Let It Die is a game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, the same studio behind No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned, and Lollipop Chainsaw. It is a hack and slash game that takes the form of a free-to-play model and is exclusive to the PlayStation 4 system. It is currently available on the PlayStation store.

Impressions:

I’ve spent about 4 hours on the game and within that time, I have died three times. Don’t get me wrong, the game is difficult when it wants to be but, like most Souls and Souls-like games, players can pretty much run through most of the enemies if things get a bit too hectic. The overall goal of the game is to get to the top of the tower without dying. Dying sends the player back at the bottom of the tower, and everything collected during the previous attempt is lost. It is, however, possible to salvage all those gears by spending Kill Coins earned through killing enemies or doing quests. When you die, your previous character, becomes an enemy of that instance and is called a Hater. Haters yield more experience but are tougher to kill. Other people’s Haters can also invade your instance, giving the game an “online social element”. Haters can also drop high-quality loot when killed. It is also worth noting that killing your Hater sends it to a different player’s instance, and when your Hater kills that player, their loot becomes yours. This provides players who kill their Haters an incentive to do so.

Combat is pretty average, combining elements of typical hack and slash games with some Dark Souls mixed in. Players can lock-on, roll, and block during fights. Different enemies wield different weapons, each with their specific abilities. Some deal damage-over-time, some are one-handed while others require two, and some are ballistic-types weapons, dealing damage from afar. While it feels satisfying to kill the first few enemies, the combat can feel a bit repetitive and enemy variation is lacking. I have, personally never made it higher than 5 floors but I have seen different enemy types but they are far too in between. Weapons also have durability and can break after a certain amount of use, making combat feel tense once a tanky enemy is faced and each weapon starts to break. This is not an inconveniency, though, as enemies drop weapons quite often. Use a weapon enough and the player can level it up through mastery, making the weapon deal more damage and perform other special attacks.

Health and stamina also play a major factor in the game. Eating mushrooms littered across the tower is necessary in order to regenerate health. There are also a variety of mushrooms that have different effects on both the player and the enemy. One particular mushroom puts enemies to sleep when thrown, while another buffs the player’s damage. Stamina is done creatively, though. Instead of having a stamina bar, the player can see their heart pumping. As the player gets exhausted, their heart turns purple. If the player reaches fatigue, they will stop moving and need a few seconds to recover, making them vulnerable to attack. Both can be upgraded at the “Waiting Room”, a hub where players can save their progress, level up their character, buy and cook mushrooms, and purchase weapons. There is also a daily login bonus given.

Given its free-to-play model, Let It Die has microtransactions. Death Metals can be purchased in order to continue after dying, buying extra storage space, and the like. The game can be played without the need of obtaining these Death Metals from the store but it will make the player’s playthrough easier, if they should ever find the game too difficult. Personally, I do not feel the need to get these Death Metals right away, due to the fact that I made it all the way to the fifth floor without much difficulty. My death was because of carelessness, and given another chance I could have avoided it if I had been more careful. I do not yet know if there is a “paywall” after reaching a certain floor, but I will update this article as soon as I encounter it.

Overall, the game is pretty fun. Let It Die is perfect for those quick gaming sessions. Maybe you’re waiting for dinner to be ready and you have a few minutes to spare and clear a floor. Maybe your friends are not online yet and you need to play a little something while waiting. Although it is not near perfect, or even amazing, Let It Die does what it wants to do adequately. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, Uncle Death is pretty entertaining to watch, and the soundtrack is surprisingly good (J-Pop). The game needs some more work though. Hit detection needs some more refining, User Interface needs to look neater, and the overall payoff of clearing an entire floor needs to be a tiny bit more satisfying. If Grasshopper Manufacture keeps this up, this game might eventually turn into something amazing.

If you have other insights, suggestions, and tips in order to further enhance the quality of the article, please comment down below. It would be much appreciated. Make sure to leave your name so I can credit you properly. Thanks!

Note: This is not my final review. I will update this article as I progress through the game. I have not yet decided whether I will give this a final verdict, due to it being a free-to-play game. Reviewing a free-to-play game is vastly different from full-priced games, therefore I cannot approach it in the same manner.

*Photos were taken from Google Images.