to set aside enough money to meet your quota. Getting disciplinary action isn't as fun as it sounds.
Lethal Company FAQ
How Many Players Can You Play With In Lethal Company?
You can play with up to three other players in one co-op session.
Does Lethal Company Have Mods?
Yes, you can download mods for Lethal Company from various platforms such as Nexus Mods
Game8 Reviews
Lethal Company Product Information
 |
|
| Title | LETHAL COMPANY |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 23, 2023 |
| Developer | Zeekerss |
| Publisher | Zeekerss |
| Supported Platforms | PC |
| Genre | Horror |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | N/A |
| Official Website | N/A |
