I’ve noticed a huge trend of co-op horror games.

Phasmophobia started this trend back in 2020 with its Paranormal Investigations. Lethal Company ruled 2023 with its scrap-hauling insanity. Yet, R.E.P.O. (Retrieve, Extract, and Profit Operation) is swinging hard.

With 64,000+ Steam reviews and a 96% positive rating, is it the “new” Lethal Company? I’ve sunk 20 hours into its early access.
This R.E.P.O. review dives deep into its gameplay, monsters, economy, replayability, and community.

Strap in, we’re hauling loot and dodging ducks. Let’s start this R.E.P.O. Review.

The Co-Op Horror Scene: Why It’s Thriving in 2025

The Genre’s Meteoric Rise

Co-op horror exploded with Phasmophobia in 2020, but Lethal Company redefined it in 2023, peaking at 240,817 Steam players.

It’s you and your crew scavenging loot, evading monsters, and surviving—or dying hilariously. Proximity chat turned chaos into gold.

By 2025, the genre’s a juggernaut—R.E.P.O. hit 271,571 concurrent players in March, a massive flex for an indie.

As a squad-play addict (Payday 3 is my jam), I thrive on this rush.

Why I’m Obsessed

Gaming’s my crucible. Between lifting plates, drumming complex fills, and plotting a political ascent, I need a space to hone my edge.

Co-op horror delivers, coordinating over voice chat with the stakes high. I don’t mess with cheap knock-offs.

I crave depth, strategy, and replay value.

R.E.P.O.’s stepping up with physics-driven mechanics and a dark comedic twist. Let’s see if it’s got the muscle to last.

R.E.P.O.: The Contender Enters the Ring

The Basics

R.E.P.O. was dropped by the Swedish indie outfit Semiwork on February 26, 2025. It casts you as a robot repossession agent. You raid haunted sites for loot while monsters hunt you.

It’s early access on Steam, $9.99 (a buck cheaper than Lethal Company), with 64,792 reviews, 96% positive, and that 271,571-player peak.

Up to six players team up, wielding gravity guns straight out of Garry’s Mod. It’s raw, chaotic, and hooked me fast.

First Run Chaos

I jumped in with a friend, expecting a Lethal Company knockoff. Wrong.

Our first gig was to haul a grand harp through Headman Manor’s narrow halls. The floors were creaky and we had a blind shotgun-wielding nut on our tail.

I floated the harp with the gravity gun, scraped a wall, and triggered the old man.

We couldn’t stop laughing at the insanity of the shotgun man.

Zeekerss, Lethal Company’s dev, called this piano gig “the most funny objective for a horror game” on X. He’s dead-on. It’s absurd, tense, and fresh as hell.

Core Mechanics: The Gravity Gun Advantage

R.E.P.O. ditches basic carry mechanics for a gravity gun. Levitate loot, no weight limits, just physics.

Items have value (e.g., $1800 for a green uranium plate), but hits slash it fast.

My crew once floated a $20,000 server; I clipped a doorframe, dropping it to $3000.

It’s like deadlifting—form’s everything, or you’re toast. A hover cart aids bulky hauls, forcing teamwork. Every run’s a physics puzzle with a horror twist.

Loot Types and Strategies

• Fragile Loot (Cups, An Ocarina?): High value, low weight—think $1000-$1500. Float them smooth; one scrape, and you’re down 50. I’ve botched gems into trash too many times.
  
• Bulky Loot (Pianos, Statues): Lower value per pound but huge totals—$20,000 for a pristine piano. Needs multiple hands or the cart. We pulled a two-man piano haul once—one steering, two guarding—flawless.
  
• Revive Heads: Dead teammates’ heads are loot. Extract them to respawn. I’ve revived buddies mid-run while a crazy nun swiped at our stash—pure adrenaline.
  
• Rare Finds (Golden Widgets): $30,000-value jackpots, but heavy and fragile. We lost one to a telekinetic alien—lesson learned: guard it like gold.

Progression and Economy: Power Through Profit

Earnings fund upgrades—stats (strength, speed), weapons (bats), and tools (Duck Bucket).

Strength’s imo, the best pick. It’s NOT forgiving; progression’s about smart buys, not grinding skill walls. Cash turns into capability, run after run.

Shop Breakdown: Cost-Benefit Analysis

• Strength Upgrade: ups lift capacity. A must-have for bulky loot, pays off in two runs.
  
• Speed Upgrade: boosts movement, saves a lot of time.
  
• Range Upgrade: It increases your range at grabbing things.
  
• Sprint Upgrade: That stamina runs out FAST, this helps with that, to an extent.

At Level 7 after 20 hours, things get CRAZY.

It’s not a brutal skill gate; it’s a sandbox where profit buys dominance. Strength edges out speed for a lot, but speed’s clutch for tight escapes.

Economy Deep Dive

Every item’s a gamble—fragile loot’s high-risk, high-reward; bulky’s steady but slow.

Upgrade pacing’s key—rush strength early, then diversify.

Late-game, a 50,000-value widget run with max strength feels like hitting a 405 squat—earned, not given.

Atmosphere and Horror: Tension with a Twist

The Mood

R.E.P.O. blends creepy and comedic masterfully. Headman Manor’s claustrophobic halls and creaky floors scream dread, while McJannek Station’s rusted sprawl leaves you exposed.

Swiftbroom Academy’s dark, winding corridors demand stealth. Sound design—distant thuds, monster chuckles—keeps your pulse up.

The Monsters: 19 Threats, 5 Standouts

With 19 enemies, here’s the hit list:

• Robe (I call it “The Nun”): Resident Evil vibes—slow, brutal. Bat it down or lose your loot. One chased me through McJannek; I barely escaped.
  
• Telekinetic Alien (I call it the “Redditor”): Floats your loot away—infuriating. Break sight to stop it. Lost a 1,000-value widget to this bastard.
  
• Apex Predator (The Duck): Small, fast, relentless. Duck Bucket’s your shield—trapped one mid-quack, laughed my ass off.
  
• Gnome Swarm (Gnomeo and Juliet anyone?): Tiny looters that shatter fragile stuff. Smack ‘em fast—I’ve lost 200-value crystals to these pests.
  
• Death-Ray Clown: Rare, lethal, hilarious. Zapped my hauler buddy—revive head run ensued.

They’re not always deadly—break line of sight, and most chill—but they’ll wreck your haul.
A nun once cornered me; I dodged, but my gem hit the floor. It’s less “scream” and more “scream-laugh,” a balance my crew eats up.

Humor Meets Horror: A Unique Edge

The absurdity—ducks, clowns with death rays—cuts the tension without breaking it.

Proximity chat turns it up—teammates yelling “QUACK!” as I bat a duck is peak chaos. It’s not pure terror, but it’s damn addictive.

The Three Arenas

Early access offers three hand-crafted maps:

• Headman Manor: Tight, eerie, piano-hauling nightmare. Close-quarters madness makes it almost Resident Evil-like.
  
• McJannek Station: Open, decayed, risky. It reminds me of The Thing. (Not the hero.)
  
• Swiftbroom Academy: Dark, maze-like, tense. Stealth vibes kick in, reminds me of Hogwarts.

No procedural generation—every corner’s deliberate. After 20 hours, repeats hit, but the design keeps it alive.

Each map’s a distinct design, not a lazy copy-paste. It even gets crazier with multiple tables in the air.

The Limitation

Three maps won’t hold forever. I’m not bored at 20 hours, but longevity needs more.

Thankfully, the mods save the day for this game. There are already hundreds of convenient and quality-of-life mods available for this game Since Day 1.

Early Access Staying Power

At 20 hours, R.E.P.O.’s replay hook is real. Levitating loot while dodging clowns? Endless stories.

My crew still roasts our piano-duck flop—physics keeps every run fresh. It’s not infinite yet—three maps cap it—but the chaos carries me.

Future Promise: Roadmap Speculation

Semiwork’s vocal—weekly YouTube vlogs tease maps, monsters, and mechanics. Challenge modes, free cosmetics, VR, and crossplay are floated.

The Duck Bucket update (Week 3) was gold—I’ve trapped quackers mid-run, howling. If they sustain this, R.E.P.O. could own 2025.

What’s Coming?

• “The Museum” Map: Fragile artifacts, high stakes—precision haulers like me will feast.
  
• VR Mode: Floating loot in VR? Immersion overload. VR would be a nice touch.
  
• Crossplay: Console squads join—grows the base, and players.
  
• New Monsters: A “Gravity Leech” could mess with your gun—imagine the panic.

The roadmap’s bold, and Semiwork’s earned my trust.

Community and Developer Support: The Backbone

The Buzz

R.E.P.O.’s community is electric—271,571 peak players, streamers like Criken amplifying it. Steam forums and Discord hum with strats, memes (killer duck art’s everywhere). It’s the co-op vibe I live for—squads bonding over hauls.

Semiwork’s Commitment

The devs are open—vlogs, Steam posts, crowd-sourced tweaks like matchmaking. My conservative bent digs this: they serve players, not egos.

It’s live, value for value. Unlike indies that ghost post-launch, Semiwork’s in it. That fuels R.E.P.O.’s rise.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Weighing In

What Slaps

• Physics Chaos: Gravity guns and loot value make every run a brain-and-brawn test. Addictive.
  
• Comedy-Horror: Ducks and clowns keep it light without losing bite—chat chaos seals it.
  
• Team Synergy: Revives, big hauls—squad play shines.
  
• Dev Hustle: Semiwork’s updates promise a monster hit.

What’s Lacking

• Map Count: Three’s tight but thin—replay needs more fuel.
  
• Monster Punch: Funny outranks scary—more lethality could balance it.
  
• Monster Damage: Feels a little too much for some, especially solo.

My Verdict for this R.E.P.O. Review

R.E.P.O.’s a contender—fresh, hilarious, dripping with potential. It’s not the deepest yet, but early access and Semiwork’s drive give it legs.

I’m 20 hours in, hooked on the laughs and loot. I give it a solid 9/10.

Actionable Tips for R.E.P.O. Rookies

• Squad Up: Three-plus friends—solo works, but voice chat’s the soul.
  
• Upgrade Wisely: Strength first—big hauls fund the rest.
  
• Master the Gun: Precision floats win—practice or pay in scrapes.
  
• Plan the Pull: Haul smart—chaos kills sloppy crews, even if it’s funny.

Conclusion: A Raw, Rising Star

R.E.P.O.’s carving a brutal, funny niche in co-op horror—physics-driven, chaotic, and brimming with promise.

R.E.P.O. feels like that: unpolished, bold, rewarding.
Three maps and tame monsters cap it now, but Semiwork’s updates could make it a legend. It’s my 2025 squad fix—loot, laughs, and duck-dodging glory.

Grab it, float some loot, and see if you don’t crack up.

Vibing with R.E.P.O.? Hit me up below or on X @DanThePriceMan.