Over the last year, gamers have been blessed with a ton of new horror-based titles that have scratched the need for something terrifying to get the blood running in their veins, including the ever-popular Lethal Company and Landfall Games’ newly-released title, Content Warning.
These two titles are equally as scary, have plenty of gameplay aspects in common, and are usually better when played with friends, but they are also vastly different in key areas that could dictate which game you end up picking alongside your pals. With monsters in abundance, eerie atmospheres, and jumpscares for days, both Lethal Company and Content Warning will be great gaming choices for every horror fan.
If you’re still on the fence about which indie horror game you and your friends want to buy, here are some of the best reasons to cop each title.
Why you should play Lethal Company over Content Warning
Lethal Company begins when you and your fellow teammates are hired by the Company to land on specific moons to collect as many pieces of scrap as you can over a specific amount of days.
Players must hit a certain amount of scrap to sell, so they can hit a set quota by the end of the allotted time. If they aren’t able to hit the quota by the end of the set days, they are subsequently fired and are thrown into space. As a result, players must work together to find as much scrap as possible to sell for the Company, all while avoiding various monsters and other hazards on these moons.
Known as one of the simplest and scariest games on the market, Lethal Company has only been out for about six months, but already has a handful of different updates and new content to explore. There are a ton of new cosmetics, items to use, and a whole horde of monsters to discover on your adventures, along with a plethora of mods that can enhance the experience even further.
Although Lethal Company and Content Warning might seem similar in concept, the former is much more simpler since you only have to find items to sell for profit with the Company. Fail to meet quota, and you die. It is very straight-forward and easy to understand, and with how many updates and mods the game has, there is still plenty of content to discover with your buds.
Why you should play Content Warning over Lethal Company
Content Warning is a fresh take on the original idea Lethal Company recently popularized, with a focus on getting into as much trouble as you can. While Lethal Company players are hard-focused on avoiding monsters and simply finding scrap to survive, Content Warning enthusiasts are encouraged to get into shenanigans to progress.
In Content Warning, four players are tasked with jumping into a diving pod and travelling to an underwater factory, where they will use a camera with limited recording space to capture all their adventures in the quest to become a viral sensation. Instead of working towards a cash quota, players focus on getting views on the videos they record over three days.
Views are based on what you’re capturing, so if you’re spending too much recording space on an intro or during downtime, you’ll see a negligible increase in your views compared to recording a monster in action, your friends finding a skull, or a teammate falling from a high spot. Overall, you are encouraged to pull off some wacky behavior to get as much viewership as possible, almost like real-life content creation.
Although there might not be as clear-cut a direction for quota and views, this game brings a lot more freestyled silliness when it comes to finding and creating videos with your friends. It’s also hilarious to watch back these recorded videos in the comfort of your base once everything is over, giving you fond memories while you try to become the next hit SpookTube sensation.
Final thoughts: Which to play
Lethal Company and Content Warning bring different types of fun to a similar genre, although the former brings a lot more structure for newer players to follow, while the latter can be a lot more chaotic since its quota is a bit more freeflowing and less static than simply collecting pieces of scrap.
Both these indie games hover around the same price point, with Content Warning costing about $7.99 USD and Lethal Company costing around $9.99 USD. Ultimately, it’ll be around which type of experience you’re looking for in your next sesh, whether you want a more structured but terrifying experience vs. the open world of content creation.
