Hell is Us is Looking Absolutely Crazy

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that the upcoming title “Hell is Us” has piqued my interest like no other game in recent memory. The blend of exploration, lore, and combat seems to be a perfect storm for an immersive experience, and I can’t help but feel a strange sense of kinship with the game’s protagonist, Remi.

“During Sony’s September State of Play, a remarkable presentation was made for ‘Hell is Us’, developed by Rogue Factor, a new studio based in Montreal. The game was showcased with a 15-minute gameplay trailer directed by its Creative and Art Director, Jonathan Jacques-Belletête. He guided us through the distinctive elements of the third-person action-adventure, which emphasize exploration and combat, hinting that players will have to rely on their senses and intuition to move and survive in the eerie yet tranquil world of ‘Hell is Us’.

In the 90s, our story unfolds within the fictional nation of Hadea, where we’ll follow Remi as he escapes an O.N. peacekeeping mission to secretly enter this secluded state. Born from this war-torn land, Remi left at age five when his mother smuggled him out and grew up in Canada’s foster care system without knowing his parents. Now, he seeks answers about his family’s fate, hoping to reconnect with them while addressing the emotional turmoil caused by their abandonment.

In this article, Belletête showcases the immersive journey of “Hell is Us,” a game that doesn’t hold your hand, instead opting to challenge players with minimal guidance. Unlike many games, Remi, our protagonist, isn’t given maps or waypoints; instead, he’s directed to follow windchimes hung in the woods by the game’s creator as a guide for his children. As a player, you must rely on your senses to navigate without getting lost, as there are no on-screen UI elements to help along the way. This approach to exploration feels more organic and authentic, according to Belletête, who also expresses a disdain for traditional waypoints found in other games, claiming that discoveries feel less meaningful when they’re not truly your own.

It’s tough not to agree with Rogue Factor’s approach in this case. If we imagine ourselves as Remi, we find ourselves in a foreign country, knowing nothing about the terrain and barely understanding the hardships that await us. This organic method of exploration mirrors this feeling perfectly. We become an alien in a hostile environment, our discomfort growing as we are compelled to interact more directly with our surroundings.

In the beginning of his investigation, Remi has two crucial pieces of information: his hometown is called Jova and his father was a blacksmith. Although he isn’t entirely on his own in the midst of a civil war, he does have some assistance. He carries a tool that allows him to record information: a data pad resembling a mind map. This electronic device shows an overview of Remi’s knowledge, bits of info gathered from conversations with NPCs and environmental details, but it doesn’t always give the full picture of what he’s learned or found out. If there’s something not on the data pad, then it’s essential to remember it separately.

As a fervent fan, I can’t help but get excited about the Resident Evil-esque environmental puzzles that await! Deciphering ancient glyphs and decoding a language lost to time will be part of the adventure. In this journey, my drone companion will play a crucial role, scanning archaic markings to reveal hidden riddles that align with misplaced symbols on a locked door. It’s all about exploring, searching for clues, but don’t expect any hand-holding – Belletête ensures the experience remains challenging! While this example doesn’t revolutionize open-world exploration, it certainly adds an intriguing layer to the gameplay.

In Belletête’s perspective, exploration makes up half of the gaming experience, while the other half is combat. Although Hell is Us isn’t a Soulslike game, it promises a complex and challenging combat system that won’t be too tough to grasp. Remi carries a variety of medieval weapons such as swords and axes, but he’s not involved in the ongoing conflict tearing through the land. Instead, something eerily supernatural lurks across Hadea’s terrain. The game introduces numerous skirmishes between Remi and groups of ghostly, bipedal adversaries known as Hollow Walkers. Accompanying these faceless spirits are floating mists connected to the Walkers. To defeat them, Remi must find a way to destroy these mists.

Remi has a variety of unique moves at his disposal – whirlwind attacks, advances, and super speed boosts, along with abilities that work like magical spells, which he can equip to his melee weapons through collectibles. According to Belletête, these skills are crucial for players to manage the multitude of Hollow Walkers and spectral entities without feeling overwhelmed. Remi’s drone also has upgradable skills to use in battle, demonstrated by crowd control abilities such as distracting an enemy, detaching a Hollow Walker, and generally providing relief during outnumbered battles. From the gameplay demonstration, it appears that Rogue Factor has successfully balanced challenging combat without making it too demanding. As Remi progresses and gains more tools and skills, enemies will become stronger, but the fights shown in the fifteen-minute preview never seem too difficult.

In our journey through “Hell is Us”, we’ll uncover the origins of the enigmatic Hollow Walkers, which bear a striking resemblance to The Hiss from Remedy Entertainment’s “Control”. Just like The Hiss, the Hollow Walkers are a sentient entity capable of inhabiting living beings, objects, and locations. The Hiss also use non-aggressive clusters as healing forces for their combatants, and it’s plausible that the misty entities of the Hollow Walkers serve similar purposes.

In summary, “Hell is Us” appears to be combining a captivating, story-filled universe with a requirement for active exploration and significant revelations. The combat seems competent, even though it may not possess the same innovative flair as the game’s exploration, based on the alpha footage from the gameplay trailer. However, there’s plenty of potential here, and given Belletête’s enthusiasm during the presentation, it’s unlikely to disappoint.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

2024-11-14 22:11

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