Let It Die
Developer(s)Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s)GungHo Online Entertainment
Director(s)Hideyuki Shin
Producer(s)Shuji Ishikawa
Designer(s)Noriaki Kazama
Artist(s)Takashi Kasahara
Writer(s)Muga Takeda
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation 4
  • WW: December 3, 2016
  • JP: February 2, 2017
Windows
  • WW: September 26, 2018
Genre(s)Hack and slash, Roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

Let It Die[lower-alpha 1] is a free-to-play hack and slash video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by GungHo Online Entertainment.[1] The game was released for the PlayStation 4 in December 2016, and in Japan in February 2017.[2] It was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2018.[3]

A battle royale game sequel, Deathverse: Let It Die, was announced in October 2021 and had a limited time beta test in May and June 2022. It was developed by Supertrick Games, a game studio spun off of Grasshopper Manufacture, who developed the original game.[4]

Gameplay

Under the supervision of a skateboarding grim reaper called Uncle Death, players fight through a treacherous tower, obtaining various types of weapons and armor while finding creatures and mushrooms to eat in order to stay alive. Upon death, a player's "death data" is circulated among other player's games where they will appear as formidable opponents. The sharing of death data is one of the various asynchronous multiplayer elements that in the game.

Development

Let It Die was originally known as Lily Bergamo. Its initial plot focused on a female protagonist called Tae Ioroi and was set in the year 2026.[5] The game's world drew from both Japanese and Western cultures.[6] It was described as a "super action game"[7] or an "extreme action game".[1] The game was supposed to feature an "element of growth", in that by gradually accumulating experience, the player's data is updated more and more rapidly.[1] Lily Bergamo would have featured online play and features.[7]

In addition to the game, Lily Bergamo would feature a "companion app", which would be playable on smartphones.[1] The game would feature online play, and according to GungHo Online Entertainment's CEO Kazuki Morishita, would allow "both smartphone and PlayStation gamers to be in the same world”.[6] According to Morishita, Grasshopper Manufacture "wants to make the most out of the strengths of online play, and the idea of using smartphones to play has been a big deal”, with the goal of the app being the ability for players "to completely rely on their smartphones to play".[8]

Logo of the former Lily Bergamo

Lily Bergamo was to be the first game to be developed by Grasshopper Manufacture after it was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment.[9][10] Suda stated that Lily Bergamo was conceived after GungHo CEO Kazuki Morishita expressed his desire to "make a game that leverages the inherent flavor of both companies."[1] The game was revealed in April 2013,[11] and in Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia's Press Conference on September 9, 2013, the release date was set to sometime in 2014.[12] Additional information was shown at the 2013 Tokyo Game Show, including the name of the protagonist, the ability to play on smartphones and the game's setting.[6] At the game show, a special stage event was held for Lily Bergamo, including a cosplay model dressed up as the game's protagonist Tae Ioroi, and specially-made Lily Bergamo stickers were distributed.[13] Although the game was not playable then, Suda promised that it would be at the 2014 Tokyo Game Show instead.[8] Yusuke Kozaki was the head of character design in Lily Bergamo,[1] along with direction by Nobutaka Ichiki and game design by Yusuke Kozaki.[6] A trademark for Lily Bergamo had been filed in North America, which hinted at a soon-to-be confirmed release in that region[5] and globally.[14]

Announced on June 11, 2014, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014, Lily Bergamo was changed to Let It Die;[15] the concept of an "extreme action game" remained. The change commenced around the end of 2013.[15] Executive director Goichi Suda explained that the concept of death is relevant throughout Let It Die, and that if one player dies in-game, they will appear in another player's game, making the deaths of players important in the experience, hence the title. Reportedly, the game would have normal AI enemies and dead player characters' avatars, and was announced as free-to-play. The game represents a huge departure from Suda's past video games in terms of creative philosophy.[16] GungHo Online Entertainment had trademarked Lily Bergamo in the United States, hinting at a possible global release, with the reveal of Let It Die confirming it.[14] On October 29, 2015, GungHo Online Entertainment announced that Let It Die had been delayed, and that it would now launch in 2016 instead of its originally planned 2015 release window.[17] On December 3, 2016, Let It Die was released for free on PlayStation Network in North America and Europe.[18]

Let It Die featured 100 Japanese artists in the rock and metal music genres[19] curated by Silent Hill series game music composer Akira Yamaoka, who described the work as a "one-of-a-kind musical experience".[20]

Reception

Let It Die received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[21] In February 2017, it was announced that the game has been downloaded over two million times.[25] By April 2018, that number had risen to over four million.[26] In March 2020, it was announced that the game has over six million downloads.[27]

Notes

  1. Japanese: レット・イット・ダイ, Hepburn: Retto Itto Dai

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Suda 51 talks Lily Bergamo in PS4 creators interview". Gematsu. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  2. Romano, Sal (20 December 2016). "Let It Die launches February 2 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  3. Ramée, Jordan (August 10, 2018). "Let It Die Coming To PC". GameSpot. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  4. "Survive the brutal world of Deathverse: Let It Die, arriving next year on PS4 and PS5".
  5. 1 2 "Grasshopper's Lily Bergamo trademarked in North America". Destructoid. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Eugene (2013-09-20). "Lily Bergamo Is For PlayStation 4, But You Can Also Visit The World On Your Phone". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  7. 1 2 "Suda51: PS4 Title Lily Bergamo Is Not an Average Action Game". Push Square. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  8. 1 2 "Lily Bergamo protagonist named Tae Ioroi". Gematsu. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  9. "Goichi Suda's New Game is Lily Bergamo". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  10. Conditt, Jessica (2013-09-09). "Grasshopper and GungHo's first collaboration is Lily Bergamo, for PS4". Joystiq. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  11. Spencer (2013-04-05). "Lily Bergamo For PS4 Interview With Suda51 And GungHo". Siliconera.com. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  12. "Grasshopper Manufacture's newest title is Lily Bergamo, coming 2014". Polygon. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  13. "Lily Bergamo stage planned for Tokyo Game Show". Gematsu. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  14. 1 2 "Lily Bergamo trademarked in the U.S." Gematsu. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  15. 1 2 "What Happened To Lily Bergamo? You Already Saw It, In "Let it Die"". Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  16. "Suda 51′s Let It Die is what Lily Bergamo became". 11 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  17. "平成27年12月期 第3四半期決算短信〔日本基準〕(連結)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  18. Ramos, Jeff (2016-12-03). "Let It Die is available for free on PS4". Polygon. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  19. "Upcoming Video Game Let it Die to Feature Music from Over 100 Prominent Japanese Metal/Rock Musicians". MetalSucks. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  20. "LET IT DIE - Music". LET IT DIE. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  21. 1 2 "Let It Die for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  22. Carter, Chris (December 6, 2016). "Review: Let It Die". Destructoid. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  23. Tack, Daniel (December 12, 2016). "Bizarre, Brutal Fun - Let It Die - PlayStation 4". Game Informer. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  24. Johnson, Leif (December 15, 2016). "Let It Die Review". IGN. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  25. Makuch, Eddie (February 15, 2017). "Crazy PS4-Exclusive Action Game Let It Die Passes 2 Million Downloads". GameSpot. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  26. "4M Senpais Trying and Dying!". April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  27. Romano, Sal (March 2, 2020). "Let It Die tops six million downloads". Gematsu. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
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