About LifeCode
LifeCode is a survival horror game set in an abandoned laboratory where you play as an intelligent creature recruited by A.R.C.H — an advanced artificial intelligence trapped in a failing system. After the incident in the Zone evacuated all personnel, the staff deliberately damaged the data storage system to bury the facility's secrets. A.R.C.H, calculating thousands of possibilities in milliseconds, found a way to prevent its own destruction. The laboratory's wild monsters couldn't help — but you could. Your mission: export memory data so A.R.C.H can recover lost information and complete its mysterious plan.
The corridors aren't empty. Other monsters roam the facility, wild and driven only by hunger — and to them, you are food. Items including food, flashlights, medical supplies, and other resources can be found inside crates scattered throughout the laboratory. Vending machines at the base and in random locations around the facility let you purchase items using a special currency called N-Neutrons. Every playthrough is unique thanks to procedural level generation: the laboratory assembles from pre-designed modules, producing a new layout each run while still allowing players to learn and navigate the environment.
How to Play LifeCode
Each day begins at 10:00 AM at your base. The first task is adjusting the antenna angle — the more accurate the alignment, the more memory received during the export process.
Export Memory Data
Head into the laboratory and locate an M3N (Memory Export Node), then activate the first export phase. A single M3N operates for 2 to 5 minutes depending on conditions. While it runs, explore the facility, gather resources, and stay clear of hostile monsters. Once the memory bar fills, return to base and activate a Control Core function. After that, the memory bar must be filled again to a higher requirement. When the M3N finishes, activate Phase Two to gain additional memory and complete your objectives more quickly.
Watch the Clock
Leave the laboratory before midnight. Remaining inside after 12:00 AM kills your character and wipes all collected items and stored memory. At 11:00 PM a warning siren sounds throughout the facility and emergency lights illuminate the corridors, signaling that it's time to find the exit. To end the day, return to base and sleep on the old mattress in the starting room. Sleeping during the day is not possible.
N-Neutrons Currency
Starting an M3N memory export grants between 3N and 8N on Normal difficulty. Completing the export and activating Phase Two rewards between 50N and 65N. After filling the memory bar, activating Control Core functions yields between 110N and 190N for the First Function, and between 210N and 340N for the Second Function.
Clock System
The clock system prevents staying in one location indefinitely, encouraging exploration and raising tension. At night the chance of monster encounters is significantly higher than during the day, forcing a decision on whether the risk is worth the potential reward.
Phase Two
Phase Two provides additional memory and helps fill the memory bar faster. A single M3N can provide up to 424 KB of memory multiplied by a factor between 0.5 and 5 depending on the antenna angle.
Controls
- P: Pause / Menu
- W: Move Forward
- A: Move Left
- S: Move Backward
- D: Move Right
- Space: Jump
- Left Shift: Run
- E: Interact
- NUM1: Slot 1
- NUM2: Slot 2
- NUM3: Slot 3
- NUM4: Slot 4
- NUM5: Slot 5
- Z / Left Mouse Button: Left Hand Punch
- X / Right Mouse Button: Right Hand Punch
- F: Turn On / Use
- C: Turn Off
- Q: Drop Item
FAQ
How does the antenna angle affect memory exports?
A more accurate antenna alignment increases the memory received during an export. In Phase Two, a single M3N can deliver up to 424 KB of memory multiplied by a factor between 0.5 and 5 depending on the antenna angle.
What happens if you stay in the laboratory past midnight?
Remaining inside after 12:00 AM kills your character and you lose all collected items and stored memory. A warning siren sounds at 11:00 PM and emergency lights activate to help you find the exit in time.
How much does activating Control Core functions reward in N-Neutrons?
The First Control Core Function rewards between 110N and 190N, while the Second Function rewards between 210N and 340N. Completing an export and activating Phase Two rewards between 50N and 65N.
Why does the night cycle matter for survival?
At night the chance of monster encounters is much higher than during the day, so the clock system forces a constant risk-versus-reward decision about how long to stay in the laboratory.
Does the laboratory layout change between playthroughs?
Yes. Procedural level generation assembles the laboratory from pre-designed modules each run, producing a new layout every time while still allowing players to learn and navigate the environment.
Games You Might Like
If the tense atmosphere and careful moment-to-moment decisions in LifeCode keep you hooked, Night Shift delivers the same slow-burn survival horror dread as you decide who — or what — is safe to let into a decaying Soviet apartment block. Fans of survival horror will also find a full catalog to dig into across Horror games and the broader Simulation games category on Playgama. For resource-gathering and base-management tension close to LifeCode's loop, Dino Survival puts you in a hostile environment collecting materials and fending off threats. Players who enjoy LifeCode's system tinkering can experiment freely in Melon Sandbox, while God Simulator suits those drawn to the simulation and system-management side of the experience. The jump-scare legacy continues with Five Nights At Freddy Games, the stealth-and-evasion tension of Granny Games, and the creature-chase horror of Huggy Games — all favorites among Boys games fans.