If you’ve been on the gaming side of YouTube recently, you might have noticed an influx of videos from various creators on a game called Lethal Company. This game came out at the end of 2023 and shocked the co-op horror community.
Unlike some co-op horror games like Phasmophobia or GTFO, Lethal Company takes a refreshing approach and admits that they are an indie game for players to have fun. Whether it be because of the janky mechanics or the enemies that will have players screaming and laughing at the same time, this is a game I would love to see come out of early access with a fully fleshed-out vision.
The Basic Plot of Lethal Company
You work for the Company, a space conglomerate that sends people to different planets to collect scrap from the old world. For some reason, giant structures of old factories and mansions are filled with random bits of junk—a crate of bottles, chattering teeth, lamps, and gold bars, to name a few. Your team has to grab as many items as possible before midnight when the spaceship takes off.
There’s one issue that the Company might not have shown in the fine print: there are monsters in these old factories. Some aren’t too serious, like the loot bugs that will run around and amass a pile of junk (just don’t tick them off). Others are semi-scary, like a blob of green goo that will ooze around the corner and disintegrate your feet.
Or, heaven forbid, you run into some of the worst ones, like a coilhead or a bracken. Those who have seen those don’t always return to tell the tale.
But that’s no problem for you guys! You hit quota every three days, turn in your stuff, and then get back out there to do it again. Easy as pie, right?
There’s Lore in Lethal Company?!
As you explore the galaxy, grabbing bits and bobs from the old world, you can scan objects and enemies to see if the Company is hiding something. If you are lucky, you can find notes from previous employees ranting about the job and trying to figure out why we never see the bosses.
The Company HQ is just a giant rectangle building with a window for you to drop your stuff off, and they will tell you how much it’s worth (“These parts are worth one-quarter portion,” to quote the junkman from The Force Awakens). With your money, you can grab walkie-talkies, flashlights, and weapons, or customize your little spaceship.
Some of the bolder employees might ask why we are grabbing all this junk in the first place or what happened to the people who lived there before. And we’ve all seen that weird, spiky tentacle that grabs our stuff when we turn it in, right?
Mod the Crap Out of It!
Some more tech-savvy players have created mods for Lethal Company to make it more entertaining after you have mastered the vanilla version.
Want to dress up as random characters from different games? We have Knuckles, Kirby, Goku, and other options for you to play as.
Need to tell your teammate that they are the MVP of the round? Give them a salute! Need to tell the other guy that he needs to start picking up the slack? Flip him off! Want to party after a successful run? Hit the griddy, disco, or flop your arms around to celebrate.
Normal planets got you bored? Take a break in Minecraft world and grab some familiar objects from that game.
And don’t worry, the enemies are much more fun, too! Freddy Fazbear tags along, a Weeping Angel wants to join the fray, and your friend wearing a mask is running to get on the ship. Wait, were they wearing that before? Eh, it’s no big deal.
General Reception
Since Lethal Company’s official release in October of last year, many YouTubers I follow have been throwing out videos for us to watch. Some classic gamers like Markiplier and his friends Bob and Wade will sing their way to victory along with the typical shenanigans they get up to.
GabSmolders has made some friends in the UK, and their playthroughs are very relaxing to watch after a long day at work (except for when they are screaming their heads off, but that doesn’t happen too often).
CinnamonToastKen and his buddies from Down Under have even released a few videos, all hilarious because some forget how an enemy works or don’t know how to escape the complex.
This game has great potential, and I see it going in the right direction. It’s still in early access on Steam, but the mods that people have added and some of the updates from the developers are making this one of the best co-op games I’ve seen in a while.
The goals of Lethal Company are simple, the enemies can ramp up in difficulty, and as long as you keep your wits about you, there’s plenty of scrap to buy useful gadgets for your team.
Some people mention that the animation is very cheap and could have been done better, but I think that adds to the Lethal Company‘s charm. The most important rule in my book about gaming is that you and your friends should have fun at the end of the day. Sudden deaths from unseen enemies or falling into the abyss make me laugh out loud every time.
In my opinion, this shouldn’t even be called a horror game. It’s got elements of horror, but the purpose is not to spook you. You are trying to solve a mystery and hit quota so the higher-ups don’t fire you.
Most importantly, Lethal Company emphasizes the importance of teamwork. Sure, some of your teammates may want to mess around and see if they can test an enemy’s limits, but as long as they are on the spaceship at the stroke of midnight, everything is going to be okay.
Now, let’s get out there and prove ourselves to the Company!
Want to play Lethal Company yourself?
Here is the link to the Steam page!
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