As a gaming enthusiast, I appreciate the finesse in designing a game that guides me without explicitly telling me where to go. When executed skillfully, even the seemingly obvious strings leading me along feel like an intricate network, only making sense in a brilliant moment of retrospect. However, if it’s not done right, it can lead to something forced and predictable, which isn’t necessarily a game-ender if you’re promoting player freedom and organic exploration. But when the illusion is broken, the puppeteer is exposed, and that takes away from the immersive experience.
In simpler terms, the new game from Rogue Factor, titled “Hell is Us,” leans heavily towards action-adventure, with elements similar to Souls-like games. For months, it has been promoting its minimal guidance, dropping players into a war-torn fictional nation with just a necklace and some leads for direction. This game explores the brutalities of war and crimes committed by both sides, while also delving into the supernatural. A catastrophic event called the Calamity has led to the creation of Hollow Walkers who bring terror to the survivors and soldiers.
From the very beginning, the resemblance between their experiences and genuine terror has been striking (it’s us, humans, in a shocking twist). Given these circumstances, how does the movie Hell is Us balance one individual’s quest for his parents with an authentic depiction of war, while keeping the action-adventure structure intact? This unique mix provides enough motivation to move forward but also allows for personal exploration. To be honest, it’s a bit clumsy, but somehow it manages to pull it off effectively.
On one side, the severe outcomes may not dramatically alter the storyline, but learning that someone perished due to a delay in understanding where milk comes from can leave a chilling impact.
In the fictional land of Hadea, divided into various regions, tensions rise between the Sabinians and Palomists, who are engaged in a prolonged war. Instead of witnessing the action on the battlefield, we follow Rémi’s story – a peacekeeper who has gone absent without leave (AWOL). The narrative is presented through his recollections while he is under the influence of a truth serum and confronted by a mysterious figure.
Although the unique storytelling format serves a specific purpose, it adds intriguing elements like the use of polygraphs as save points. Moreover, small touches like the trippy feedback when Rémi dies add an engaging depth to the story. However, faster respawns might have been more appealing after experiencing certain scenes multiple times.
Following the acquisition of enigmatic weaponry and my initial skirmish against a Hollow Walker in the Prologue, I embarked on a journey with an APC, tablet, and drone, determined to uncover clues about my father. The atmospheric allure of “ Hell is Us” immediately resonated with me – it was disparate, bleak, yet brimming with mystery. However, the opening hour could be a bit slow in pulling you in due to its straightforward design. Fortunately, things picked up pace in Acasa Marshes, where I encountered my first settlement.
In this game world, the harsh realities of war are brutally exposed. Entire families ripped apart, their lives cruelly snuffed out. Soldiers, a mix of revelers and the disturbed, bear witness to the carnage, both repulsed and drawn in by the savagery. Corpses swing from trees like macabre ornaments. Although some dialogue from the NPCs might seem artificial at times, Rogue Factor doesn’t shy away from these stark portrayals. What saddens me most is that there are few joyful conclusions, and even fewer if Rémi isn’t somehow part of the equation.
As I delve deeper into the enigmatic world of Hell is Us, it feels like I’m on an intriguing mystery-cum-goodwill expedition. The more characters I encounter, the more threads unravel and paths diverge, tempting me to explore new locales. Occasionally, I stumble upon opportunities to perform Good Deeds, similar to side missions, often involving retrieving items for someone or vanquishing foes. In true FromSoft style, neglecting these tasks before advancing the main narrative can lead to a harsh and unforgiving game over.
On one side, the severe outcomes may not significantly impact the storyline, but learning that someone perished due to your delay in discovering milk’s source can leave a chilling impression. In some cases, these Good Deeds are not tied to time limits – the individuals trapped underground in the initial region appear to have endured for quite a while before I discovered the crucial key, which somewhat disrupts the immersive experience. However, overall, it’s a charming cycle where Rémi’s mission is closely linked with the people he encounters.
Despite the intense emphasis on Hadea’s history, its connections to the Keystones, the Vigil, and other related matters, it’s important not to overlook Rémi’s role. Given his profound bond with the populace, it appears that this connection weakens or ceases after he discovers the next location.
To start off, I’ve been engrossed for hours before stumbling upon the Watcher’s Nest, uncovering more about the Vigil in the process. From then on, the narrative takes a turn as we embark on a thrilling quest to find four Keystones, each embodying the turmoil-filled emotions of the Hazes – Grief, Rage, Terror, and Ecstasy. I’m not alone on this journey, as Tania, an insightful journalist, deciphers mysterious research findings from the wild. Together, we unlock forbidden Vaults of Knowledge, delving deeper into Hadea’s rich lore and history. The sheer magnitude of information can be a bit overpowering at times.
It’s all quite fascinating, particularly the way it connects with the riddles and the journey leading up to the dungeons. However, there’s still a considerable amount of information. Fortunately, Tania is kind enough to organize all her research into clear articles, but collecting them all remains necessary.
It’s understandable how one might get lost in the details about Hadea, its lore, connections to the Keystones, and events like the Vigil. However, it’s crucial not to overlook Rémi’s role in this story, given his strong bond with the people. Even though he learns the next location, there seems to be a pause in his connection with them after this point. While you may stumble upon old letters and messages from earlier times, it’s hard not to wonder what became of that father-son duo following their reunion and escape from a war-torn town, thanks to your assistance.
After gathering the necessary information, there’s a village where every resident had their hands amputated by brutal soldiers. Saving the women and reinstating power is commendable, but those soldiers are still present. This leaves an unsettling impression of merely passing through once the task is done. Good luck to all the others!
The conclusion seems a bit abrupt, as if many questions are still unanswered. Attempting to tie up all the historical and current events from Hadea left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
In simpler terms, I find Remi’s character challenging due to his portrayal as a sociopath. This usually means disregarding others’ emotions and rights, but the game presents him in a way that suggests he does have feelings, albeit inconsistently. There are moments where Remi acts empathetically, which can seem out of character. The friendship with Tania seems authentic because of their shared interests, but the sudden transition into a close bond feels unnatural, and some of Remi’s lines appear overly cheesy. A possible explanation for this inconsistency could be a late-game revelation, although even that doesn’t fully resolve the issue of his character’s inconsistent personality.
Backtracking can be challenging when you’re solving problems independently. There’s no quick teleportation between locations; instead, you have to return to the APC each time. So, if you decide to revisit a Timeloop Rift in a dungeon because you’ve found the necessary material to dispel it, remember that the journey back might be lengthy.
In my exploration of Hadea, I’ve found myself venturing alone, inquiring about these elusive images and Keystones. The game, “Hell is Us,” delivers on its core promise: no coddling, no instructions – you’re on your own. Discovered artifacts could hold the key to unraveling mysteries, especially the Lymbic Rods, which seem to unlock doors or chests to unknown destinations. The maps, thankfully, resemble traditional maps and function as items you can equip to reinforce rough details, rather than providing exact locations. Some Lymbic Roads are particularly significant, as they lead to other Timeloop Rifts in a region, but accessing them requires vanquishing specific Timeloop Guardians, identifiable only with a special device or by the traditional method of eliminating everything on the map.
As a gamer, stumbling upon a hidden group of soldiers inside a crumbled building and witnessing them react when I attack in a strategic sequence is quite thrilling. These structures can sometimes be challenging to decipher, with solutions that vary from clear (when you’re attentive to the environment’s subtle hints) to occasionally confounding, especially when it comes to fine-tuning a radio frequency to reveal a concealed safe and figuring out the code from significant dates and numbers on specific artworks. I must admit, I was hoping for more code-breaking challenges within the Vaults of Forbidden Knowledge rather than Tania directly offering the solution upon depositing sufficient research materials, but it’s still an exhilarating gaming experience nonetheless.
Backtracking can be quite challenging, especially when you’re trying to solve problems on your own. Unfortunately, there’s no quick way to move between locations – instead, you’ll have to return to the Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) each time. So, if you suddenly decide to revisit a TimeLoop Rift in a dungeon because you’ve discovered the right material to dispel it, be aware that the journey back might take some time. Furthermore, some of the game’s levels are designed with multiple pitfalls and hazards that can result in death, which means you may have to circle back through long distances. This, combined with the need for extensive exploration, can make the game feel tedious at times.
In other words: Backtracking in this game can be difficult and time-consuming, especially when navigating complex levels with multiple hazards that require you to circle back to different areas. This can sometimes lead to a feeling of tedium during exploration.
On the positive note, what makes this adventure truly memorable are the labyrinthine dungeons. From the Lymbic Forge, where water levels drop unpredictably, to the resting place of the Fallen, with its assorted challenges, and from the tower filled with timing-sensitive riddles that cause discomfort, to the Museum with its color-coded switches leading to various doors – they’re all complex yet intriguing. Keeping tabs on locations and knowing when to use specific items is crucial but not excessively complicated, offering a well-balanced mix of combat and puzzle-solving, along with an abundance of distinctive rooms and experiences.
The fight system may appear similar to Souls-like games, with light and heavy attacks, a stamina bar, among other elements. However, it bears more resemblance to Nioh. When you strike enemies, tiny particles collect, forming a healing burst when R1 is pressed. Correctly timing this can also replenish your stamina, promoting an aggressive playstyle. Yet, these particles vanish even with a single hit, whether blocking or not, indicating a risk-reward scenario…except in this game, you can block and activate a healing pulse simultaneously, significantly lessening the risk.
Although combat offers some advantages, it’s worth noting that there are several drawbacks due to the nature of the enemies and how they function. For instance, in this game, only five types of Hollow Walkers exist, divided into three levels. The higher tiers introduce additional moves to their arsenal, but the real concern arises when these creatures are connected to the Hazes.
Despite everything, I must say the overall experience in combat is quite enjoyable. Parrying is quick and relatively simple to execute, although it’s rather effortless. Movement generally feels sharp and precise. My preferred weapon was the dual axes due to their remarkable speed (the standard sword seemed a bit slow for my taste). You can also select from a Greatsword and Polearm, each offering distinct charge attacks. By upgrading a weapon’s rank, you can infuse it with an essence of sorts, enabling you to attach special Glyphs that come with unique abilities.
Most of the time, it seemed there were limited options – certain Glyphs, especially Grif, needed improvement – leading to a preference for melee combat. Fortunately, Hell is Us isn’t restrained, so:
Gear up with items that provide damage reduction and health restoration upon attack, along with a Passive Relic that lowers overall Lymbic energy in favor of a 50% increase in melee power. Then, unleash aggressively on your foe.
Despite its appeal, combat comes with significant drawbacks due to the way enemies behave. In this game, there are merely five varieties of Hollow Walkers, divided into three levels. The higher levels introduce additional maneuvers to their arsenal, but the real danger arises when they’re connected to the Hazes. To inflict damage on the main body, you must first defeat the Haze, and they too possess three tiers with increasingly intricate attack patterns that require timing for successful parries. Matters can become particularly tricky when confronted by multiple linked enemies or numerous Hollows bound to a single Haze.
You could either attack the Hollow with a ranged weapon first, eliminating it before the Haze appears, or weaken the Hollow by lowering its stamina significantly, enabling you to destroy the Haze and execute it without effort. The former option might appear straightforward, but it simplifies many linked enemy encounters. Since most battles follow the same pattern – either killing the Hollow before the Haze forms or destroying the Haze followed by killing the Hollow – the combat can become monotonous. Furthermore, there are occasional glitches, such as when the Hollow’s stamina fails to decrease after the Haze disappears, causing an awkward pause while you wait for it to be damaged again. The absence of engaging boss fights doesn’t help matters much, with only a couple of exceptions; otherwise, it seems like you’re just fighting multiple versions of the Haze throughout the game.
Besides other areas that could benefit from adjustments, your drone demonstrates impressive maneuvers such as swiftly passing through foes and spinning to defeat them. However, there seems to be a delay in performing these actions, leading to unnecessary damage absorption. The charged heavy attacks appear enticing initially, but they tend to lose their appeal over time due to the excessive energy and time investment required, with the damage output not being particularly significant.
There are more things that could be balanced out in addition to what we’ve discussed so far. Your drone’s moves like darting through enemies or spinning for victory are pretty neat, but there seems to be a slight delay when using them, causing you to take extra damage. While the charged heavy attacks look cool, they become less useful as time goes by because the amount of energy and time needed to perform them outweighs the damage they deal.
Right from the start, Hell is Us aims to deliver a unique and distinct gaming experience. At times, it harkens back to the classic era of gaming; other moments are fresh and innovative. Despite being a strong action-adventure title, it does have its fair share of rough patches and imperfections…
It’s definitely impressive to admire the art design in “Hell is Us”. Descending into the depths of the tower’s dungeon basement, where the sprawling bone pile moves subtly, or gazing upon the expanses of beautiful blue blooms along Lake Cynon’s shoreline, even the immaculate floors and corridors within the Museum are visually striking. Additionally, the combat animations are quite well-done, particularly for Hollow Walkers and Hazes, and the cutscenes are competently produced. However, there may be some optimization issues. When you mention “Unreal Engine 5”, my response would be, “That level of performance in Unreal Engine 5 is simply not achievable!
On my Core i5-11400 processor, 32 GB RAM, and RTX 4060 graphics card, I surpassed some of the suggested specifications, yet still needed to adjust settings due to the system’s requirement for upscaling. Despite this, achieving satisfactory performance required a fair amount of tinkering, and occasionally, textures appeared blurry from afar, particularly in dimly lit hallways when using a flashlight. Even though the game usually maintained 60 FPS, it sometimes stumbled and dropped frames while exploring, regardless of any activity happening or not. Keep in mind that individual experiences may differ, but these observations are worth sharing nevertheless.
Right from the start, the game “Hell is Us” clearly defines the type of journey it intends to provide and how it wants you to savor that experience. At times innovative, at others reminiscent of the past gaming era, it’s a robust action-adventure title with its fair share of rugged edges and flaws. Despite these imperfections, it managed to captivate me, compelling me to explore further corners and uncover what lies ahead, even if the payoffs were simpler rather than awe-inspiring.
As a gamer, I’d say this game, despite its imperfections, leaves an impression that sticks around. It might not be perfect, but it’s still an experience I can appreciate in some way. One thing’s for sure, Hell is Us seems to drive home the point that no matter where we go or what we do, there really is no place like home – a lesson that’s hard to forget, even when trying to return feels impossible.
This game was reviewed on the PC.
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2025-09-01 22:00