Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

I love that Expression Games chose to take the path less chosen. By moving from World War II to Vietnam, the studio succeeds in giving you an experience different than before. The second time around in neutralizing the enemy is an exercise in attention and planning. 

It’s a 50v50 teamwork affair, relying on one another’s wits and skill in whatever role you feel most drawn to. Yes, the roles are pretty varied and cater to the distinct needs of a successful takeover. It’s chaotic, sure, but also works pretty well. Every piece of the puzzle fits, even when smoke is all-consuming, and twigs muddy your sightlines. It’s still very much a warzone you won’t want to miss. 

A few nail heads might need hammering, but so far, so good, as you’ll see in my review of Hell Let Loose: Vietnam.

What Role Will You Play?

One of the most important decisions you’ll make in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is deciding which role suits your skills and playstyle the most. Are you better at taking commands? Then, you might want to play the role of an officer, noting down where the next supply drop might land or the areas where troops are most overwhelmed to call in for an air strike.

The commander plans these out, using a strategic mind and foresight to determine when to send in reinforcements. In that sense, you enjoy a more real-time strategic gameplay system, one that requires resource management and planning to thrive in. 

Still, you might want to be on the frontline of war. And even then, there are diverse efforts you could make toward the war. You might be comfortable slinging your rifle and emptying your magazine at the first sight of approaching enemies.

Perhaps your skills are better used in building and fixing machines. That’s the engineer, whose usefulness in combat may be the most relied upon during certain scenarios. So is the medic, who helps revive fallen comrades, if they can still come back from the injuries they sustain. In other words, the warzone is no place to idle around and freestyle. It’s a life-and-death business that requires every last member to play their part.

In that regard, you’ll certainly find a place in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, even if you have to try out different roles to settle into what works for you. And once you do, you can then work together with your teammates to bring victory to your side of the war.

The US Forces Versus the North Vietnamese Army

It may be true that the US Forces have unmatched military-grade weapons and supplies. On paper, they should easily decimate the North Vietnamese Army (NAV). However, the Vietnam setting of the war is its own character that serves up its own unique perks compared to other historical battlefields. And it’s the distinct nature of this setting that I was most excited about because it can be tricky to pull off, while at the same time, providing a different experience altogether. 

Tunnels make a difference in the Vietnam setting, which the NAV makes the most of in pretty strategic and brutal ways. On the side of the NAV, you can move across the massive battlefield undetected by digging tunnels. Any four tunnels can connect at the same time. And so, the level of planning and strategy you can integrate into your tunnel systems is pretty deep. On the defense, the US Forces track the tunnels and will do everything in their power to destroy the exit routes.

Meanwhile, the US Forces also have several tricks up their sleeve. They can call in air strikes, which easily level entire urban dwellings and army squads. The US Forces also have way stronger military-grade weapons and armor, as well as patrol boats that they can outfit with machine guns. Still, you remain mindful of possible RPG attacks that will bring down helicopters in one neat strike.

These distinct tactical moves on both ends of the war make choosing which side to place your bet on exciting because the battle could go either way, depending on how well you make use of each side’s unique advantages and otherwise. It’s also one of the items that sets Hell Let Loose: Vietnam apart from the first game, adding more spice and variety to your gaming experience.

Can’t See Through It

The other major difference you’ll notice is the dense jungles in the Vietnam setting. Sure, there are some urban areas and desert plains. You even have a section of the game that takes you to a port. And here, fun movement options like climbing ladders and sniping at enemies on top of containers make the combat more exciting.

The dense jungles are pretty prominent, though, and it’s where you’ll be spending most of your time. I have to admit, Expression Games has done one hell of a job creating sceneries and atmosphere that look and feel like cutting your way through thickets. The bushes are massive and can be closely knit together. Yet, you can see through the twigs and grass. And that’s a very sweet spot between hiding behind cover and potentially spotting an enemy crawling around. 

Sprinting is available, as is crouching, which provides you with a good fight or flight balance. The way the combat plays, though, you might want to crouch your way through the bushes, and you want to make the least sounds possible. 

If you can also pay close attention to your surroundings, putting your ears to the ground for any approaching footsteps, it might save you quite literally, because all it can take is a one-shot kill. At times, you might think you’re approaching the enemy undetected when, out of nowhere, a sniper shoots you through the head. And personally, I was never mad at it because I’d return with a vengeance.

On Sight

The odds are stacked in favor of the first person who spots and shoots you. So, paying extra close attention to what’s around you, and the ambient sounds the crushing twigs and footsteps might make, is the key strategy to keeping safe, at least long enough to actually reach the frontlines. It’s a bit annoying when you’ve traveled a long distance just to get spotted and shot down by an enemy you never even saw coming, but I maintain that it remains a source of motivation to return stronger.

And that’s really the joy of playing Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. It’s a slow-paced game that favors calculating your every move before actually taking action. You really spend time in your head as much as you do holding the trigger. Rest assured, the battles get chaotic once you’re out in the open. And the artillery and grenades at your disposal do a great enough job to eliminate the enemy. You’ll enjoy explosive encounters where it’s all hands on deck. When you have to retreat because of the overwhelming pressure on your tanks and teammates. 

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam can be a brutal game for anyone unwilling to work together. It takes a team to coordinate attacks and deliver reinforcements. And a huge part of that is having reliable headphones plugged into the voice and proximity chat. 

Slight Issues

For a game that makes room for a 50v5 multiplayer large-scale battlefield experience, I wasn’t too surprised when I ran into slight issues with the frame rate drops and texture pop-ins. There’s simply a lot going on that it would surprise me if the whole thing ran smoothly like bread and butter. I mean, the performance itself is great. Gameplay is fluid, and guns are responsive, which is pretty great because you don’t want to get spotted by an enemy and have controls be the reason you lose. Just be aware that the overwhelming number of players, as well as the dense jungles, while looking pretty realistic, stunning, and immersive, can come with a fair share of slightly annoying pop-ins.

Verdict

It’s finally here, the large-scale battlefield experience we’ve been waiting for quite a bit. The first game was a blast, taking you to World War II. It was a bigger experience, with 17 maps and several historical battles across different years. Hell Let Loose: Vietnam currently has six maps, which are mostly dense foliage, as well as two armies to choose from. But I’m not worried about the content because what’s present is already deeply diverse. 

Each army fights differently, while the Vietnam setting itself provides avenues for a different taste and flavor of the realistic battlefield experience. This is a 50v50 FPS experience that finds a sweet balance between resource management, tactical planning, and explosive combat. It has its slow-paced moments of careful advancement toward enemy territory. However, it can get chaotic pretty quickly, with the onslaught of bombings and suppressed fire.