Let It Die drops you into a prison tower filled with monsters, traps and other players, and tells you to die over and over until you climb high enough to escape. That loop sounds simple. It rarely stays simple.
The game asks players to fall down again and again, each death sending them back to the bottom of the tower with fewer items and a stronger enemy waiting ahead. That structure shapes almost everything else about Let It Die, from its combat to its humor to its difficulty spikes.
Trailer, via GungHo.
The Tower Structure
Let It Die splits its world into a series of floors, each with its own dangers and rewards. Players move upward through the tower, facing enemies and bosses along the way, with checkpoints placed at regular intervals to mark progress. The design pushes players toward constant forward motion while punishing hesitation with damage and loss of resources.
The tower itself acts as a kind of character in Let It Die. Floors change in appearance and danger level, and the game uses these shifts to keep the experience feeling fresh even as the basic pattern repeats. This approach helps the game avoid the monotony that can set in when a player simply climbs, fights and dies again.
Combat and Health System
Fighting in Let It Die relies on a health system built around stamina bars. Players build up health through eating food items found throughout the tower, and attacks cost stamina that must be managed carefully during fights. Weapons include guns, blades and special tools, each with its own strengths and drawbacks.
The stamina system adds a layer of risk management to combat. Players can rush in with aggressive attacks early in a fight, but they risk leaving themselves open later when their stamina runs low. The game rewards players who learn to pace their attacks and save stamina for the moments that matter most.
Boss encounters stand out as the highlights of Let It Die’s combat design. Each boss brings a distinct challenge, often requiring players to learn a new attack pattern or timing window before they can land a hit. These fights demand patience and quick reflexes, and they give the game some of its strongest moments.
Multiplayer and Co-op
Let It Die supports both competitive multiplayer and co-op play. Players can team up with friends to take on the tower together, or they can face off against each other in ranked matches that add a layer of chaos to the standard tower climb. The game’s online modes offer a sharp contrast to the solo climb, changing the stakes entirely.
Co-op play softens the difficulty curve. Sharing resources and splitting enemy fire make the tower climb more manageable, though it also changes the experience from the solo version’s punishing individuality. Ranked matches bring a different kind of tension, with players fighting for position and resources against a field of rivals.
Humor and Visual Style
Let It Die leans heavily on dark humor and surreal visual design. Its characters are cartoonish and grotesque, and its tone shifts from grim to absurd with surprising frequency. The game’s presentation draws on a mix of influences, including anime and horror, creating a look that feels distinct from other action games in the genre.
The humor lands unevenly. Some jokes work perfectly, landing as genuinely funny moments within the chaos of a fight. Others feel forced or miss entirely, slipping past without leaving much of an impression. The game’s willingness to shift tone mid-combat is part of its charm, even when the jokes fall flat.
The visual style carries a lot of weight on its own. The game’s color palette and character designs give the tower a memorable identity, setting it apart from the standard look of many action titles. The result is a game that looks distinct, even if its mechanics sometimes borrow from familiar territory.
Difficulty and Replay Value
Let It Die is not an easy game. Its difficulty rises sharply as players move through the tower, particularly during boss encounters and ranked matches. Deaths happen frequently, and the game’s design punishes careless play with harsh results. Players who want to progress quickly need to learn enemy patterns and manage their resources carefully.
The difficulty curve is one of the game’s defining features. It keeps players engaged by forcing them to master the controls and the systems over time, rewarding persistence even when the immediate results sting. For players who enjoy a challenge, the game delivers in spades.
Replay value comes from both the tower climb and the multiplayer modes. The tower presents a different path each time, with enemy spawns and item locations shifting based on player performance. This means no two runs through Let It Die ever feel exactly the same, giving the game lasting appeal beyond a single playthrough.
Sound Design and Music
The music in Let It Die shifts between tense tracks and more energetic pieces, matching the game’s shifting tone. Sound effects for attacks and enemy actions are loud and immediate, adding to the game’s overall sense of chaos. The audio design supports the visual presentation, helping to sell the game’s strange atmosphere.
The soundtrack deserves credit for carrying the game’s tone across its many moods. From the grim boss themes to the lighter tracks during exploration, the music never overstays its welcome. It complements the visuals without overpowering them, letting the game’s humor and horror sit side by side.
Performance on PC and PS4
Let It Die ran smoothly during testing on both PC and PS4, with few technical issues to speak of. Load times were short, and the game maintained a steady frame rate even during busy fights. The game’s performance holds up well across both platforms, though the PC version offers a wider range of control options for players who prefer keyboard and mouse over controller input.
The game’s technical execution stands as a strong point. Few games in its genre manage to balance so many elements while remaining stable and responsive. The tower’s large number of floors and enemies could easily have caused performance problems, but Let It Die handles them well.
Where It Falls Short
Let It Die is not without its flaws. Some of its humor misses its mark, and the difficulty can feel punishing even when players have mastered the basics. The game’s reliance on repetition may not appeal to players looking for a more varied experience.
These weaknesses do not sink the game, but they are worth noting. The humor’s inconsistency means some players may find the game’s tone confusing, while the difficulty can frustrate players who want a more forgiving experience. The game’s strengths outweigh its flaws, but the flaws are real.
Final Word
Let It Die succeeds as a challenging, humorous action game that rewards persistence. Its tower structure, combat systems and multiplayer modes give it a distinct identity, even as it borrows from familiar action game traditions. The game’s flaws — uneven humor, punishing difficulty, repetitive structure — keep it from greatness, but they do not cancel out the experience it delivers.
For players willing to put in the time, Let It Die offers a rewarding climb that few other games match. Its combination of humor, horror and relentless challenge makes it a game worth playing, even if it does not always get the balance right.
Key Facts Box
– Platform: PS4, PC
– Genre: Action, hack-and-slash, multiplayer
– Developer: Goichi Suda / Grasshopper Manufacture
– Critical score: 7.7/10
Score
Let It Die earns a score of 7.7 out of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
