When a studio promises something different, I usually take it with a grain of salt. With Hell is Us, developer Rogue Factor, a Canadian studio known for experimenting outside the norm, actually pulls it off. Published by Nacon, the game sets itself apart with its “player-plattering” approach, where you’re left to figure things out without glowing markers or constant prompts. That design choice shapes nearly every part of the adventure, making it stand out in a year crowded with sequels and familiar formulas.
You step into the role of Remi, a soldier returning to his birthplace of Hadea, a country scarred by civil war and hiding a strange new threat. Instead of holding your hand, the game trusts you to pay attention, listen, and remember what you’ve learned. I’ll admit, I was curious to see how this style would hold up over dozens of hours. For me, the challenge of working things out without the usual checklist quickly became one of the most interesting parts of the experience.
Hell is Us isn’t about rushing from waypoint to waypoint. It’s about uncovering a world piece by piece, through exploration, combat, and puzzles that push you to think. That slower, more deliberate pace might not click with everyone, but it’s exactly what caught my attention and kept me invested from the start.
Shadows of War and Memory
In Hell is Us, you step into the role of Remi, a soldier heading back to his homeland of Hadea. As a kid he was smuggled out, but now he returns to a country ripped apart by civil war and plagued by strange creatures tied to something called The Calamity. His search for answers about his parents quickly becomes tangled with the bigger question of what happened to this broken land.
The story isn’t handed to you. There aren’t constant cutscenes spelling everything out, and there’s no friendly voice guiding you to the next clue. Instead, you’re piecing it together from scraps, a note here, a short conversation there, even the ruins around you. I caught myself slowing down, reading carefully, and trying to remember small details. It felt good when those little pieces finally lined up in my head.
Honestly, the game really hit me harder thatn I thought it would. I walked through villages that showed the damage of war in blunt, uncomfortable ways. Some of those moments stayed with me long after I stopped playing. The game doesn’t shy away from tough themes, but it never feels cheap or forced.
For me, that mix of mystery and harsh reality worked. Digging into Remi’s past while uncovering the pain of Hadea gave the story real weight. It’s not light or easygoing, but that’s why it stuck with me.
Exploring Without a Map
Hell is Us pushes you to slow down and interact with its world instead of relying on markers or glowing paths. Quests, called Investigations, give you just enough information to get started, but the rest is on you. Conversations, scattered notes, and environmental details provide the clues you need to move forward. It feels rewarding when you make the connections yourself instead of being led step by step.
Side quests, known as Good Deeds, work in the same way. People rarely spell out what they want, so you have to remember their words and pay attention. In one case, I found an urn hours after hearing a priest mention his father’s ashes. Because I wrote that detail down, I knew where the urn belonged. Delivering it felt far more satisfying than checking off a quest log. It’s a design choice that makes every solved mystery feel like your own accomplishment.
Puzzles also play a big role. They can be as simple as aligning symbols or as tricky as piecing together family histories through inscriptions. At times, puzzles stumped me enough that I grabbed a notebook to jot down hints. The sense of discovery was great, though there were moments of real frustration when I wandered in circles unsure of what I had missed. That open-ended approach can be tough to push through, but it makes the eventual solutions feel worthwhile.
Combat is built around melee weapons and stamina management. You can recover health with the Lymbic Pulse, which rewards precise timing. Weapons can be upgraded and paired with Glyphs for elemental abilities, while the drone adds useful support. The variety helps, though the limited enemy types can make battles feel repetitive over time. Thankfully, difficulty options let you fine-tune the challenge to your preference.
A World That Echoes With Unease
Hadea is a grim place, and Hell is Us makes sure you feel it from the moment you arrive. Villages lie in ruins, dungeons feel oppressive, and even open areas feel strange in their silence. The Hollow Walkers and Hazes move in strange, twisted ways that add to their unsettling presence. Character models and environments hold up well, though you will notice some repetition in enemy design.
On PS5, performance felt solid the whole way through. Load times were quick, frame rates stayed consistent, and nothing really got in the way. For me, the lighting is what really made the game shine. Fire, smoke, and shadows often mixed together in ways that gave ruined towns and dark dungeons extra weight.
The audio adds a lot to the atmosphere. The soundtrack blends ambient tones with sudden bursts of sound that keep you on edge. Walking through forests or ruins, I often noticed faint whispers, distant drums, or a low drone that made the world feel heavier. More than once I found myself stopping just to listen before moving forward. Voice work also helps ground the setting, with accents and delivery that make conversations feel authentic. Remi’s flat tone might not work for everyone, but it fits with his reserved nature and background.
The mix of sound and visuals really pulls you in. Even empty stretches of land felt heavier to explore, and the audio made those moments stick with me.
Hell is Us Balances Frustration With Rewarding Discovery
Hell is Us stuck with me in a way I didn’t expect. I kept thinking about its mix of war, memory, and the awful things people can do to each other. Not many games leave that kind of mark. Exploring Hadea felt different from most modern adventures. Nothing is handed to you, and every discovery is yours to earn. I remember solving a side quest hours after first hearing about it, just because I’d kept a detail in mind.
That kind of payoff felt great, even when the process tested my patience. I won’t lie, I had stretches where I was completely lost. Still, when the pieces finally came together, it was worth it. This is not a game for someone who likes being pointed in the right direction every five minutes. If you need constant markers or reminders, you’ll probably bounce off it. But if you don’t mind wandering, writing down notes, and pushing through frustration, the game gives back in a way few others do.
The combat isn’t its strongest part, and the enemy roster could use more variety. What carried it for me was the atmosphere, the way the story is told, and the satisfaction of sticking with it. Hell is Us isn’t perfect, but it’s bold, and I’m glad I saw it through.
Hell is Us
Summary
Hell is Us takes a different path from most action-adventures. Instead of guiding you with waypoints, it leaves you to figure things out on your own. I found the mix of exploration, puzzles, and story really satisfying, even if I did get stuck more than once. Combat isn’t the strongest part, with only a handful of enemy types, but it’s serviceable. It’s not for everyone, but if you enjoy games that make you slow down, take notes, and work things out, Hell is Us is worth your time.
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