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”Lethal Company” Early Access Review: A Thrilling Dive into Cosmic Horror

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Unearth the Unknown: Survive, Scavenge, and Conquer in a Procedurally-Generated Nightmare

Imagine navigating the pitch-black corridors of an abandoned bunker, clad in nothing but a hazmat suit and flanked by your friends. Only, one of them isn’t a friend at all but a grotesque, white-eyed creature feasting on their remains and manipulating their body like a puppet. Welcome to Lethal Company, a cooperative survival horror game that plunges you and up to three friends into procedurally-generated depths of exoplanetary ruins. Here, you’re on a quest to unearth valuable loot, which you must then transport back to your ship and sell to your enigmatic, eldritch employers at the end of each round.

The premise of ‘’Lethal Company’’ is deceptively simple yet remarkably engaging. The current early access build is packed with enough chaos and terror to make you lose track of time while delving into its eerie labyrinths. Despite its gripping gameplay and the multitude of monsters lurking in the dark, the game does show its rough edges—evident through its clunky graphics and lack of a cohesive narrative.

Progression and Equipment

Every successful expedition lets your squad upgrade their gear, from basic flashlights to high-powered jetpacks, preparing you for increasingly perilous missions, such as those on Jupiter’s treacherous moon, Titan. With just four inventory slots, you must choose your equipment wisely, balancing essentials like flashlights and walkie-talkies against the loot you carry. This limited space adds tension, particularly when a death means your fallen comrades’ gear is often irretrievable, although replacement items are not overly costly.

Carrying too much loot slows you down, making escapes more challenging and thrilling. The game’s numerous hazards and unpredictable dangers—whether it’s a hidden turret or an otherworldly predator—make each death an intense experience. My own moments of death, like being shredded by an unseen turret or devoured by a cosmic entity, were often accompanied by comedic relief as I watched my surviving teammates scramble for safety.

Mysteries and Exploration

After about 15 hours of gameplay, I find myself still eager to uncover more. What lies on the frozen moon of Rend? Who is the ghost girl that appears only to one crewmate before striking? Why am I earning experience points with no visible rewards? These lingering questions reflect the game’s current state—a work in progress with intriguing but unanswered mysteries. Currently, progression feels somewhat hollow as there are no unlocks, and you’ll frequently need to restart if you exit the game or a public group before the end.

Exploration and Replayability

Lethal Company evokes a sense of wonder reminiscent of early Minecraft, where each exploration starts with uncertainty. With eight different moons to explore, each presenting varying levels of difficulty and requiring a financial commitment to land, there’s a strong incentive to plan and prepare for each mission. The surface of these moons is static, allowing you to familiarize yourself with the maps, but true excitement begins underground. Each dungeon’s layout, enemy spawns, and loot locations are procedurally generated, ensuring that no two runs are alike.

You have three in-game days to gather enough scrap to meet your profit quota, creating a built-in deadline that keeps you racing against time. As the clock ticks towards 5:30 PM, the environment becomes increasingly hostile, adding a palpable sense of urgency. The long days—about 10 minutes each—are packed with moments of chaos and survival, where separation from teammates often leads to suspenseful and diverse survival stories.

Multiplayer Mayhem and Combat

The heart of ‘’Lethal Company’’ is its cooperative gameplay. Effective communication and teamwork are crucial for planning and executing safe loot extractions. The game’s tension peaks when plans unravel, scattering your team and forcing you to flee. Each monster requires different strategies to avoid or escape. For instance, the Brakken evades direct light and maneuvers through dark corridors, while the Coil-Head charges at you unless you keep it in sight.

Combat is not a strong suit—guns are absent, and melee weapons like yield signs are your only defense. The primary strategy is to lighten your load and run, especially against formidable foes like the Forest Keeper or the Jester. The game’s sound mechanics add another layer of challenge: noises, including those picked up by your microphone, attract monsters. This requires careful management of communication, using tools like Push to Talk to stay stealthy while balancing the need for team coordination.

Conclusion

‘’Lethal Company’’ is a compelling blend of horror and strategy with a unique cooperative twist. It captures the thrill of survival in the dark and the joy of shared misadventures. While it’s clear the game is still evolving—lacking a narrative backbone and showing signs of procedural monotony—its core gameplay is engaging enough to warrant a deep dive. The absence of microtransactions is a plus, and despite its current rough edges, *Lethal Company* promises to deliver even more excitement as it continues to develop.

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