For an entire week, an indie game made by a single person has outsold the latest Call of Duty. The indie game in question is Lethal Company. Lethal Company is the latest game developed by Zeekerss, who has also made other horror games such as It Steals and The Upturned. The game is $9.99 on Steam and has extremely low system requirements to run, so nearly anyone with a computer can play the game perfectly fine.
The game is a 4-player cooperative horror experience where the main objective is to collect useless scrap from “abandoned” facilities on moons and sell it to the company for money. The player has 3 days to meet an ever-increasing quota. The quota starts at a measly 130 credits, which can be easily obtained on the first moon, but will continue to rise every 3 days to a limitless amount.
The “horror” aspect of the game is in the monsters the players meet on the moons, for example: the bracken. The bracken is infamous for killing unsuspecting players, as it follows behind and snaps the neck of its victim. To make things worse, it will drag the body of its victim away to a random part of the facility. The player then has an extra, optional, task of bringing their friend’s body back.
However, this is no easy task. Going against the bracken when it’s constantly creeping behind the player is more difficult, as the player will have to constantly check their back, while another monster is possibly right in front of them. The player has an incentive to grab the body of their friend since if they don’t, they’ll be fined for it. The fine for not bringing back a friend’s corpse starts at 20% of the current amount of credits the player carries, not the quota. The fine increases by an additional 20% for every corpse not brought back. The quota will still be the same, and the scrap you’ve collected is untouched, but the amount of credits the player has will dwindle. However, this isn’t always the case as if everyone dies, there’s no fine on credits but all the scrap collected so far will be lost. A true risk-and-reward masterclass.
The game wouldn’t be the same without its overwhelming personality and charm. It’s hard not to admire every corner of Lethal Company. There are things the player can buy for their ship, mostly useless things, but there’s just something inherently funny about a jack-o-lantern laughing in a silly way every time you interact with it. Among other things the player can buy is a portable ladder, which can easily kill their friends with a bonk to the head. Most multiplayer horror games don’t want the players to goof off as much as possible, as it takes away from their game. Lethal Company, however, embraces the comedy of co-op horror games to not only build a fun atmosphere but to even further push the horror factor of the game. One moment, the player’s just goofing off with their friends, and in a second they’re the only one left alive, with the bleak realization that whatever got their friends will probably come after them next. The game excels incredibly at making unforgettable, comedic moments.
Lethal Company is one of the best co-op horror games of all time, and I say that with no exaggeration. The moments the game makes for the player are exceptionally good, and rival those of Phasmophobia. If you have friends and want to have a good time, Lethal Company is a must.
