R.E.P.O. Review: Chaotic Co-Operative Horror

In the haunted corridors of cooperative horror gaming, REPO bursts through like a possessed Roomba armed with laser cannon. It is unpredictable and utterly unforgettable. The indie horror developed by Semiwork, seemingly came out of nowhere and took the gaming world by storm, and for good reason. 

Monsters, Mess, and Mayhem

The set up is simple: you are a Semibot, a cute robot tasked with clearing and selling items across various maps. These maps have been long-since abandoned by humanity (what the hell happened to all the humans!?) and the only ‘living’ things are the monsters that haunt the hallways. When you’re not fighting off creatures with whatever you have to hand, you’re trying not to smash goblets against doorways as a shrieking abomination barrels down the hallway. As you play, a few things come to mind… Was the Headman once human? Why is the Rugrat so strong? And who plucked out the eyes of the Huntsman?

What really sets REPO apart is how delightfully unhinged things can get when you’re playing with a team. Every session turns into a spontaneous improv show, complete with clumsy physics, bickering over who broke the annoyingly fragile vases, and desperate screams as someone gets dragged off by The Hidden mid-sentence. 

Furniture first, friendship second

REPO’s physics-based gameplay demands a kind of skill and grace that is hard to master but hilarious to witness, making this game not only fun to play, but also fun to watch. Moving a piano through a narrow hallway with two friends who can’t coordinate? Stupendous. Trying to carry a delicate glowing potion while someone insists they definitely heard something growl behind them? Sublime. The moment someone shouts “I’ve found the next extraction!” while others are being thrown across the room by the Upscream two rooms away, you realise this is the best kind of chaos. 

There is a unique joy in the game’s ability to blur the line between horror and comedy.  Many of the monsters are genuinely terrifying, but it is the players who make the game unforgettable. The moments that stick with you probably won’t be a jumpscare, as there are plenty of those, but instead it will be the moment someone refuses to let go of the laser staff of death and gets blasted across the room. Or when the entire level is chaotic and dangerous, but everyone makes it back to the truck by the skin of their teeth. 

Screams and Schemes

Whether you are silently coordinating a flawless extraction, or yelling over each other like panicked racoons in a dumpster fire, REPO thrives on player energy. The proximity chat adds a layer of immersion that is both helpful and unintentionally hilarious. You’ll hear a distant “oh no, no, no, n…” cut off mid-sentence, and that’s your cue to run. Or laugh. Most likely both. 

The gaming community has embraced REPO as the perfect game to stream with friends and followers, and for highlight reels and gaming clips, thanks to its unscripted moments. It invites and rewards cooperation, for the most part, and punishes those of us who come in a bit cocky and overconfident in wonderfully entertaining ways. The players have already started giving the creatures nicknames, made mods to enhance gameplay, and created an online REPO community like no other, so isn’t it about time you join in?

You don’t just play REPO with friends - you survive it, scream through it, and always come out laughing.