Let It Die: Inferno was a neat surprise when it was revealed back during Sony’s September PlayStation showcase. The original 2016 free-to-play hack-and-slash grind had a cult following thanks to its quirky sensibility and inventive roguelike mechanics. But then Let It Die: Inferno maker Supertrick Games revealed the game would be using generative AI. Seemingly a lot of it. The studio has now defended that move, though the rest of the game, including its microtransactions and PVP focus, haven’t been doing it any favors either.
Most games that disclose using generative AI on Steam don’t go into much detail. Let it Die: Inferno was different. “AI-generated content has been used and then edited by our team for certain parts of the in-game voices, music, and graphics,” it wrote. The AI content included “some parts of the background signboard textures,” “some parts of the Records images,” “some parts of the InfoCast videos,” and “some parts of the voices and music.”
It sounded like gen AI was sprinkled throughout the entire game. Supertrick Games is now trying to be more specific. It outlined exactly what in the game incorporates the controversial technology I in a display of transparency that no other studio has opted for amid the ongoing backlash. Supertrick said AI images, for example, only appeared in background posters and secondary materials.
“The planning team developed the concepts and text, ensuring they matched the game’s world setting,” the studio wrote on Steam (via Eurogamer). “Based on these ideas, the art team designed the background art and used an AI tool that observes copyright laws and only to generate rough base images, which were painted over, refined, and adjusted by hand.”
Here’s the examples it shared:
Supertrick Games
In terms of AI voice work, Supertrick said the decision was intentional rather than a cost-cutting maneuver. “These specific cases use AI-generated voices intentionally to match the nature of the characters,” it wrote. “These voices are not derived from or modeled after any human performers, ensuring no copyright concerns.” The characters include an AI-driven machine called Mom and mysterious life forms Goz and Mez.
Finally there’s the music. Only one track called Iron Perch BGM was made with the help of AI. “AI-based music editor was used to generate each stem,” the studio wrote. “Once all stems were exported, few were manually edited, but most were rebuilt from scratch.” It didn’t explain why that choice was made, but as with the other examples, it points to generative AI being a much smaller part of Let It Die: Inferno than the Steam disclaimer first suggested.
Players are complaining about more than just AI
Having any generative AI in Let It Die: Inferno will be enough for some folks to say “no thanks” and swiftly move on to the mountain of other new releases that don’t include it. But even fans willing to overlook the slop factor are having a tough time trying to love the spiritual successor. The original Let It Die had microtransactions but was free-to-play. Inferno is $25 and still charges players for certain healing consumables and cosmetics.
But the bigger issue for some fans, following the game’s December 3 launch on PS5 and PC, is that it plays like an extraction shooter. One of the cool features in the original game was that it saved your character when you died during a run and sent it to fight other players during their runs. That asynchronous multiplayer has been swapped out here for more traditional PVEVP gameplay. You can try to avoid other players but fighting them is a more central part of the game. That puts it more in the vein of the less fondly remembered battle royale spinoff Deathverse: Let It Die than the original.
Valve
“First negative review I’ve written,” wrote one fan on Steam. “LiD was fire. LiD: Inferno is a PVP only game. Rest in peace LiD, they should’ve let you die instead of making whatever this is.”
Not everyone agrees. In fact, a mini-battle is currently raging between fans of the original and new players who actually like what Inferno is doing. “Remove the freaking PVP” reads a top thread on the Steam discussion page. That might be the sentiment that pushes your average player away from giving Inferno a shot, but the diehards are currently all-in. “Review bombers stop spreading misinformation,” reads another thread. “I personally am loving the game so far, but damn people need to stop with the negative reviewing thats full of misinformation.”
That person points out that Inferno’s microtransactions don’t include weapons and armor, the AI is barely noticeable, and PVP is easily avoided by people who just crouch to let others know they don’t want to fight. Not exactly the type of glowing endorsement that might lead skeptics to flock to the game, but the person also makes the point that just because Inferno isn’t Let It Die 2 doesn’t mean everyone should immediately write it off.
