Hell is Us Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

The greatest downfall of humanity will likely be of our own making, whether it’s nuclear war, climate change, or environmental collapse. And Hell is Us, well, shoves a mirror in our faces, challenging us to see for ourselves how dehumanized we’ve become. More narrowly down, perhaps, to the unending cycle of war, altering our core instincts for empathy and moral values, justifying our atrocious actions with propaganda. 

It’s a lot to digest, mull over, and question in relation to the current issues we face, the injustices we allow to happen. War is certainly ongoing in various parts of the globe, and we’re on varying levels of desensitization to the impact on a global scale. Yet, we’re all connected as humans, separated by geography but bonded by mind and soul. There’s no solid takeaway from Hell is Us. It’s, however, an intriguing narrative for debate and consideration.

Otherwise, other gameplay elements thrive on varying degrees. And all culminating in an overall entry worth giving a second thought. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of all the good (and bad) that would entail your playthrough via our Hell is Us review below.

Seeking Answers

Our protagonist is a UN peacekeeper whose background and possibly heavy motivations carry more depth than is immediately apparent. His history hits closer to home, as a young child smuggled from the fictional country he strives to restore peace. Curiosity finally gets the better of him, and he deserts the UN in search of his maternal parents. Unfortunately, all he has is the name of the place he was born, along with his parents’ occupation. No fret, though. Hell is Us is prepared to give you all the tools you need to find your way. 

Well, not the usual tools: interactive map, quest markers, or points of interest, no; only one of the most immersive open-world-ish maps to explore freely. You can decide whatever path you’d like to take, whether chasing the main story or deviating to side quests. And the world will effortlessly guide you through landmarks, clues, glowing collectibles, and so on. Despite the lack of hand-holding in terms of where to go next, you do manage to find your way, as long as you’re keen to observe and take notes. 

Right or Wrong

There aren’t compelling cutscenes to advance the story. Instead, your unraveling of the plot will primarily be through piecing together the lore you discover in the world. From more open-ended areas to tight corridors, you’ll trudge forward, keeping a lookout for texts to scan and environmental details to extract clues from. It’ll all pop up in a structured pace, perhaps outright coming by mutilated bodies lying in a heap or a vague hint from an NPC. 

This’ll no doubt be a most torturous discovery of a war-torn world, riddled with pain and death. And while, on the surface, it’ll appear to be a cyclic civil conflict between two warring factions, deeper and more mature themes gradually unfold throughout your playthrough. The ugliness of humans looking to survive becomes apparent, as does the unfazed nature of the corrupt. But when there have been gruesome acts committed by both sides affecting each other in desensitized ways, the lines between who’s right or wrong become blurred. 

Search for More

The world is your story, unraveling a dark history that stretches back to ancient times. While set in the late 1900s, there’s much to unpack here, as it is both rooted in historical events and infused with futuristic ideas. And amid it all is the sprouting of supernatural phenomena: nearly humanoid beings, frightening to witness and fight back. They are your main enemies needing wiping out, and sealing off the timeloops they emerge from. Certainly plenty to unpack, and all dotted all around you, whether in vivid illustrations of the dead, lore notes, NPC conversations, and more. 

For the most part, Hell is Us is an exploration game about piecing together the bits and pieces of a convoluted but compelling narrative. The world of Hadea has plenty to say, and much will cross over to the current issues we face today. So, despite lacking any sense of direction, you find yourself wanting to learn and discover more lore, more history, and how it ties to the current. You want to try to find a reprieve from the war, even if the conflict seems hopeless and beyond saving. And yes, you still have your lost family to track down. 

Scribble Away

The second central gameplay element is puzzles, also tied to the storytelling. The pieces and nuggets of clues you find will be paramount to decoding certain locked areas. Or they may be straightforward “keys” you need to unlock literal and figurative doors. It’s often unclear where the solution lies, sometimes requiring backtracking or clearing several areas ahead. And therein lies the absolute necessity of taking notes. I mean, you can keep all the clues and “interesting things” you see in mind. But it’ll require sharp memory to retrieve the exact solution you need for a puzzle you encountered way back or later on. 

Honestly, it can become a bit frustrating never knowing what clues and items correspond to what puzzles. And when the puzzles require a specific solution, it becomes impossible to experiment, rely on trial-and-error, or brute force. Not that the puzzles themselves are terrible. Some feel pretty satisfying to solve, with a decent level of challenge and intrigue. Others are simple enough to get by, with the solution lying not too far off. But you’ll surely knock your head into a wall at a few seemingly designed to frustrate. 

Die, Creeps

And lastly, the combat. Although it’s not the focus of Hell is Us, it still achieves a competent and satisfactory system that you’ll at least extract enjoyment from. With your light attacks, you can combine and experiment with different power and damage output. And your charged attacks can up the ante, unleashing more damage, alongside a punchy sound effect. Meanwhile, your four main types of melee weapons do a good enough job of keeping enemies at bay. They block and parry incoming attacks, with strict timing windows akin to Soulslikes. It can feel stiff at times, though, but not outright clumsy and definitely weighty. 

In addition to your weapons and attacks, you have abilities that you can use to spice up your combat, including elemental ones. These further expand your arsenal and attacks, diversifying your go-to stance breakers and health depleters. Draining enemies’ stance, in particular, will open up the opportunity for a slick finisher move. Further, your stamina is tied to your health, where losing health directly reduces your stamina. And so, you’ll lose the ability to dodge, block, parry, and attack. But perform successful combos and counter-attacks, and you have a strict timing window to replenish health. Or the alternative, consumables and health kits you pick up. 

Easy Does It

Hell is Us’ combat is frankly a little on the easier side. Right after you come to grips with the core systems, you should be good to go. Dying doesn’t penalize you, either, retaining most of your progress, collectibles, and not respawning enemies. And you can always tinker around with the difficulty for an even easier run. There’s fun to be had in the early and mid stages. However, enemy types are limited, always the same creepy humanoid creatures. When they change their game, it’s summoning Hazes that you ultimately fight the same way. Save for enemies growing tougher, the loadout you’ll feel drawn to, and attacks that work will likely remain the same go-tos through to the end. And I have to mention, the music and sound effects are stellar. Creepy but rightfully fitting of Hell is Us’ grim-dark world.

Verdict

Keeping all of this in mind, a most immersive world with impeccable detail and intriguing design, brilliant puzzles but occasionally frustrating, and an ultimately manageable combat system with limited enemy variety, does Hell is Us warrant a must-play? I’ll say, it depends. Do you fancy exploration, free from the guiding hand of the developer, maps, or quest markers? Do you just want to discover what the world looks like, its history, people, and the experiences that have made them the way they are? Mind you, the discovery of Hell is Us’ war-torn world is riddled with pain and misery, though ultimately never suffocating. If you do, Hell is Us is perfect for you.

However, if you’re looking for clever puzzles whose solutions challenge your creativity and imagination, Hell is Us might not be your cup of tea. You’ll need lots of patience to hit 100% completion on this one, with many of the solutions found in places you visited way back or are yet to discover. On the combat front, it is enjoyable, especially in the beginning, fighting against those unnerving, humanoid, supernatural beings. But it ultimately grows repetitive, with limited enemy variety and attack patterns. Make no mistake, though, Hell is Us’ world is impressive, and its soundtrack warrants a chef’s kiss.