R.E.P.O. Overcharge mechanic, explained

I bet you’re so proud of yourself reaching double-digits after building those muscles so you can lift and slam every R.E.P.O. monster—but semiwork have had enough. The strength meta is shifting, and it’s time for you to adapt, or it’s out to the Disposal Arena for you.

Developer semiwork announced on March 28 that a new, explosive mechanic will be added to R.E.P.O. If you were wondering exactly how this works, then you’ve come to the right place. Here is everything you need to know about R.E.P.O.’s Overcharge mechanic so you don’t accidentally self-destruct in the late-game.

What is Overcharge in R.E.P.O.?

Overcharge is an upcoming mechanic that will join your Health and Stamina stats, visible in the top left corner of your screen. The Overcharge bar can reach 100 by default, where grabbing a monster (when the cursor turns yellow) causes the gauge to fill. If filled, your semibot will explode, giving a reaction similar to the Self Destruct feature in the menu. You will fly back and fall into the Tumble Launch animation, temporarily stunning you. This hurts you and also puts you in a vulnerable position if you were trying to take on strong R.E.P.O. monsters (i.e., Robe, Clown, Headman, or Trudge).

The explosion won’t kill you if you have full health, taking approximately 70 HP if the Overcharge bar reaches 100. It’s highly likely semiwork will add in an Overcharge Upgrade so you can increase this alongside your stamina and health as an added layer of protection—but this only means you’ll have yet another upgrade to invest your hard-earned cash towards.

The small team at semiwork are tired of seeing semibots rushing around the labyrinths, acting like R.E.P.O.‘s final boss. Realizing there’s no real value in the weapons if you upgrade your strength stat to max; completing levels in this nightmarish world has quickly shifted to picking up monsters and throwing them off the map. This will no longer be a viable option when Overcharge gets added. Overcharge will add a new layer of strategy as you won’t be able to pick up any enemies with impressively high health pools (where strength 13 is needed to lift them off the ground).

You will still be able to pick up and throw enemies off the map should a death pit, acid, and lava pool be nearby, but slamming monsters that take over three hits to kill will likely backfire on you. semiwork hope this change acts as an incentive for you to rely more on R.E.P.O.‘s arsenal, as the guns will also receive an accuracy buff.

We will update this piece when the Overcharge mechanic gets added to the game.