# Let It Die (レット・イット・ダイ) (video game)
**Let It Die** (レット・イット・ダイ) is a free-to-play survival action game with roguelike structure, developed by [Grasshopper Manufacture](https://www.edgepedia.org/grasshopper-manufacture) and published by GungHo Online Entertainment for PlayStation 4, in which players climb a shifting tower fighting for equipment and survival under the guidance of a skateboarding [Grim Reaper](https://www.edgepedia.org/grim-reaper) called Uncle Death (アンクル・デス)[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf). It was released on December 3, 2016 in North America and Europe, and on February 2, 2017 in Japan and Asia[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf). After nearly a decade of live service, the online version was shut down on September 1, 2026 and replaced by a paid offline edition[2](https://letitdie.jp/member/info/endofonline.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre and model | Free-to-play roguelike survival action game (hack and slash) with asynchronous online PvP[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf) |
| Developer / publisher | Grasshopper Manufacture (development), GungHo Online Entertainment (publishing)[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf) |
| Release | December 3, 2016 (North America, Europe); February 2, 2017 (Japan, Asia); PlayStation 4[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf) |
| Setting | The Tower of Barbs (バルブの塔), which appeared after a global crust-displacement disaster; players start in underwear and scavenge all equipment[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf) |
| Downloads | 1 million within 26 days of release; 3 million worldwide by May 15, 2017[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf) |
| Critical score | Metascore 72 on PlayStation 4 (Mixed or Average), from 19 positive and 19 mixed critic reviews[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/let-it-die/critic-reviews/) |
| End of service | Online servers closed September 1, 2026; a paid offline version replaced the free-to-play service[2](https://letitdie.jp/member/info/endofonline.html) • [4](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/thats-how-you-actually-end-a-live-service-this-developer-just-shut-down-a-free-to-play-game-by-releasing-an-offline-version-with-no-microtransactions-for-fans-to-keep-playing) |
## Gameplay
The core loop is a roguelike climb. A player character begins with no equipment and must scavenge weapons and armor on site, and combat mixes melee and ranged weapons with Rage Moves and Gore-tical Attacks[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf). Reviewers described the result as a faster-paced take on [Dark Souls](https://www.edgepedia.org/dark-souls)-style combat, though one hampered by sluggish animations and a clunky lock-on system[5](https://game-wisdom.com/analysis/let-it-die) • [6](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/let-die-playstation-4-review/).
Death is woven into progression rather than ending it. On the [Steam](https://www.edgepedia.org/steam-service) page, the developer states that if a Fighter exhausts their HP, they die and are resurrected as an enemy[7](https://store.steampowered.com/app/794600/LET_IT_DIE/?l=english).
The online layer is asynchronous PvP. Players around the world raid each other's [Waiting Rooms](https://www.edgepedia.org/waiting-rooms), and team play is organized by region and country[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf).
## Development and release
The project began under a different name. At E3 2014, Grasshopper Manufacture's online-focused hack-and-slash, originally announced as *Lily Bergamo*, metamorphosed into *Let It Die*, retaining the extreme-action premise for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4)[8](https://time.com/3648356/anticipated-video-games-2015/). Grasshopper is the studio of [Goichi Suda](https://www.edgepedia.org/goichi-suda) (須田剛一), and GungHo's release materials describe the two companies as a development partnership[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf).
Adoption was fast for a free-to-play console title. The game passed 1 million downloads 26 days after its December 3, 2016 Western debut, passed 2 million shortly after the February 2, 2017 Japanese and Asian release, and passed 3 million worldwide on May 15, 2017[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf). A retail package, *Let It Die: Uncle Prime Edition*, was also sold alongside the free version[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf).
## Monetization and reception
The game was funded by microtransactions. The premium currency, Death Metals, buys conveniences such as expanding the death bag, shortening waits at the in-game weapon shop, and emergency continues after death[1](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf). Reception of this system divided critics. Some reviews called the game unusually restrained for free-to-play, saying it was possible to speed up progress or preserve a dead character but the incentives to pay were low[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/let-it-die/critic-reviews/). Others were harsher: CGMagazine called the Death Metal practices predatory and faulted unpolished gameplay and repetitious level design[6](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/let-die-playstation-4-review/), and one Metacritic-listed review warned that its pay-to-win nature becomes apparent when the difficulty rises[9](https://www.metacritic.com/game/let-it-die/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c).
On aggregate the PlayStation 4 version scored 72 on Metacritic, with no negative critic reviews among the 38 tallied[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/let-it-die/critic-reviews/). WIRED described it as gory, ridiculous, and, like much of Grasshopper's work, defying interpretation[10](https://www.wired.com/2016/12/let-it-die-review/).
## Spin-offs and sequel
A multiplayer spin-off, *Deathverse: Let It Die*, launched on September 28, 2022 for PlayStation 4 and [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5) and on October 5, 2022 on Steam[11](https://as.com/meristation/2022/09/29/analisis/1664460828_072439.html). It reframed the property as a 16-player melee battle royale set within a survival television program, Death Jamboree, staged centuries after the 2026 cataclysm that began the original game[12](https://pixeldie.com/2022/11/23/deathverse-let-it-die-review/) • [11](https://as.com/meristation/2022/09/29/analisis/1664460828_072439.html). It was developed by Supertrick Games, formed from much of the [Grasshopper](https://www.edgepedia.org/grasshopper) staff who remained with GungHo after a forced separation[11](https://as.com/meristation/2022/09/29/analisis/1664460828_072439.html).
A full sequel, *Let It Die: Inferno*, was released on December 4, 2025 for PlayStation 5 and Steam, priced at $25/£21[14](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/let-it-die-inferno-inverts-the-roguelite-action-sending-you-down-into-the-hell-gate-instead-of-up-into-the-tower-of-barbs/). It inverts the original's structure: instead of climbing the Tower of Barbs, players descend into the [Hell Gate](https://www.edgepedia.org/hell-gate), exploring randomized maps on a 15-minute timer, gathering SPLithium, and racing to an extraction point while carrying their gear and body intact[14](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/let-it-die-inferno-inverts-the-roguelite-action-sending-you-down-into-the-hell-gate-instead-of-up-into-the-tower-of-barbs/). Its launch was troubled. Before release, an AI-content disclosure on its Steam page drew criticism; the studio, Supertrick, said AI was used only for select background posters and insert images, three non-human character voices (Mom, Goz, and Mez), and one music track[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/let-it-die-inferno-promises-it-used-ai-that-observes-copyright-laws-and-isnt-modeled-after-any-human-performers-so-please-dont-be-mad-at-it/). The game opened with a Mostly Negative Steam score of 39% positive reviews[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/let-it-die-inferno-promises-it-used-ai-that-observes-copyright-laws-and-isnt-modeled-after-any-human-performers-so-please-dont-be-mad-at-it/), and a GungHo investor analysis reports a Metascore of 54, ranking 356th of 359 PC titles released and reviewed in 2025, a performance GungHo itself acknowledged as a disappointment[16](https://stracap.jp/english/3765-GUNGHO.pdf).
## Shutdown and offline version
In early 2026, Grasshopper announced that the online service would end and that a purchasable offline version would replace it, stripping out the live-service elements and their microtransactions in favor of offline equivalents[17](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/let-it-die-is-dying-but-offering-players-a-onetime-purchase-to-keep-it-alive-offline/). The official notice set the end of online service at 11:00 JST on September 1, 2026[2](https://letitdie.jp/member/info/endofonline.html), corresponding to August 31, 2026 at 7:00 pm PDT[17](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/let-it-die-is-dying-but-offering-players-a-onetime-purchase-to-keep-it-alive-offline/).
The offline edition sells for $19.99 / £16.99 / AU$28.50 on PC and PlayStation 4, with no microtransactions[4](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/thats-how-you-actually-end-a-live-service-this-developer-just-shut-down-a-free-to-play-game-by-releasing-an-offline-version-with-no-microtransactions-for-fans-to-keep-playing). The move was received positively, with TechRadar describing it as an example of ending a live-service game without disadvantaging players, and Steam reviewers noting the game would not die after its servers shut down[4](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/thats-how-you-actually-end-a-live-service-this-developer-just-shut-down-a-free-to-play-game-by-releasing-an-offline-version-with-no-microtransactions-for-fans-to-keep-playing).
## References
1. [PlayStation 4専用サバイバルアクションゲーム『LET IT DIE』全世界累計300万ダウンロード突破, GungHo Online Entertainment press release (May 17, 2017)](https://www.gungho.co.jp/jp/news/uploads/pdf/413.pdf)
2. [オフライン版とオンライン版に関するお知らせ, LET IT DIE official site](https://letitdie.jp/member/info/endofonline.html)
3. [Let It Die critic reviews, Metacritic (PlayStation 4)](https://www.metacritic.com/game/let-it-die/critic-reviews/)
4. [That's how you actually end a live service, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/thats-how-you-actually-end-a-live-service-this-developer-just-shut-down-a-free-to-play-game-by-releasing-an-offline-version-with-no-microtransactions-for-fans-to-keep-playing)
5. [Let it Die Proves why we don't see F2P Rogue-Likes, Game Wisdom](https://game-wisdom.com/analysis/let-it-die)
6. [Let It Die (PS4) Review, CGMagazine](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/let-die-playstation-4-review/)
7. [LET IT DIE on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/794600/LET_IT_DIE/?l=english)
8. [These Are the 50 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2015, TIME](https://time.com/3648356/anticipated-video-games-2015/)
9. [Let It Die Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/let-it-die/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c)
10. [Gory, Ridiculous Let It Die Defies All Explanation, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/2016/12/let-it-die-review/)
11. [Deathverse: Let It Die, análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2022/09/29/analisis/1664460828_072439.html)
12. [Deathverse: LET IT DIE – Review, PixelDie](https://pixeldie.com/2022/11/23/deathverse-let-it-die-review/)
13. [LET IT DIE: INFERNO Review, TheSixthAxis](https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2026/01/15/let-it-die-inferno-review/)
14. [Let it Die: Inferno inverts the roguelite action, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/let-it-die-inferno-inverts-the-roguelite-action-sending-you-down-into-the-hell-gate-instead-of-up-into-the-tower-of-barbs/)
15. [Let It Die: Inferno promises it used AI 'that observes copyright laws', PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/let-it-die-inferno-promises-it-used-ai-that-observes-copyright-laws-and-isnt-modeled-after-any-human-performers-so-please-dont-be-mad-at-it/)
16. [GungHo Online Entertainment (3765) Strategic Capital analysis](https://stracap.jp/english/3765-GUNGHO.pdf)
17. [Let it Die is dying, but offering players a onetime purchase to keep it alive offline, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/let-it-die-is-dying-but-offering-players-a-onetime-purchase-to-keep-it-alive-offline/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PlayStation-platform game titles › Role-playing games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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