A very audacious concept I would have never bet on. Oddly, It works very well.
This game turns the survival horror, which is by essence THE solo game genre by excellence, into a multiplayer game. IMHO, This is done by:
- Creating a very simple core gameplay: simples moves and a single very simple objective (gather stuff)
This create space for other aspects to thrive. Fortunately, that's exactly what happens. You have to do and focus on very very very simple things, and you must do them by very very very simple means. This establish a routine. Fortunately, as anybody know, breaking routine is one the basis of horror: that's why even though glasses are safe places in The Evil Within, I was always moving forward aiming when I was hearing Debussy's Clair de Lune.
- Isolating players spatialy and relatively to each others
This is due to the objective: searching for stuff in labyrinth. This is served by four level design ideas.
1 - Randomness, that even though it sometimes creates really bad level design, it most of the time creates decent situations that keep us on our toes as they are strangely made and unknown.
2 - "Mischievous things", such as very dense fogs leading to deadly cliffs, near-invisible quicksands, plateform sequences in a game clearly not made for plateforms, Flooded areas...
3 - "Evolving design" such as the said flooded areas, that are near empty in the morning and near uncrossable in the evening. Enemi spawn is also determined by how much time you've spent on the level.
4 - "Two zones design" that put the player's progession in sequence: first you have to reach the lootable area, then you have to loot it, then you have to find your way backward, eventually you have to reach your starting point. This constitute juste as much chances for the game to separate you from your comrades, whom you don't know where they are nor what they are doing nor if they're even still alive (like Glados).
- Relying on efficient horror mechanics
I speak of game design: it's very efficient. As for pure gameplay mecanics and horror esthetics, I must say the game benefits from a conderful treatment of lights and darkness. Each enemi is unique in their behaviour, which is wonderful in two ways. First you have to understand their behaviour, which implies a lot of risks and mistakes. Then, you have to play arround these enemies, which isn't always possible. Some enemies are based on the sound you make, othesr on if they are or not on your sight, others on if you move or not. Eventually, this is a vast and complexe imbricated web of behaviours players and enemies have in a constrainted level design.
- Designing the game's specificity arround communications
This is the game's key mecanics. It's very good. Your mic is always active. Your comrades can hear you within a certain distance, as does the rest of world, hostile creatures included. This is a wonderful way of distracting each other, as conversations go on through routine, which is a chance for mistakes to happen. I addition, everything does a sound in Lethal Company: I must say the sound design is good. Some things tend to do noise, so you use them to reassure yourself, break the monotony and eventually distract everybody (i.e: horns). Some other things do really creepy horror sounds from various sub-horror genres: turrets and mines remind me of Half-Life despair while blob are as slow as inlectuable and more traditional monsters make more traditional screams, swallows, scrapings and tumblings. The game gains a new dimension since you unlock walkie talkies, which mean one operaator can stay at the base and "supervise" the team the best he can. If so, you hurt another fun wall: humans are incapable of communicating efficiently with each other with limited context. I.E: "go on your right, but not exactly your right, like the diagonal right from your current position... Oh ok, you've turned your head... Right."
- Making the game accessible tone-wise, by adding a lot of comedy in it
This makes the game appealing for social groups: nobody wants to live a bad evening, especially when gathered with friends. Considering this and some members of the party might be in a lower mood, multiplayer games have to be softer and more easy to take than solo games. It appears comedy is a powerful tool to do so.
Overall accessibility and benevolence is also really great in lethal Company. For instance, it features a setting adapted for arachnophobes players. Plus, failure isn't a pain, as it either allow to win as a team, either to restart doing pretty much the same thing you were doing before your failure.
- Focusing on small game sessions
This is great to free pressure and leading the players in a "1 more then I'll go to bed" loop, especially considering there will always be this one guy on the back who doesn't want to stop playing and will encourage the group not to leave him alone.
Bonus point: I do like its visuals. I'm glad it takes a lot of inspiration from both cell-shading and the PS1 era.
This game turns the survival horror, which is by essence THE solo game genre by excellence, into a multiplayer game. IMHO, This is done by:
- Creating a very simple core gameplay: simples moves and a single very simple objective (gather stuff)
This create space for other aspects to thrive. Fortunately, that's exactly what happens. You have to do and focus on very very very simple things, and you must do them by very very very simple means. This establish a routine. Fortunately, as anybody know, breaking routine is one the basis of horror: that's why even though glasses are safe places in The Evil Within, I was always moving forward aiming when I was hearing Debussy's Clair de Lune.
- Isolating players spatialy and relatively to each others
This is due to the objective: searching for stuff in labyrinth. This is served by four level design ideas.
1 - Randomness, that even though it sometimes creates really bad level design, it most of the time creates decent situations that keep us on our toes as they are strangely made and unknown.
2 - "Mischievous things", such as very dense fogs leading to deadly cliffs, near-invisible quicksands, plateform sequences in a game clearly not made for plateforms, Flooded areas...
3 - "Evolving design" such as the said flooded areas, that are near empty in the morning and near uncrossable in the evening. Enemi spawn is also determined by how much time you've spent on the level.
4 - "Two zones design" that put the player's progession in sequence: first you have to reach the lootable area, then you have to loot it, then you have to find your way backward, eventually you have to reach your starting point. This constitute juste as much chances for the game to separate you from your comrades, whom you don't know where they are nor what they are doing nor if they're even still alive (like Glados).
- Relying on efficient horror mechanics
I speak of game design: it's very efficient. As for pure gameplay mecanics and horror esthetics, I must say the game benefits from a conderful treatment of lights and darkness. Each enemi is unique in their behaviour, which is wonderful in two ways. First you have to understand their behaviour, which implies a lot of risks and mistakes. Then, you have to play arround these enemies, which isn't always possible. Some enemies are based on the sound you make, othesr on if they are or not on your sight, others on if you move or not. Eventually, this is a vast and complexe imbricated web of behaviours players and enemies have in a constrainted level design.
- Designing the game's specificity arround communications
This is the game's key mecanics. It's very good. Your mic is always active. Your comrades can hear you within a certain distance, as does the rest of world, hostile creatures included. This is a wonderful way of distracting each other, as conversations go on through routine, which is a chance for mistakes to happen. I addition, everything does a sound in Lethal Company: I must say the sound design is good. Some things tend to do noise, so you use them to reassure yourself, break the monotony and eventually distract everybody (i.e: horns). Some other things do really creepy horror sounds from various sub-horror genres: turrets and mines remind me of Half-Life despair while blob are as slow as inlectuable and more traditional monsters make more traditional screams, swallows, scrapings and tumblings. The game gains a new dimension since you unlock walkie talkies, which mean one operaator can stay at the base and "supervise" the team the best he can. If so, you hurt another fun wall: humans are incapable of communicating efficiently with each other with limited context. I.E: "go on your right, but not exactly your right, like the diagonal right from your current position... Oh ok, you've turned your head... Right."
- Making the game accessible tone-wise, by adding a lot of comedy in it
This makes the game appealing for social groups: nobody wants to live a bad evening, especially when gathered with friends. Considering this and some members of the party might be in a lower mood, multiplayer games have to be softer and more easy to take than solo games. It appears comedy is a powerful tool to do so.
Overall accessibility and benevolence is also really great in lethal Company. For instance, it features a setting adapted for arachnophobes players. Plus, failure isn't a pain, as it either allow to win as a team, either to restart doing pretty much the same thing you were doing before your failure.
- Focusing on small game sessions
This is great to free pressure and leading the players in a "1 more then I'll go to bed" loop, especially considering there will always be this one guy on the back who doesn't want to stop playing and will encourage the group not to leave him alone.
Bonus point: I do like its visuals. I'm glad it takes a lot of inspiration from both cell-shading and the PS1 era.