If something is shaped like an orange, is orange in colour, and tastes like an orange when you peel off its very bitter, pithy skin, you really shouldn’t feel bad for assuming that it is, in fact, an orange. And this, your Honour, is my defence for assuming Hell is Us from Rogue Factor was a soulslike.
Because, look, right, from the outside – even while watching gameplay unfold before my very eyes – everything in me that was even slightly spherical was rolling like crazy. And then I played the demo, and then I played some more varied levels in a streamed preview courtesy of NACON, and then I felt a bit silly.
Hell is Us, contrary to all the visual evidence, is no soulslike. It feels very much like one in motion, with a stamina bar, heavy and light attacks, and a reliance on evades and parries – but beyond the combat it’s much more forgiving and much more accessible. You can stack healing items in your inventory; save points, while fixed, are plentiful; and enemies don’t respawn even if you die. You can clear out areas to make exploration easier, and you can chip away at groups of enemies one death at a time if you like.
The real challenge in Hell is Us can be found in exploring the secrets of its world. It’s an unsettling game, set in the 90s in the fictional European country of Hadea where a bizarre calamity has given rise to Hollows, interdimensional beings that slaughter civilians en masse. As Remi, you’ve entered this highly dangerous zone to unearth the mysteries of your lost family, and will come up against rogue ON soldiers, mercenaries, and both sides of an ongoing civil war.
Eschewing softly-softly amenities like a map, or mission markers, Hell Is Us gives you a compass and a drone companion and lets you loose on a vast world. Early on you’ll unlock an APC vehicle that grants you fast travel and a safe haven in which to upgrade Remi’s skills and gear, but beyond this the focus is very much on feeling your way through the hostile world.
A lack of waypoints means you must explore, take side paths and explore hidden routes, and pay attention to every NPC and scrap of lore you find. When you speak to an NPC, you’ll see a list of all the questions Remi can ask as well as a list of all the things he now knows about the character or has learned about his goal. You’ll slowly piece together the correct route to proceed, and while I thought at first that this would be annoying, it’s actually weirdly freeing.
Part of that is because of the aforementioned lack of soulslike mechanics in the world design. Because enemies don’t respawn constantly, you don’t feel oppressed by the necessity to wander, and getting lost is less egregious as you’re not constantly anxious about how many heals you have.
Which is not to suggest there’s a lack of action or challenge. Each enemy is a terror, and they’re plentiful, too, often coming at you in packs. You can use your drone to confuse them at first, allowing you to focus them down one at a time, while later you can unlock other drone skills like a devastating charge attack. Hitting the right bumper after dealing damage will also heal back a portion of your health and stamina, but if all your stamina runs out you’ll be dead in seconds.
Environmental puzzles break up the action in places, while ancient ruins hide all manner of secrets and really reward wandering off the path. New gear, upgrade materials, and cosmetic options provide lots of things to collect, and of course the grim, shadow-shrouded world itself is a macabre joy to get lost in. Having played through the opening section multiple times in the demo before diving into two latter-game areas, I’m incredibly excited to see how Hell Is Us expands its narrative and varies its approach to level design.
In a market coming dangerously close to souls like oversaturation, Hell is Us feels familiar yet different enough to stand out. Purists hoping for a more strictly From Software–esque offering might be disappointed, but anyone looking for a large-scale action-adventure with an emphasis on exploration and discovery over masochistic challenge should be very excited for September 4th.
