A Post-War Odyssey Against the Supernatural
At first glance, Hell is Us could be mistaken for a Soulslike. This is due in part to the dark and moody environment, which is a fundamental core of the genre. And the game itself is an action-adventure experience, which these days might-as-well be code for Soulslike. However, there is certainly some Souls fatigue among gamers, with a lot of games feeling like they are chasing the success of blockbuster games like Elden Ring.
Personally I’m not quite there yet, but regardless, Hell is Us is NOT a Soulslike. While the environment and mood fit, the combat and gameplay itself does not. Enemies will stay dead in an area once they are defeated, only respawning if the area is left. Experience and materials aren’t lost upon dying, and the combat difficulty is highly customizable with different difficulty options and accessibility sliders.
There also is a stronger emphasis on exploration over combat, and the best aspects of the game revolve around the puzzles and world design, not the combat.
In Hell is Us, you’ll play as Remi. An individual who was exfiltrated from his homeland before deciding to return during a period of intense societal unrest. A civil war is ravaging the country, and if that wasn’t enough, there are also supernatural monsters that are impervious to conventional weapons wreaking havoc, all as the result of an unknown calamity.
Remi has returned in search of answers regarding his family and heritage, which has remained shrouded in mystery.
A World Without Maps
Hell is Us is a semi-open world game that is separated into various regions that feature different NPCs, mysteries, and puzzles to solve. Exploration and puzzle-solving are the two most prominent mechanics of the game, and it’s where the best elements are given room to shine. But the implementation may be a bit divisive.
For starters, there are no waypoints and there is no mini map. This means exploration is completely facilitated by actually listening to instructions and examining the environment. Light is also used to great effect to call attention to objects and spaces in the environment, and while there are no objective waypoints, text objects in the environment are marked clearly, many of which provide clues.
These design choices, coupled with the semi-open world nature where the map is broken down into specific areas, makes exploration natural. The map sizes are manageable, and even exploring just to find collectibles is enough to facilitate natural progression. I never felt overly lost, and in the event I did start to feel uncertain, there are notes in the menu regarding any people and discoveries that have been made.
Puzzles take many forms, some are baked into the environment and feature Skyrim style rotating obelisks, others involve hacking into computers by reading notes and identifying clues, and so on. Hell is Us features a unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi that leads to a wide variety of puzzles, in a range of different settings. One may be set in a lab where security alarms are blaring, while another might take place in an underground crypt with ancient statues.
The lack of hand-holding makes solving each puzzle satisfying, and there are plenty to tackle in both the main story and on the side.
Combat and Cores
That’s not to say Hell is Us doesn’t have its flaws. The two major complaints I could levy against Hell is Us revolve around the combat system, and then the main character’s hair. Yes, their hair.
The combat itself is best described as just fine. There are essentially two ways that every combat encounter is approached. Enemies consist of white humanoid beings that are called Hollows. There are the standard Hollows that can be defeated simply by attacking them and bringing their health to zero. And then there are Hollows with “cores”, pulsating masses that are tethered to the Hollow. Hollows with a core will spawn it at the start of combat, remaining unkillable as long as the core is still alive. It is possible to attack the Hollow to stun them before destroying the core, which has the added benefit of allowing an instant kill attack on the hollow once the core is defeated.
There are also Hollows that will generate multiple cores, or some groups that will share a core. These involve a slightly different approach to defeat, but the basic principles remain the same in each situation.
Technical Triumphs and a Quirky Hairstyle
Enemy design starts to feel repetitive fairly early on, with them all sharing the same design elements and the cores essentially being color swaps. These colors represent one of the four emotions of rage, ecstasy, fear, and grief. Enemies will have one or several cores representing these emotions, specific attack patterns based on the emotion attached. But beyond this, there isn’t much variety in terms of combat.
Boss fights are virtually absent and human characters never engage Remi in combat. It leads to combat, as a whole, feeling repetitive as the game progresses.
However, a major positive to Hell is Us is that it runs beautifully, even when multiple enemies are filling the screen. Frame rate performance was impressive upon booting up the game, and no matter where I explored, the game performance was incredible.
And then we get to the hair and, well, let’s just say Remi is wearing a hat for the majority of the game, and I consider that a big win.
In all seriousness, it’s a minor offense, but I would like to know the thought process behind going with the style decided upon. Especially with the voice actor being Elias Toufexis, whose voice can be immediately recognized by any fans of Deus Ex; the voice behind Adam Jensen, a character that doesn’t have a ridiculous haircut.
He gives a solid performance, though, and the rest of the cast also delivers. There are only a couple of moments where Hell is Us tries to do the quippy dialogue that everyone is tired of, but overall the story kept me interested. There is also a noticeable influence from Hideo Kojima games in the setting and delivery of the story.
A Great Concept with Solid Foundations
Hell is Us feels like a great proof of concept game. There is a superb job done in the crafting of environments and world that is satisfying to explore and solve. The dark representation of war, with themes like displaced populations, mass death, religious persecution, and even moral detachment of invading forces tell a compelling story. The puzzles are flushed out and genuinely challenging to solve, without feeling unfair. Having to inspect the environment and remember key details creates a sense of immersion that isn’t usually present in games.
Sadly, the combat just doesn’t add much. There are multiple systems that create an initial sense of depth, but the lack of enemy variety and repetitive encounters detracts more than it adds.
In spite of that, though, the foundations of Hell is Us are rock solid. A follow-up game would allow for the combat systems to be refined, and for the story and world to be built out more. And whilst it’s not a perfect first game, many series really hit their stride in a sequel and I would love to see what developer Rogue Factor could do with this world further down the line.
Important Links
A New World of Mystery, Fear, and Survival – Hell is Us Arrives on Xbox, PS5 & PC! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-new-world-of-mystery-fear-and-survival-hell-is-us-arrives-on-xbox-ps5-pc/
Hell is Us Release Date Confirmed, New Trailer Unveiled – https://www.thexboxhub.com/hell-is-us-release-date-confirmed-new-trailer-unveiled/
Hell is Us is a new Unreal Engine 5 game for Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/hell-is-us-is-a-new-unreal-engine-5-game-for-xbox-series-xs-ps5-and-pc/
Buy Hell is Us on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/hell-is-us/9mvv582pxv58
Take home the Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/hell-is-us-deluxe-edition/9P6ZBXSVCWRV/0017
