R.E.P.O. is a six-player co-op developed by Semiwork Studios, where you play as these small, silly android-looking robots referred to as “Semibots,” whose goal is to retrieve, extract, profit, and operate as a team! You are employed by a mysterious figure behind various monitors and screens known as the Tax Man, to reach assigned profit quotas for each extraction expedition.
The gameplay loop of this game consists of breaking an armored vehicle into factories, museums, manors, factories, and even wizard towers jam-packed with all sorts of different enemies roaming the premises. There are extraction points littered across the building protruding from the ceiling, deployed by the Tax Man. You take a padded cart from the armored vehicle to find artifacts and scraps within the grounds, to then carefully deposit them in the extraction points. In order for a successful extraction to occur, the Semibots need to find enough scrap to reach an extraction point’s assigned profit quota. If you reach all of the extraction points and send off enough money into the metal chutes, you receive the quota money that you’ve found and sent off to use for the games shop. Semibots can purchase tools, weapons, and upgrades to aid themselves for future expeditions. As the game progresses, the later levels become more difficult with the introduction of Moon Phases, spiking the difficulty in interior design and dangerous enemies that hinder the extraction process.
The community behind R.E.P.O. has heavily praised the game for its gameplay loop and hilarious gameplay footage shared on social media. Most footage online follows the formula of friends sharing their horrendous experiences together and laughing at their misfortune. But not all media online consists of random people up to chaotic hijinks, some can be focused more so about the game or art! Famous footage or media consists of a yellow Semibot singing Malcom Todd’s – Chest Pains (I Love) and a red Semibot holding a magical hourglass talking to their friend Richard. Developers at Semiworks also interact with their community once a week via their YouTube channel Semiwork, posting development logs, announcements, and community reactions or reviews on media and mods in regards to the game! As of writing, the developers will be releasing a more focused monster-themed update this Halloween. And while most of the playerbase is satisfied with the introduction and basis of R.E.P.O., critics point out the sudden surge in co-op survival horror. Deeming both R.E.P.O. surge of similar functioning games, such as Lethal Company and Content Warning, “friendslop,” and unoriginal.
R.E.P.O. is a crazy, wacky game following the player and their friends delving headfirst into extraction missions while dealing with dangerous terrain and monsters. The community deeply cherishes the simplicity and fun nature of the game, as demonstrated by the footage, and the developers show that they care too. The game was made with tons of care and polish to be an unforgettable experience, making the audience love R.E.P.O. even further.
