“R.E.P.O.” and “Lethal Company” are two recent games that, on the surface, seem very similar. They are both horror co-op extraction roguelikes released in 2025 and 2023, respectively. The gameplay loop of the games is indeed similar on paper. You start a game with nothing, enter randomized levels (the roguelike part), and gather loot to bring back safely to sell (the extraction part). Monsters that are far more powerful than you and are generally better avoided than confronted lurk the dark hallways (the horror part), and generally, these games are meant to be played with friends. In fact, the co-op nature of “Lethal Company” is a major factor that many people attribute to the game’s commercial and cultural success, which ended up majorly boosting the genre. In both games, the co-op nature not only adds to the horror aspect, but also introduces a comedic aspect that makes the games that more addicting to play.
As a result of these similarities, some began drawing comparisons between the two games. In particular, since “Lethal Company” was the first of the two, and indeed spawned many successors, some have called “R.E.P.O.” and other similar games after “Lethal Company” as clones. However, after having put in a decent bit of time playing both games, and even more time watching both played at a higher level, there are differences between the games that, while seemingly subtle, actually change the core gameplay loop enough to warrant both as potential additions to your game library.
One of the most noticeable differences between the two games is the general progression of a “run,” which I am defining as the time between the start of a save to the end. In both games, if every player dies, or enough loot isn’t extracted, your save ends. There is no returning to it, if you want to continue, you must start a new run. In “Lethal Company,” the end of a run is inevitable. The amount of loot you must collect to continue the run exponentially increases, and while there are levels you can select that offer more loot, there will come a point where the amount of loot you need will outpace the maximum amount of loot you can extract. This is baked into both the lore and design of the game. There are no long-term upgrades or stat-boosts in “Lethal Company.” Unlike most games where you might level up and get stronger, the only way you get better at “Lethal Company” is through knowledge or a few items which can be bought or found. Your run will eventually end.
“R.E.P.O.” is quite different. Hypothetically, you could keep a run going forever. A level will never demand more loot from you than you can physically gather. Instead, the generation of levels and the enemies spawned get harder over time. To counteract this, “R.E.P.O.” allows you to permanently upgrade your character. The loot you extract can be used to buy items (which stay for your entire run), and permanent stat upgrades. The only thing that stops a run in “R.E.P.O.” is player skill and knowledge, which can be refreshing and allow a player to become more attached to an individual run. In fact, at higher levels of play, it is entirely possible for a player to begin out-scaling the monsters and levels, making the goal easier to complete over a sufficiently long run.
The way a general level plays out is also different on a fundamental level. One of the core mechanics of “Lethal Company” that adds to both the extraction and horror experiences is the progression of time. You start each level at 8 a.m., and must leave by 12 a.m., at the latest. While in the loot-gathering areas of the game, you do not know what time it is, unless it is almost time to leave. The day also progresses from morning to afternoon to night, with the night introducing more monsters and lessened visibility. This puts a fairly strict time limit, and even with 4 players on a team, it is rare you will get all the loot in some of the more loot-rich levels. Tied in with this aspect is death and respawns. In “Lethal Company,” once you die in a level, you are dead until the next level starts, which, unless you get particularly unlucky and die at the beginning, is not a terribly long time (though an aspect of the game that I do wish was reconsidered). This creates a tension between wanting to gather loot as fast (and by extension, as recklessly) as possible, and playing slow and strategic enough to avoid dying, a core tension within the game’s atmosphere and balance.
In “R.E.P.O.,” the amount of time you can spend in a level is uncapped, though similarly to “Lethal Company,” the level does get more difficult the more time you spend in it. If you want to get every piece of loot possible and take the time to kill every enemy, you are allowed to do that. This incentivizes players to take their time, to be as strategic and patient as necessary. This also reflects in the game’s respawn system. Most levels provide opportunities for your teammates to revive you albeit at 1 health, provided they can find your corpse. There is also health sharing and healing items to supplement the revive mechanics. A good team might take their time on a level, but the dead teammates will never stay dead for too long, provided their alive compatriots have a good eye to spot the corpses.
One of the immediate differences I noticed between the two games, though one that is admittedly less impactful than the other two mentioned, is the player-monster interactions. In general, it is best not to fight the monsters in either “Lethal Company” or “R.E.P.O.” However, both games promote different mindsets to how you might or might not engage monsters. “Lethal Company” generally announces its enemies very loudly. The stronger the enemy, the more likely you are to be aware of its presence before it’s aware of yours. Therefore, players tend to spend most of their time either avoiding an enemy or, if spotted, running away. Meanwhile, some of the most dangerous enemies in “R.E.P.O.” are silent, leading to many interactions where you turn a corner or open a door the enemy the same time they spot you. Therefore, an engagement is more on your ability to quickly calm your nerves and hide. Running in “R.E.P.O.” is not effective, due to low stamina, and instead, is supplemented by more robust hiding mechanics and opportunities. There are further, more nuanced differences in enemies, including time-to-kill (generally, enemies in “R.E.P.O.” take longer), spawn/de-spawn mechanics, and others that reflect these different
Of course, the main objective of both games revolves around the loot, and even this aspect has considerable differences between the games. “Lethal Company’s” implementation of loot is very straightforward. It spawns randomly in the level, you pick it up (able to hold up to four at a time), and take it back to your ship. Most items exist purely to be brought back to be sold, with a few doing additional things like making noise (often a downside), or potentially saving your skin in a pinch. While admittedly simple in implementation, it’s hardly a bad thing. “R.E.P.O.,” on the other hand, makes the loot interaction perhaps its most core feature. All loot items are delicate physics objects, taking damage when hitting other surfaces. Most medium-tier to expensive items also have secondary interactions, such as making noise, exploding, or stunning enemies upon hitting them. This makes almost every item have the potential to join your toolkit, or otherwise something you have to look after carefully. Overall, this marks a shift in the focus of the game, from the monsters like in “Lethal Company,” to the loot itself.
I’ve said a lot, and there are many other intricacies I have decided to omit from this article, so what does this all mean? All in all, both “R.E.P.O.” and “Lethal Company” are great games, pillars of the horror co-op extraction roguelike in their own rights. If you and your friends have not given either game a chance yet, I would highly recommend trying at least one, if not both. Like myself, you might find yourself preferring one game over the other (for me, that has to go to “Lethal Company”), but grow to enjoy both nonetheless. And if the brilliant game design I have highlighted wasn’t enough for you, both games are only $10.