Lethal Company

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Lethal Company
Lethal Company Steam cover.jpg
Developer(s) Zeekerss
Publisher(s) Zeekerss
Engine Unity [1]
Platform(s) Windows
ReleaseOctober 23, 2023
(early access)
Genre(s) Survival horror [2]
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Lethal Company is an upcomingcooperative survival horror video game developed and published by Zeekerss. It was released in early access in October 2023 and gained popularity on the Steam storefront.

Contents

In Lethal Company, players obtain and sell scrap from abandoned, industrialized exomoons while avoiding traps, environmental hazards, monsters, and the hostile fauna. As employees of "The Company", players must sell enough scrap to meet a series of increasing profit quotas until they inevitably fail and the game starts over.

Gameplay

A player using a walkie-talkie in a forest. Lethal Company gameplay screenshot.png
A player using a walkie-talkie in a forest.

Lethal Company is a cooperative video game for up to four players played in first-person perspective. Set in a retro-futuristic setting, players work as contracted employees of "The Company". They can communicate with each other through the in-game proximity chat, as well as proximity text chat. Players are tasked with visiting abandoned moons to collect as much scrap as possible. Each moon has one facility containing procedurally-generated rooms, alongside valuable scrap, hazardous traps, and malicious creatures. Players must work quickly and return to their ship before midnight, or the autopilot will leave without them. If there are no living players on board the ship as it leaves the planet, all collected scrap will be lost. Collected scrap is sold at the Company moon, 71-Gordion, to obtain Company credits. [2] [3] At the end of each deadline, if the players sell enough scrap to reach the required quota, they will begin another three-day cycle with a higher profit goal. Failure to meet the Company's quota results in players being ejected into space; this constitutes a game over. [4]

Players may only carry four items at a time, including one item requiring both hands. Two-handed scrap items, while typically the most valuable, prevent one from performing certain actions when held, like climbing ladders and picking up more items. All carriable equipment (such as flashlights or walkie-talkies) and pieces of scrap require one free item slot each. Players can use their ship's onboard computer terminal to navigate to moons and spend their earned Company credits on equipment and humorous ship accessories, such as a shower or toilet. The terminal may also be used to view the positions of other players, open security doors, or temporarily disable landmines and turrets inside the facility. [5]

The game offers twelve playable moons, including the Company's moon where collected scrap is sold. Moons differ in which and how many monsters spawn, as well as the amount and value of scrap available. Players must spend credits to access the most dangerous and lucrative moons. [6] Moons may randomly have dangerous weather conditions or hazards such as fog, quicksand, lightning storms, flooding, or solar eclipses that hinder players' progress. [6] [7]

Players encounter a variety of creatures while exploring. Most are found inside each moon's facility, but some will spawn outdoors. Most entities are hostile towards the players, though some creatures, like the Spore Lizard and Hoarding Bug, will remain passive until provoked. [8] [9] [10] The game's monsters include the Thumper, a two-legged beast that can reach high speeds but is bad at making tight turns, and the Bracken, a humanoid creature that stalks its prey before snapping its neck, but runs away when spotted. [10] [11] [12] One of the most dangerous enemies is the Jester, an invincible creature inside a giant jack-in-the-box. It wanders harmlessly until it spots a player, whereupon it will begin following them while turning its crank. After popping open, it will hunt and kill all players in the facility. [10] [13]

Development

Zeekerss previously developed games on the game creation platform Roblox . [14] [15] Lethal Company was released in early access for Microsoft Windows on October 23, 2023. [14] [16] Zeekerss said he plans to finish the game within six months. [17] He also expressed a desire for content updates to evoke the feeling of breaking into an "alien zoo" and unleashing all the animals. [18] [19]

Reception

Lethal Company has received critical acclaim on the online storefront Steam, topping the platform's Global Top Seller list and having 100,000 concurrent players in November 2023. [20] [16] [21] [22] Its popularity has been attributed to social media [23] [24] and compared to the similar horror game Phasmophobia . [25] [26] [27]

Kelsey Raynor of VG247 noted that the game "...might not look like much given its grisly cel-shaded graphics, but fans are wholly obsessed with Lethal Company, and its gruesome aesthetic is clearly just another part of its charm." [14] Gabriel Moss of IGN said that "Lethal Company already instills a sense of wonder", and that the game's co-op loot hunts "manage to transcend its limited content and missing systems." [2] PCGamesN included Lethal Company on its listing of best horror games available on PC. [28]

According to an approximate estimate by Push To Talk, Lethal Company has sold more than 10 million copies as of January 2024. [29]

The player avatar has appeared in the online video game Fortnite as "The Employee", which was added to the game in June 2024 alongside additional cosmetics and an emote based on Lethal Company. [30]

Awards

AwardDateCategoryResultRef.
The Steam Awards January 2, 2024Game of the YearNominated [31] [32]
Better With FriendsWon
The Streamer Awards February 17, 2024Stream Game of the YearWon [33]
20th British Academy Games Awards April 11, 2024EE Player's Choice AwardNominated [34]

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References

  1. ↑ Saver, Michael; Pung, Julia; Stanton, Devon (January 4, 2024). "Made with Unity: 2023 in review". Unity Technologies . Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Moss, Gabriel (November 29, 2023). "Lethal Company Early Access Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ Valentina Stella, Marloes (November 24, 2023). "How to make money in Lethal Company". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Jain, Sanyam (December 16, 2023). "Lethal Company: Complete Guide". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
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  6. 1 2 Rothery, Jen; Stella, Marloes Valentina; et al. (November 23, 2023). "Lethal Company Moons - Lethal Company Guide". IGN. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ Shi, Annie (December 23, 2023). "Lethal Company: Weather Conditions, Explained". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  8. ↑ Rothery, Jen; Stella, Marloes Valentina; Brandon; et al. (December 21, 2023). "Spore Lizard - Lethal Company Guide". IGN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ Rothery, Jen; Stella, Marloes Valentina; Brandon; et al. (December 21, 2023). "Hoarding Bug - Lethal Company Guide". IGN. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 Writer, Kiera Mills Guides; Mills, Kiera (February 8, 2024). "All Lethal Company monsters and how to beat them". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
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  12. ↑ Rothery, Jen; Stella, Marloes Valentina; Brandon; et al. (December 21, 2023). "Thumper - Lethal Company Guide". IGN. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
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