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You Should Really Be Playing Lethal Company

You Should Really Be Playing Lethal Company

Lethal Company, a four-player horror indie game, which requires that its players feed a constantly inflating quota with old scrap procured from long-abandoned planets, is where you and your friends should really be putting (at least some of) your gaming time right now.

Granted, Lethal Company is not the newest game on the block, being a little over a year old. Nor is it the shiniest, with bigger budget titles easily outclassing it visually. However, what Lethal Company has in spades is real character: the gameplay is simple and effective, the tongue-in-cheek humour isn't overbearing, and the whole thing just operates precisely how it is supposed to (something that you can't say for a lot of games, these days). That short but sweet gameplay loop is wonderfully paced; and the ever-present threat of death from monsters, traps, and even your employer: the Company, keeps the pressure on your team of budding scavengers. All in all, it's a slick little package that generates far more enjoyment than it has any business to.

Lethal Company 2

Though it remains in Early Access still, don't let that put you off. The game continues to receive constant support and updates from its one-man development and publishing team, Zeekerss. Though, rest assured, not one of them has interrupted any of that superb gameplay that the game released with, back in October 2023. Zeekerss has only tightened up the gameplay, smoothing out the almost imperceptible aspects (those that players often don't even consciously recognise) as required. Not to mention the neat aesthetic alterations during holiday periods.

While it obviously lacks a budget, it remains clear to see that the game was built with some love, and with some appreciation for the craft of videogame creation.

With all that said, though, I do express that you play the game in co-op. The game isn't unplayable in single-player, not at all. It's just far more difficult, and far less fun. The difficulty spike comes because the quota does not scale, always remaining the same regardless of player count within a team. As such, a full team of four is not only guaranteed to produce copious amounts more of eye-watering, belly-aching laughter but makes it considerably easier to stockpile scrap. That is, unless your gaming group contains a dreaded control freak! — people with such inclinations won't (or will at the very least find it difficult) to gel with Lethal Company.

This brings me to my next point: failure is a fundamental part of the aforementioned gameplay loop. And that loop as a whole is the fun bit — not just your attempts at achieving the scrap quota. Now, truth be told, you should always find your own fun in videogames, and I don't want to be that guy on the internet who demands that you enjoy something in a certain way. However, be warned: “beating” this game is quite literally impossible because the quota will eventually be so ludicrously huge that it will cease to be obtainable. You will then fail, and you will be forced to repeat the whole process from effectively quota level one. Although, this is the real point of Lethal Company; it’s acknowledging that capitalistic greed is often voracious and that its goals are potentially unrealistic, so you and your merry pals may as well have as much fun as you can before the whole ship sinks, and all of us with it…

Lethal Company 3

Now, if you've played the game before, then none of the above is new to you. But still, I am hoping that it managed to unearth some fond memories, and that you will return to it shortly. However, if you haven't got round to playing it at all just yet, then I urge that you and a few friends do so post-haste! You most certainly do need this little videogame gem slotted into your group's gaming sessions somewhere. You don't even have to take my word for it, (at the time of writing) it has great review scores across the board, from professional critics to humble gamers. And, as it is an indie title, pricing is at the low end, so asking the bank for yet another loan to buy videogames, in this despondent financial environment, is not required. Not to mention the mods, which I have been informed are varied and fantastic!

Simply put, Lethal Company is an absolute triumph, continuing to shine like a beacon amongst the cluttered landscape of videogames as a whole. If you have played it but put it down some time ago, then what are you waiting for? Fire it up and get back on the payroll. And if you've never yet been on the employee roster, then there is seriously no better time to sign up.

Niall Cawley

Niall Cawley

Staff Writer

Fighting gods, but also sometimes not

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