Hello and welcome back to The Backlog, the weekly column where I review video games based on a certain genre each month. We’ve finished our exploration into scary games for October, and now we’re going to be looking at multiplayer games for November, in the spirit of the holidays. For our first edition of the month, we’re looking at a game that brings people together for capitalist purposes, “Lethal Company.”
“Lethal Company” was initially released for early access in Oct. 2023 by Zeekerss. The indie title was created by one person but gained popularity because of its absurdity and multiplayer mechanics.
The gameplay involves players acting as employees of the “Company” and must travel through space to different planets. On these planets, there are facilities you can go in and collect items, with the goal being to collect enough valuables by the end of the three-day deadline to reach your quota. At the end of the three days, you are transported to the Company and must give your items to a mysterious entity within the building. If you reach your quota, you are given a new one that is slightly higher. If you fail, it’s game over and the entity within the Company building takes you and your crew.
Although simplistic, indie games like “Lethal Company” have a lot of potential for Internet fame and popularity. Multiplayer games with scary elements are a goldmine for gamers on Twitch and YouTube. “Lethal Company” provides the opportunity to have up to four friends together and create hilarious chaos.
There are more than just items in these facilities. Within the buildings and on the planet’s surface are monsters, each one with its own unique abilities. Common ones like Bunker Spiders and Hoarding Bugs can be avoided to a certain extent. Players may be able to avoid the Bunker Spider if it’s standing still, and the Hoarding Bug only attacks if the player tries to steal from them.
Luckily, the Hoarding Bug can be killed by a few hits from a shovel or sign. Players may want to kill them on sight as the Hoarding Bugs will try to take items away from you.
Each monster can be avoided or killed, but some are incredibly unique. The Comedy and Tragedy masks seem like collectible loot, but they’re also monsters that can kill and possess players. Just holding the mask could get you possessed, but this chance increases if you hold it against your face.
Although it seems scary, a lot of players find “Lethal Company” to be a hilarious experience. Playing with friends can create fun memories of running from enemies and funny deaths. The game also uses proximity chat, making it so you can only hear your friends if their characters are close to you, so it’s easy to get lost and separated from each other.
On the ship, players can buy items to help them. The major ones are the walkie-talkies, flashlights and weapons. Most items make it easier to traverse through the facilities or defend yourself, but be careful. The jetpack is very tempting, yet I’ve never seen someone use it without it going horribly wrong.
Even though “Lethal Company” is a small indie title, there is a story underneath the surface. Through the console on the ship, players can come across logs describing the story and conspiracy behind the Company and what the players are doing.
I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that the Company isn’t what it seems, which is made obvious by the monster that eats you if you don’t reach the quota. Alas, all players can do is work until they die, but there are some strategies for staying alive for longer. The easiest strategy is to only give the Company the necessary items to reach the quota, and not go over it. Keeping extra items on the ship can help you with your next quota, which will increase each time. Eventually, most crews reach a point where they cannot keep going, so they die and start all over again.
“Lethal Company” is still updated by the developer, with new enemies, planets and items. But there are also a lot of mods available for those who want more of a challenge or want to have an item slot open for a walkie-talkie and flashlight instead of using your inventory.
The multiplayer-horror genre of games is oversaturated at this point, but it doesn’t mean that they’re not fun. Games like “Lethal Company” and “Phasmophobia” are great opportunities for friends to play together and laugh at each other’s failures. They’re not revolutionary in their gameplay, nor are they extremely detailed. But a game doesn’t have to be state-of-the-art to be a fun experience. Instead, “Lethal Company” is a perfect representation of capitalism: you work until you are eaten by a giant monster.