Hell is Us promised to be one of the most intriguing and unique action games of the year. The demo only revealed the seeds of the gameplay mechanics, which truly take flight in the later hours of play. This is a production where defeating waves of enemies is just one component of a larger whole – careful exploration and puzzle-solving are equally important. Hell is Us never holds your hand, and discovering its world can be as fascinating as it is occasionally frustrating.
An intriguing hybrid of multiple genres with a strong sense of individuality
If I were to categorize it, I’d describe it as an action game with soulslike influences and minor RPG elements. We are thrown into large, open locations – without maps or markers – filled with complex puzzles and intricate tasks, all under a dense, immersive atmosphere. The world is far from welcoming, and danger lurks around every corner – a civil war is raging, and strange, unnatural monstrosities can obliterate us in an instant.
In Hell is Us, we assume the role of a predefined protagonist – Remi, who searches for the truth about his origins in an isolated country. The story is mysterious, told through flashbacks during an unpleasant interrogation. The journey quickly takes a dark turn, revealing itself as only the beginning of larger problems and tragedies. While the storytelling is minimalist, conversations with characters and discovering hidden journals offer significant room for imagination. Dialogues are clearly divided into “important” and “additional,” making it easier to separate essential information from narrative and world-building content.
Instead of mindlessly skipping dialogue and following markers, here you need to listen carefully, observe your surroundings, and draw conclusions from the hints provided. Even the audio plays a key role – subtle environmental sounds can warn of dangers or serve as puzzle-solving clues. Our greatest aid is the tablet – an interactive journal that organizes key information, characters, and objectives. It never leads you by the hand – it points the way, but it’s up to the player to find the solution.
This approach to gameplay is fresh and unconventional, especially today. Initially, I felt lost, but the locations, despite their size, are distinctive enough to quickly memorize. The main story isn’t overly difficult, but solving secrets and side “good deeds” is a wild ride. They often require moving between locations, and the available clues are sparse. Some must be completed before certain story moments – I missed a few on my first attempt.
As a seasoned point-and-click adventure player, I admit some moments were truly challenging. Midway through the story, I literally got stuck and had to seek help. This, of course, depends on the individual, but I anticipate the phrase “Hell is Us guide” will be frequently searched. Still, this approach provided a lot of enjoyment – discovering the world without markers is a rarity today.
The well-designed dungeons are also worth noting, reminiscent of classic The Legend of Zelda installments. These are extensive mazes with environmental and logical puzzles. Completing them requires attention but rewards satisfaction. There aren’t many, but each is polished and unique, which is refreshing compared to games that repeatedly reuse tired formulas. The closed structure of dungeons eliminates the frustration of wandering an open world searching for a single solution.
Combat and character progression
The second layer of gameplay is a combat system inspired by soulslikes, though easier and less demanding. Standard difficulty levels ensure most players can handle it without major issues. Encounters rely on stamina management, dodges, counters, and special abilities that can turn the tide of battle. There’s no traditional character progression, and death only returns you to a checkpoint – defeated enemies remain dead (unless this option is disabled), at least until revisiting the location.
I was slightly disappointed that permanently clearing an area requires not only eliminating designated enemies but also closing anomalies. This is only possible after obtaining the appropriate items, which hinders free exploration.
Thorough exploration and completing side tasks are key to progression – weapon upgrades and new abilities significantly affect combat. Our futuristic companion drone, KAPI, supports us in battle, can distract enemies, translate ancient inscriptions, and assist in exploration. Its modules can be freely modified, adding depth to gameplay.
Careful exploration and performing good deeds is the easiest path to becoming stronger – acquired skills and weapon upgrades have a huge impact on encounter difficulty. Likewise, our companion KAPI plays a vital role. This futuristic device quickly becomes invaluable, supporting both exploration and combat with a variety of practical abilities. It can distract enemies, help Remi reach higher ground, translate ancient inscriptions, or illuminate dark corridors. Its modules can be freely modified and adapted to current needs, adding considerable variety to gameplay.
Combat here is fairly fluid and enjoyable, though early encounters sometimes gave me a slight survival-horror vibe – low stamina, limited health, and scarce medkits forced caution at every step. The developers also build a palpable sense of dread, amplifying the horror effect. The enemies themselves resemble Silent Hill monstrosities, albeit humanoid tombstones and monuments. However, this effect diminishes somewhat as we quickly gain a standard healing ability, and enemies increasingly possess anomalies reminiscent of Control that must be destroyed first.
The enemy design is interesting, but there’s a clear lack of variety. After a few hours of play, you’ll encounter literally all enemy types. Of course, later in the game they acquire new abilities, and fighting several at once can raise your pulse, but their repetitive appearance is hard to ignore. Furthermore, even the few types don’t differ significantly visually – a missed opportunity, as more creative designs would have enhanced the experience. I also missed fully fleshed-out boss fights.
Thus, combat is an enjoyable, sometimes slightly chaotic and repetitive addition, lacking a bit of finesse. The equipment is also a minor disappointment – there are four distinct weapon types that can be heavily modified. Completing Hell is Us took me around 20 hours (with about 65% of side tasks completed), and at some point, monotony began to set in. This was mitigated by well-designed locations and engaging puzzles, but consecutive encounters increasingly felt tiresome.
I’d like to commend the technical aspects, though they aren’t perfect. The game runs on the infamous Unreal Engine 5, which entails high system requirements, but on capable PCs, performance shouldn’t be an issue. Occasional stutters are rare, and graphics settings allow a balanced experience. On a PC with Nvidia RTX 4080 Super, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and 32 GB RAM, I consistently achieved 60+ FPS on very high settings, and DLSS in balanced mode enabled comfortable 4K gameplay with minimal loss of sharpness. Unfortunately, gameplay on the Steam Deck was problematic, as even at lowest graphics settings it struggled to maintain 30 FPS – an aging device, but stronger handhelds should handle it better.
Hell is Us is not a technical showcase, but it looks solid. The particle effects and atmospheric lighting are impressive, especially when playing on a proper HDR display. Draw distance is strong, as are the polished textures – there’s plenty to admire, particularly after leaving the first locations. One technical issue is that cutscenes are locked at 30 FPS, which shouldn’t happen on PC.
The sound design deserves a separate mention, as it plays a crucial role in building the atmosphere. The soundtrack is highly atmospheric, and some effects (I won’t spoil) gave me genuine goosebumps. Hell is Us also excels in voice acting – Elias Toufexis stars in the lead role, whose distinctive voice many will immediately associate with Adam Jensen from Deus Ex. The supporting cast is equally strong and believable, significantly enhancing the story’s impact.
In summary
Given the above impressions, I had some difficulty assigning a final rating for Hell is Us. It’s a highly distinctive, individualistic project full of interesting solutions. The game excels with well-executed exploration, an intriguing world, and compelling conflict, while some puzzles provide a real challenge. It’s a refreshing change from today’s productions, though it falls short in combat mechanics and enemy design. This is definitely a game you’ll either love or bounce off – for me, it leans strongly toward the former.
Hell is Us: Despite certain shortcomings, it is a one-of-a-kind experience. Immersive, demanding, and at times downright overwhelming. While it can occasionally frustrate and feel monotonous, it rewards the player in ways few other games do. – Great on Deck
