KLETKA

Descend. That's your key objective in Kletka, a co-op horror survival game where a sentient elevator constantly tries to feed on you and your friends. Thanks to its intense level design and oppressive horror ambiance, Kletka is one of those games you won't soon forget.

It's great to see how Lethal Company effectively created an entirely new horror genre. While games like Content Warning took a more lighthearted approach to horror, Kletka proves you can take the frights very seriously while delivering an experience that someone like Suda 51 would absolutely love. And by that, I mean a very unquestionable thing: this game gets very weird.

Down We Go

At its core, Kletka is a horror survival where every new level is randomly generated. Much like Lethal Company, every new floor presents new puzzles and opportunities to gather resources – and also new monsters looking to kill you. Rinse and repeat, until the elevator finally eats you.

Your goal will be to find "food" for the carnivorous elevator. Otherwise, it will start feeding on you. It sounds like a simple concept, but the execution is superb, resulting in a relentless horror experience that's as intense as it is entertaining. The co-op aspect is quite engaging, as you can work with your friends (or against them) to survive longer.

Face the Darkness

In this game, you explore something called the Gigastructure. As one of the world's most dangerous criminals, your sentence is to descend to its deeper level. No one has ever achieved this task, and once you start playing with some freeloading players, you start to notice why.

Every room in the Gigastructure is loaded with traps and monsters. That said, the scariest of them all is the Samosbor – an unknown creature that immediately kills everything it sees. Fortunately, its arrival is heralded by a siren. Once you hear that sound, that's your cue to run back to Kletka, the living elevator – and you better come back with some tribute, lest the elevator kills you itself.

The game constantly keeps you on your toes, presenting new and twisted challenges on each new floor. You know it's a battle that you're never going to win – but at least, sharing the horror with friends is fun enough to make the dive worth it.

Analog Horrors

Kletka's visual style is nothing short of unique. Though Lethal Company clearly was one of the game's main inspirations, its visuals actually reminded me more of a game called Golden Light. It's the combination of muddy, PSOne-era textures with blocky character models that sells that creepy '90s horror atmosphere surprisingly well.

At times, Kletka looks straight like something pulled out of Silent Hill. Though some of the visuals – like the monster models – could use some work, the overall presentation is serviceable enough for any horror fan. That said, don't come in expecting a visual masterpiece that will blow you away. That's more Kletka's job.

Pros

• Great horror ambiance
• Unique risk/reward mechanics
• Co-op multiplayer is pure chaotic fun

Cons

• Character models (mostly the monsters) need some work
• Objectives get repetitive really fast